I had totally forgotten how good this is and David Threlfall as Smike is just the best performance ever.
He just breaks your heart.
Fantastic stuff.
You know it!
-Amanda
"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"
He is lovely, as is the whole cast. Roger Rees did a tremendous job as Nicholas, as did John Woodvine as Ralph.
I'm always amazed by that one shot of Threlfall near the end, when you see him out of his Smike character and taking part in the narration. He is a really beautiful guy!
The setting is a bit stagey as its an adaptation of a stage play and is out of vogue these days.
I saw a repeat of this and its still enthralling.
Its that man again!!
It is just brilliant! I am enjoying it so much. I remember watching it as a young adult, and now I own the DVD set. I cannot wait to watch it with my friends and family <3 I have been a big fan of British theater and films, and this is one of the best productions ever!
shareSomeone in the company actually baked the muffins they threw around the house in the prologue, which were bland but welcome for an usher who was there for the whole 8 1/2 hours. One day they must have run out and sent someone on an emergency trip to the market, because they used, (I kid you not) Thomas' English Muffins, which, unlike the regular ones they used, no one even nibbled.
I remember walking up to Lila Kaye before Act One (they all roamed the house to greet the audience before every show) and told her she was "too tremendous!" Roger only came into the balcony, and one night was asked to sign a lady's panty hose package. Lucy Gutteridge from this production ended up in the well produced George C. Scott circa 84 TV movie of A Christmas Carol. Lila Kaye was briefly given a US sitcom, Roger Rees ended up with a recurring role on Cheers, and Bob Peck, I think his name is, still remembered as John Browdie ("tha beat tha schoolmaster!") would get eaten by a dinosaur in Jurassic Park.
Much was made in the NY media of the $100 price for every ticket necessary to bring the show over from London, and the cast were a bit embarrassed by it, pointing out in interviews that they came here "in all humility." A line or two were added to the Crummles soliciting patrons scene, as a wink to the audience: one aristocrat is heard balking at the price "...for One Play?" to which Nicholas says, "well there are a lot of people in it... and it's very long" which got a big laugh every night.
The show first arrived at the Plymouth Theatre, prompting some wags to say as the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the RSC landed at the Plymouth Theatre. The return US tour was in the Broadhurst, a couple years later, which is nearly identical in structure, if not decoration, and back to back with the Plymouth. The Broadhurst is where another famous British literary figure gained considerable exposure recently, proving Harry Potter has grown up.
I have a lot of strong memories about this production, which is why I am so disappointed by A&E's chopped up version on VHS and DVD. We are all still waiting to hear if the British 3 disc DVD is more intact.
Am watching it this week, as I do every Christmas break; while there was a short run of this play in Chicago in the 80's, I was a young newlywed and my husband pronounced it too costly to attend, which I regret to this day. I was finally able to see this version a year or two later; it played on network TV only once, to my knowledge.
Years later, I was ecstatic to find a tape of it available for rental at Facets Multimedia. I made my own homemade copy and have enjoyed it ever since, poor version or not. I was happy to trade it in for the DVD version a few years back. It is our family tradition to watch one chapter every night during Christmas week. It is such an affirming story, of honor and integrity in the face of evil and adversity. There are those who believe that such Dickensian cruelty and dismissive attitudes towards the poor and needy are history, but they are not. Dickens may have glamorized the plight of the principals, but showed that all people who try to be good are worthy of love, respect and loyalty, no matter their social class.
I am envious you saw the original production in the theatre, Cine Sight. I saw a televised version on Australian TV around about 1983 or 1984. I remember it spawned some imitators and the Australian theatre director Simon Philips (who later directed the Melbourne Theatre Company) directed a production in my home town of Pert,h Western Australia of Great Expectations in a very similar style in 1986. It was a worthy effort but the WA Theatre Company was not a patch on the RSC. I remember being pleased to note that one of Michael Pennington's English Shakespeare Company members was Clyde Pollitt (Mr Folair/Brooker) when they toured Perth in 1988 performing Shakespeare's British history plays under the banner of War of the Roses. I did pass Clyde Pollitt in the foyer one night and wanted to say I thought he was great in Nicholas Nickleby but thought it would have seemed wierd. Sadly he died a year later. No doubt you were saddened to hear of Lila Kaye's death around this time of year in 2012. Alun Armstrong has become a favourite actor of mine and I imagine his Thernadier in Les Miserables in 1985 owed a bit to Wackford Squeers. I was also impressed by Roger Rees and was able to see him live on stage in Adelaide last year with another legend, Ian McKellen, performing in Waiting for Godot. I wonder too if you were aware that a few of the Nicholas cast appeared in a rather silly Abrahams comedy film, Top Secret, in 1984 - the beautiful Lucy Gutteridge starred and Ian McNiece and Andrew Hawkins (Mr Bonney) also appeared in small roles?
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