Back from last night's Shi-Wa event in London, and it was a real treat!! Here goes...
After a day shopping, we met up with Tina, Linda, Sue, Jane, Paul and Rhonda in the afternoon for some food and drink in a really nice pub down by the Thames, before wandering the couple of hundred yards down to the Globe Theatre. A few of Sting's crew wandered into the bar so we knew that he was in town at least! The Globe itself is amazing, a reconstruction of the original Globe, it was a terrific and very atmospheric venue. A bare stage with ornate roof to protect the actors supported by two pillars means that nowhere in the theatre has a completely unobscured view of the stage, but this is only a minor inconvenience. We were all in the Groundlings, and able to walk straight in down to the front of the stage, where we took up our positions.
Behind the stage and above the actors is a viewing gallery - where Trudie surveyed the event from and was clearly having a great time. Mickey, Kate and Coco were all seated together in the second floor amongst the public seats and also having a ball. The stage was bare apart from some wooden benches to the back, and the only instruments on stage were a harpsichord, a lute and a double bass, although a team of minstrels were in the gallery playing shawn's, sackbuts and cornettos. Two spotlight stands stood onn the stage, but there was no amplification. The actors had to work to project themselves to all parts of the crowd, overcoming the open air venue, jets on the way to Heathrow, and even some arsehole with a mobile phone. The bell rang, and all of the cast, wearing brown, purple and orange monk habits walked on to the stage form both sides, up to the crowd and then back to the wooden benches.
The entire cast was Sting, Richard E Grant, Jack Dee, Ethan Hawke, Vanessa Redgrave, Mark Rylance, Jimmy Nail, James Taylor, Paul Scofield, The Lock Stock Boys (Jason Flemying, Jason Statham, Nick Moran, Dexter Fletcher and Vinnie Jones), Lulu, Miranda Richardson, Imogen Stubbs, Layla Khalif, Simon Russell Beale, Lennie James, and Ian Talbot. The musicians for the eveing were Dave Hartley on harpsichord, Chris Laurence on doube bass and Jacob Heringman on lute. Dave Hartley and Chris Laurence of course played with Sting on the Leaving Las Vegas soundtrack and were also at the Montserrat gig too. A tibetan snow lion performed a routine before a tibetan chap performed what we guess was a blessing of some kind but sounded like a 40-a-day smoker clearing his throat. Whatever, it was certainly a novel way to start the evening and everyone remained suitably reverent although a few shoulders could be seen wobbling as people stifled their amusement.
The first act starred Jack Dee and Richard E Grant in a comedy sketch "A Small Rewrite" written by Black Adder writer Richard Curtis, where Shakespeare (Grant) is harangued by his producer (Dee) because at five hours, his latest play is on the long side and could do with some brisk editing. Ethan Hawke then took centre stage as Hamlet to perform "Hamlet Act III, Sc4", followed by Vanessa Redgrave (Constance) and Mark Rylance (King Philip) in a very emotional scene from "King John, Act III, Sc4". Vanessa Redgrave actually managed to achieve tears in the scene where she laments the loss of her son.
Mark Rylance as Henry V, then performed "Henry V, Act III, Sc3", before James Taylor stepped forward to sing "Come away, come away, death" from "Twelfth Night". We thought his voice was actually quiet weak, but then he did have to combat an overflying 747 towards the end of the song. Paul Scofield took the part of John of Gaunt in "Richard II, Act II, Sc1". This won lots of appreciative applause from the Shakespeare fans in the audience, and was only marred by a mobile phone starting to ring in the audience just as Scofield finished. He was clearly annoyed but settled with giving a look that left no doubts as to where he would like to insert the phone if he got his hands on the culprit.
Sting then stepped forward and sang "Under The Greenwood Tree" from "As You Like It, Act II, Sc4". With no amplification, his voice sounded very strong, and he had a some fun with Dave Hartley at the end of the song as Hartley deliberately kept playing bum notes, whilst Sting repeated his line until he got it right. All the actors were wearing everyday clothes, apart from the Lock Stock boys, and for those that need to know, Sting was wearing a pair of khaki combat trousers and tee-shirt, and his hair is back to Ten Summoner's length, blond and looking all the better for it.
