The Revenger’s Tragedy – Gallery

Remember how we jokingly discussed the possible reasons why we only got to see the back of Damian O’Hare in the promo shots for “The Revenger’s Tragedy”? Now we know, the grim truth was probably deemed too harsh for our sensitive minds…

Just click the picture and you’ll get to the online gallery of photographer Jonthan Keenan who did the promo shots for this production at the Royal Exchange in Manchester back in 2008. There are a couple of pictures of Damian O’Hare, plus one seriously alien looking ones of Stephen Tompkinson.

Gallery updates and news from Allan the Herorat

I’m currently adding and switching the galleries, and while I’ve tripple-checked everything, it’s still possible that you might stumble over dead links. I hope everything will be fixed by next week. I noticed that links in the navigation bar are missing on some pages; I’ll correct those as soon as I’ll find the time.

The biggest addition is the new

THEATRE GALLERY

where you can find pictures from some of the stage productions Damian O’Hare’s been in. Check out the one for “The Countess” – the scanner’s fixed and there are proper scans from the programme now.

Then there are new galleries for Taking the Flak, The Broken and promotional headshots, plus additional pictures in the Fractured gallery. Och, just have a look at it yerselves:

And now for something completely different…

Allan, the Herorat “adopted” by this website, sends his greetings from rainy Tanzania (they’re approaching winter now).  His training in REST (Remote Explosive Scent Tracing) is coming along very well. They continue to research the optimal and least optimal soil conditions, moisture content,  and various concentrations of TNT to see the perimeters if he and his colleagues can detect TNT. Looks like he finds it interesting to have different concentrations of TNT and different types of soil to work with every day!

Through the work with these samples, Allan and his colleagues provide important data to find the best working conditions for rat detection technology, and it will help to figure out in which weather conditions, locations and scenarios they are most effective.

Allan’s trainers John and Abdullah keep telling him that he’s becoming stronger and stronger at clearly indicating samples of dirt that contain TNT. Go, rat, go!

One of the trainers with Allan

If you’d like to support Herorats as well, or maybe even adopt one of the four-pawed heroes, please go here.

Usual disclaimer: “Hero Rats” is the charity of choice of the webgnome running the website, not of Damian O’Hare.

The Royal: Season 7 featuring Damian O’Hare to start this Sunday

ITV’s hospital period drama series “The Royal” will start into its 7th season this Sunday, 8 – 9pm. Unfortunately, that just happens to be when Italy and Spain will battle over the ticket into the half finals of the EURO2008. Maybe that’s why new doctor Nick Burnett looks so worried? We wouldn’t be surprised at all if ITV should change the program in favour of football at the very last second.

Some bits and pieces about the upcoming start of season seven have been in the media:

The Radio Times – Allison Graham

The Daily Record

Manchester Evening News – Ian Wylie

What’s On TV

And even The Royal’s Official Website has been updated. A miracle! Sort of. Still the old cast, still the old interviews, but at least there are now new video previews available (but only for those living in the UK, as usual…)

And if all should fail and none of this tickles your fancy, you still have the option to get yourself tickets for The Revenger’s Tragedy at the Royal Exchange in Manchester. The play runs till 28 June, and while we can’t tell you if you’ll like it or not, we can guarantee you’ll have something to talk about…!

Theatre: “The Revenger’s Tragedy” reviews

Updated as they come.

Theatre World – Colin Snell
“(…) It is all furiously played out by a committed cast; the performances are uniformly excellent with Tomkinson and O’Hare leading the company and yet there is something a little unsatisfactory and unsatisfying about the end product. (…)”

Fight Against Symmetry – personal blog (linked with permission)
‘It is an actor’s stage, a writer’s stage, it is a space where writers, actors and directors can actually unleash their imagination’
“(…) His [Vindice’s] heart now set on revenge he carries the skull of his dead lover with him always, and when his brother (amazingly played by Damian O’Hare) informs him of an oppotunity to work for the Duke’s son, and thus get his revenge, he says ‘Yay’ and disguises himself as the fantastically flamboyant Piato. (…)”

The Messenger – Rick Bowen
Gripping, disgusting and amusing
“(…) He [Vindice] also enjoys a great rapport with Damian O’Hare who plays his brother Hippolito and you actually feel like cheering as a menagerie of unsavoury characters are sent to meet their Maker. (…)”

The Bardathon – Peter Kirwan
“(…) In one memorable moment, he [Vindice] and Damian O’Hare’s solid Hippolito carried on the dead body of the Duke to the strains of The Sun Has Got His Hat On, dancing diabolically with the corpse in an impressive piece of choreography (and of playing dead from Robert Demeger). Increasingly, too, the two brothers took control over the play’s stage management as their power increased, cuing more and more of the effects. In a lovely final moment, John Gillett’s Antonio clicked his fingers for the lights to black out, thereby demonstrating the power shift. (…)”

