salaryman’s Neighborhood

The last year has given us David Tennant's mood-swinging, energetic interpretation and Jude Law's anger and clarity so who will be next to step into the shoes of the Bard's greatest character?

Well fellow theatre fan @polyg may just have the answer to that. Today she tweeted a link to this forum in which the lovely and talented John Simm hints, not too subtly, that his next project will be Hamlet.

He's an actor whose work I admire on both screen and stage. I first noticed him in the wonderful BBC drama The Lakes 11 years ago and of course you can't forget Life on Mars.

The first play was the comedy Elling two years ago. He proved to be talented comedy actor with impeccable timing and the ability to raise a laugh with just a look. Then this year he returned to drama with a role in Speaking in Tongues which once again proved his acting credentials.

So what sort of Hamlet do I think he'll make? Well, I think he will be a more subdued, slightly more considered Hamlet than both Tennant and Law. More brooding for sure.
 
The RSC's production with Tennant teased out the humour in the play and having seen Simm do comedy, there could be a bit of Tennant-esque cheekiness in there too.

If the hints prove true, and I really hope they do, then he has two big acts to follow but I'd like to see his interpretation and, of course, if my predictions are right.

• 19:34 Where is the cake @eddieizzard ? #
• 19:41 Apologies to facebook friends but big twit @eddieizzard is irresistable. Sorry. #
• 08:02 Listening to George Lamb's new Saturday show on 6 and wading through my backlog of emails. Morning George. #
• 10:03 @rhino75 Thought we'd share it as we have been rather hogging it here in London #
• 10:05 Now listening to #adam&joe while uploading pics from yesterday. Have a feeling I know where today it going. (And it ain't far from the sofa) #
• 10:10 @polyg Oh that is exciting news, hope it's true. I predict a slightly more subtle performance than the Hamlets of late #
• 10:12 @polyg It was still really interesting though. #
• 10:16 @davidquinn The fact it has Cameron Diaz in it immediately put me off. Starting to think he is a one hit wonder #
• 11:48 The trials and tribulations of married life by Flamingo Dancer bit.ly/6aquY5 #
• 14:51 Watching Tropic Thunder. It is as dreadful as I thought. #
• 14:58 @polyg Did you lick your lips though? #
• 15:02 RT @heyuguysblog Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer Leaks: bit.ly/8Q0W2R #
• 15:14 @polyg I'm impressed. We used to have competitions when I was a kid to see who could eat one without licking our lips or fingers. V. hard #
• 15:16 @vaughnchicago What Tom Cruise dancing? I liked the trailers at the beginning and R DJ's Mel Gibson impression. That was about it #

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Rounded off yesterday's festivities with a night at Wembley Arena in the company of the brilliantly funny Eddie Izzard.
To our amusement the big screens either side of the stage not only showed live streaming of the audience but also a live twitter feed of all @eddieizzard tweets.
Much fun was had by all especially when our group appeared on the screen, as you can imagine. Oh and he's taking the tour to America early next year. Get tickets if you can.

Guess what someone got as their Secret Santa present?

(These are from the little work Christmas lunch we had yesterday. It's our treat after our big end of year meeting.)

• 23:08 Went for a drink in royal court bar after with @polyg and celeb spotted. Lots of celebs. Lovely evening #
• 00:00 @polyg It was lovely meeting you too. Lets do it again soon. #
• 00:01 @polyg Well it didn't really turn out to be a question more of how he felt about the play which was equally interesting #
• 00:31 Been a very busy and tiring day and tomorrow is going to be even busier but hopefully lots of fun. Must go to bed otherwise will be grumpy. #
• 07:14 Eddie Izzard tonight. Am feeling the strain of already having been out two nights on the trot. B ut hey got the weekend to recover. #
• 07:15 @garyhills She is and it was great fun. Thanks again @polyg #
• 19:28 Waiting to see @eddieizzard at wembley. Hello everyone! #

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I know, I know - couldn't resist.
So tonight was the second performance and just as good as the first. Interesting to see the subtle differences in the actors performances and despite the cast describing the audience as lively I felt the sadness of the play more this time.
There was a Q & A afterwards hence the cast comment. As predicted I didn't ask a question - I very nearly commented though (ooh go me!) but the conversation moved on quickly.
Mr Whishaw didn't say much but twiddled with his unruly hair a lot. He had changed into his civvies which consisted of white shirt and red braces. Can't remember what was on the bottom half because I was so taken with the red braces which I'm sure I've seen him wearing before in pictures. He's a braces man, obviously.