What followed was great fun from the Lock Stock boys. Nick Moran delivered a prologue from "Romeo and Juliet, Act III, Sc1", and Flemyng, Statham and Fletcher played Mercutio, Tybalt and Benvil whilst Vinnie Jones, naturally, played Romeo. They had all put a lot of effort into this scene, which included a lot of swordplay, some pretty good stunts, lots of laughter and had managed to get a few lines from the film into the scene too. Dexter Fletcher's "I've brought some knives", as he displayed a formidable set of weapons brought a terrific laugh. Vinnie loved it, and had learned his lines well before finishing off Tybalt in a duel.
After the interval, Lulu (looking great) sang "O Mistress Mine" from "Twelfth Night, Act II Sc3", and we then had four sonnets, Miranda Richardson (Black Adder's "Queenie") performing "Being Your Slave" (No 57), Layla Khalif "Being Your Slave" (No 57), Paul Scofield "Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day?" (No 18), and Vanessa Redgrave "When Forty Winters Shall Besiege Thy Brow" (No 2). James Taylor then performed "Take, O Take Those Lips Away" from "Measure for Measure, Act IV, Sc1), and Simon Russell Beale, Lennie James and Jack Dee reenacted a schene from Richard II, and Imogen Stubbs too the part of Portia from "Merchant Of Venice, Act IV, Sc1".
Another really funny comedy scene from "A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1, Sc1" then followed, in which Jimmy Nail played Quince the Carpenter, Ian Talbot a very funny Bottom the Weaver, Ethan Hawke played Flute the Bellows-mender, Richard E Grant took the part of Snout the Tinker, Vinnie Jones was Starveling the Tailor, and Sting the meek and stuttering Snug the Joiner. Mark Rylance then performed as Oberon and Puck in "A MidSummer Night's Dream, Act V, Sc1", before the whole cast scattered sweetpea petals over thew audience.
Finally, Sting then performed "When That I Was and A Little Tiny Boy", from "Twelfth Night, Act V, Sc1", being joined on the chorus by all the cast. As the cast took their bows, Sting sent someone off to find Trudie who walked out and gave a little speech thanking everyone especially Vanessa Redgrave and Ethan Hawke who had flown in especially from New York, James Taylor who had flown in from Boston, and her "beloved Sting" who had just flown in from Italy. Sting then proceeded to try and attract Trudie's attention, grabbing Jimmy Nail and bellowing "Trud!" "Trud!" before Trudie also thanked Jimmy Nail for flying in especially from LA. She thanked everyone for helping to raise £100,000 on the evening and with that the evening ended.
So a very unsual event, even for people like us who don't know or have never really cared for Shakespeare. It was great to see everyone, and good to see Sting in such a relaxed and unusual atmosphere and clearly having a lot of fun.
On a wholly separate issue the programme mentions that Trudie's upcoming book "Cooking from the Lake House Organic Farm" is published in September, that she has just finished a movie with James Earl Jones, and is currently producing the documentary about the making of the Disney film, Kingdom Of The Sun.
SHI-WA was great fun next to serious acting.
Standing with my nose against the stage, I saw Sting together with the other singers and actors coming on stage and staying there all night sitting on small banks. They were all dressed in grey monks-habits with big capuchins. The habits were finished off with purple and after the pause they wore big orange shawls, which must have helped a lot against the cold London air. Orange is the color of the Tibetan monks clothes. There were no mikes; no PA-systems no amplifiers; Sting had to prove he could do without these; and he WAS brilliant, singing these old shakespearian lyrics. The song (from 12th Night: "When That I Was And A Little Tiny Boy" Sting sang a cappella; And at the song: "Under The Greenwood Tree" (from As You Like It), he was accompanied by a small band with old instruments just like a lute and a harpischord, that sounded wonderful. Sting sang very good.
James Talor also sang two very beautifull songs but while James was singing one, a plane flew over and the theater being not that good insulated against the sounds from the outside world. That was hard for James and for the listeners.
There were many funny moments especially when the actors of Lock Stock were fighting with lances and spears.
But for me the funniest part was when Sting played a part as someone (Snug the Joiner) who could not speak properly, this was so incredibly fun; (this was a scene from "A Midsummer Night's Dream).
This evening was like a dream for me and Sting was looking so good with much more hair and looking so young, wow.
Trudi, looking very healthy, was standing on the balcony above the stage; and after the show she came on stage and spoke some words of 'thank you' to everyone who contributed to the event.
Every scene and poem and song they were all done so very well; Shi-Wa was such a beautiful night I am very happy to have been there.
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