The Sunday Times – Christopher Hart
The Revenger’s Tragedy is a sow’s ear of a play. Two new productions fail to convince our correspondent otherwise

The Observer – Susannah Clapp
Revenge as a dish served twice

Daily Express – Chris Riches
Revenge is a dish served lukewarm
“(…) Jonathan Keeble oozes malice as Lussurioso and Damian O’Hare, as Vindice’s brother and accomplice, is a perfect, steady foil to Tompkinson’s buzzing, energetic performance. (…)”

UK Theatre Network – Caroline May
The Revenger’s Tragedy

Telegraph – Charles Spencer
The Revenger’s Tragedy: the enduring appeal of nastiness and perversity

The British Theatre Guide – David Chadderton
The Revenger’s Tragedy

The Guardian – Peter Kirwan
Middleton, our other Shakespeare
This is not a review per se (though the Royal Exchange production of “The Revenger’s Tragedy” is mentioned several times), but an interesting article – and even more interesting comments! A theatre and academics involved in WikiPedia tinkering? So the “high arts” are like fandom, only with bigger words, correct spelling and fewer smileys.

WhatsOnStage.com – Calum Kerr
The Revenger’s Tragedy

The Stage – Natalie Anglesey
The Revenger’s Tragedy

Manchester Evening News – Kevin Bourke
Four out of five stars

Damian O’Hare, Stephen Tompkinson and somebody who has a better view on the scene than us.
Photo: Jonathan Keenan

The Independent – Lynne Walker
Murder with a dash of humour sweetens an old tale of revenge

The Guardian – Lyn Gardner
Two stars out of five
“(…) It’s a case of overkill and suggests that Moore doesn’t trust the play’s singular mix of sardonic humour and horror. Damian O’Hare brings colour to Vindice’s brother, Hippolito, and Jonathan Keeble’s bisexual Lussurioso suggests a man brought up to know that he is the cat who deserves whipped cream, but there are some indifferent performances and some bewildering accents. (…)”

The Independent – Paul Taylor
The Revenger’s Tragedy: The bloody classic is given a modern twist

“The Revenger’s Tragedy” opens tomorrow!

The Royal Exchange Theatre presents

Stephen Tompkinson stars in bloody Jacobean thriller

THE REVENGER’S TRAGEDY
Directed by Jonathan Moore
Designed by David Blight

The cast also includes: Jonathan Keeble, Merryn Owen, Sam Fletcher, Mikey North, Damian O’Hare, Robert Demeger, John Gillett, Corinna Powlesland, Stephanie Brittain, Eileen O’Brien, Marc Parry, Stephen Hudson and Drew Horner.

The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
Wednesday 28 May to Saturday 28 June

Evening Performance Times: Monday – Friday, 7.30pm and Saturday, 8.00pm
Matinee Performance Times: Wednesday, 2.30pm and Saturday, 4.00pm
Half Price Previews: Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 and Friday 30 May

Ticket Prices: £8.50 – £28.00 (Concessions Available)
Happy Mondays: Tickets £4.00 for 25-year-olds and under, Mondays Only

After-Show Discussion: Thursday 12 June, after 7.30pm performance
Audio-described Performance: Saturday 7 June, 4pm
BSL Signed Performance: Saturday 14 June, 4pm

Exchange Education: Preview Workshops, Between The Lines Playreading Sessions, Teacher Drop-in

Box Office: 0161 833 9833
BOOK ONLINE

THE ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE

Theatre: The Revenger’s Tragedy – Previews

PREVIEWS will be posted here, latest first

icCheshireOnline: Stephen Tompkinson in Revenger’s Tragedy in Manchester

The Independent: Bloody return for anti-hero Tompkinson

WhatsOnStage.com: Opening – Stephen Tompkinson in Exchange’s ‘Revenger’s Tragedy’

Manchester Events Guide: The Revenger’s Tragedy

Messenger: Superstar Drops In To Manchester

CultureKIOSQUE: Stephen Tompkinson Stars in Bloody Thriller, The Revenger’s Tragedy

Theatre: The Revenger’s Tragedy

Now it’s official: Damian O’Hare will be back on stage this spring, in

THE REVENGER’S TRAGEDY
as Hippolito

Director: Jonathan Moore

A tale of vengeance, violence and lust in the finest traditions of Jacobean tragedy. As he holds the skull of his beloved – who rejected the licentious old Duke’s advances and so was poisoned – Vindice plots the Duke’s grotesque murder. But in a court where adultery, rape and incest are the norm, his vengeance does not stop there. An orgy of ritualistic, even playful, bloodletting follows.

The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

28 May 2008 to 28 June 2008

Monday to Friday evening: 7.30pm
Saturday evening: 8.00pm
Wednesday matinee: 2.30pm
Saturday matinee: 4.00pm

£8.50 to £28.00

More information here once and if it becomes available.