Rufus Wainwright was in the audience and sort of asked a question. I say sort of because it ended up being more of a statement of how he felt about the play. An interesting perspective though, he felt the playwright Mike Bartlett purposefully plays with the audience, drawing their sympathy and pushing them away again in equal measure.
There were a few other famous faces in the audience which I can't name. Coincidentally one was one of the older actors in the film I saw at at test screening just last night.
Great to get to hear what people thought of the play though and get the cast and director's viewpoint.
And aside from seeing Mr W beforehand and in the bar afterwards (alongside R P-J, Sadie Frost and the very tall Oliver Chris from Green Wing) I got to meet the lovely @polyg who is one of my theatre loving twitterers. We follow each other and via twitter discovered that we had tickets for the same night. A couple of DM's swapping mobiles and we meet for the first time.
Now that is social media.

• 23:04 First hot water bottle of the season - tootsies are like blocks of ice after get wet earlier #
• 07:53 More Cock tonight (stop giggling at the back, it's a play). Really looking forward to the Q&A afterwards #
• 07:53 @electricfields Ok. I didn't but I will. #
• 18:09 Already spotted mr w on way in. Have a question for q&a afterwards but know i will wimp out when it comes to it. Very excited. Very. #
• 18:47 Waiting to meet @polyg - never met a twitter follower/ee before all very exciting #

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• 19:40 Watching Margot and trying to guess which bits are Anne-Marie and which are body double #
• 07:35 Off to my first ever test screening of a new film tonight. Quite excited. (Wonder if we get free popcorn?) #

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Wow what a busy week this is turning out to be. Fortunately it is a mixture of work and pleasure but I fully anticipate a lazy weekend, if I make it there in one piece.
The work stuff centres on end of year budgets and planning meetings.
Working on the budget transports me back to my teen years when I used to cry with frustration over my maths homework. Sadly I don't have my Dad around to sooth and help me work out.
We have our big end of year meeting on Friday so I'm in full preparation mode for that, part of which involves a bit of baking the goodies to keep us going. It's a bit of a tradition. Afterwards we all go out for a relaxed lunch and swap secret Santa presents (the only present I buy every year.)
But then there is the purely social side to this week.
Lunch with my best friend Jen, yesterday, for a good old catch up. She's been working so hard over the last month or so we've barely exchanged emails.
And I'm going to my first ever test screening tomorrow night with Kate. I always wondered how people go to go to such things and now I know: just be in the right cinema at the right time (Apollo, Saturday afternoon). I was approached by a man with a clipboard and a few questions and a phone call later, my name was on the list.

What I know of the film is that it's a British comedy based around the women who worked at Dagenham Ford in the 60s. It has a promising cast including the wonderful Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson and Bob Hoskins. s Dagenham Girls.
I hope it's good but even if it isn't, it will be fun to see something that is not yet in its final form.
Then there is my second trip to see the wonderful Ben Whishaw in Cock but this time it has a Q&A with the cast and director afterwards. I've come up with lots of questions but I know I will get stage fright. Am sooo excited about seeing it again though and it's spurring me on for Project NY (more on that sometime soon ;0)
And then finally, I'm going to see Eddie Izzard with a group of friends. Haven't got a clue where we are sitting and whether we will be close enough to see his facial expressions but it will be nice to finish of the week with a laugh even if.

• 07:03 Not only got a breakfast meeting but I'm on a discussion panel: I'm going to say my specialist subject is 'easy questions' as it's soo early #

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