If you could watch any historic theatre performances, which one(s) would you pick?

[AllaMova]

Inspired my a commenter on one of my previous threads (whose username I’ve forgotten - sorry.)

Admittedly, there are so many, which I’d chose including:

Hedda Gabler and Ghosts (both starring Alla Nazimova - my namesake!)

The Glass Menagerie (staring Laurette Taylor)

Hamlet (staring John Barrymore)

The Lady of the Camellias (staring Sarah Bernhardt)

Little Foxes (staring Tallulah Bankhead)

(And many more)

I saw him dance!

I cannot believe it myself - I was very young and he was performing the Prelude de l'Apres Midi d'une faune (er...hope that's spelled right...), so not very energetic at that stage in his career. But it was Nureyev!

To turn the topic slightly...

One I would definitely not wish to see was when Daniel Radcliffe was in Equus, just after he made his escape from Harry Potter. The part requires nudity and I, as a parent, couldn't quite cope with this concept after having to sit (bored out of my mind) through the various Harry Potter films, so I wonder how his fans managed the transition. Even if they didn't see the production they would have heard and read about it.

For those with a crush who'd grown up with him...eeeuuww...having a crush on someone is not necessarily the same as wanting to see them starkers on the London stage for all the world to see!

There's a production of Equus coming to London with Toby Stephens and Amanda Abingdon

Love both of them
Quite a depressing play though and only a Saturday matinee. I don't like going into London on Saturdays. Thought posters here might like to know. If they don't already know!

As a teenager I saw Anthony Sher play Richard III at Stratford- I'd love to see that again.

I have their autographs. I love them so much!

Oh wow! That's amazing. I'm huge fans. So wish I'd seen them act on stage.

Oh, there must be a story to this… 😁

Thank you for letting me know … I can stop kicking myself for missing it then! 😆

This is always my answer too. I was 11, old enough to be aware of theatre and to know i liked it, but i remember my mother saying I was too young and we'd do Stratford a year or two later. I've since read the book he wrote about that year and feel like I've seen it, but really really wish I had. I've seen other Richards (Ken Branagh was really good) and other Antony Sher things (his Falstaff was wonderful) but I wish I'd seen that SO MUCH.

I saw the Renaissance co Much Ado in 87 (ish?) with Branagh and Samantha Bond and Sophie Thompson and it was fabulous! Very similar hot summery Italian vibe.

I saw him in the 80s in a triple bill of story ballets. He was atrocious in Spectre de la Rose (too old, jumped like an elephant, it was embarrassing) but he was superb and had unbearably powerful charisma in Afternoon of a Faun, which was acting rather than jumping.

The famous Midsummer Night's Dream (with trapezes) directed by Peter Brook (1970).
And OMG Helen Mirren and Bob Hoskins as the Duchess and Bosola in Webster's Duchess of Malfi sometime back in the 70's.

Peter Brook’s MSND.

Ha! @Vaguelyclassical snap!

I saw that!

It was absolutely stupendous. Played minimally in a black box.

The King & I with Yul Brynner

Loads of excellent ones I too would have liked to see anything with Vivien Leigh /Laurence Oliver and Liz Taylor and Richard Burton.

However musicals wise Elaine page and David essex in Evita.

Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson in Waiting for Godot.

Great thread op

I would love to see the opening night of the original off Broadway production of Rent. That must have been so emotional under the circumstances

I'd go to the play Lincoln was assassinated at and see if I could alter history.

We were walking past the Grammar School where Shakespeare was a pupil and my son asked why it was called a Grammar School. I explained that the boys would study Latin and Greek grammar, and not much else in those days.

Henry VI Part 2. The Jack Cade rebellion. Jack Cade is confronting Lord Saye, one of the targets of the rebels:

I am the besom that must sweep the court clean of such
filth as thou art. Thou hast most traitorously
corrupted the youth of the realm in erecting a
grammar school; and whereas, before, our forefathers
had no other books but the score and the tally, thou
hast caused printing to be used, and, contrary to
the king, his crown and dignity, thou hast built a
paper-mill. It will be proved to thy face that thou
hast men about thee that usually talk of a noun and
a verb, and such abominable words as no Christian
ear can endure to hear.

Our Will having a bit of fun there, methinks.

I'd go to the play Lincoln was assassinated at and see if I could alter history.

History (with a capital H) won't let you. You'd have a bit of scenery dropped on you if you even thought about it.

P. T Barnham.

JustMeHello · Yesterday 18:19
Contrarymary30 · Yesterday 10:58
Any ballet with Rudolph Nureyev as the lead .
I saw him in the 80s in a triple bill of story ballets. He was atrocious in Spectre de la Rose (too old, jumped like an elephant, it was embarrassing) but he was superb and had unbearably powerful charisma in Afternoon of a Faun, which was acting rather than jumping.

I think I can re-write history for you and cheer you up!

Was this in the mid-80s, and a programme of 3 revived ballets including Les Biches, Spectre de la Rose and Prelude? If so, I saw the very same show at Manchester Opera House as a youngster.

If so, it wasn't Nureyev dancing Spectre de la Rose. I thought it was, because it looked like him, but I consulted my programme and it was a different chap - but with the same handsome Slavic features and hair. Yes, he was mighty beefy for a dancer, though, and didn't half thump about with his massive thighs!!

I remember this because I moaned about Nureyev only writhing about as the faun, but my mum did point out that he was knocking on by then and couldn't be expected to throw himself around the stage as he had in his prime.

I hope I'm right, and that you can keep Nureyev's reputation intact in your memory!

(Another memory from that night: some audience members were disgusted by the Prelude, with it's sexual implications, and walked out noisily. The funny thing was that some of the audience had done exactly the same at the original Diaghilev production in 1905...or whenever!! I don't know what they thought they were going to see - even I knew what these ballets were about.)