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THE BEGGARS OPERA:-
My first show with the RSC. I had been
wanting to get into the legit side of theatre for a while and so
when I was asked to join the RSC I was ecstatic. It was the
biggest thrill working with so many hugely famous and respected
directors, designers, actors, and it was the beginning of many
years of straight work. I owe them a lot. The Swan Theatre is such a special
place to perform - intimate yet oddly huge! Ideal for such a raw
production. At one point I played a lady of the night and I
thought I looked great but seeing the photos now I'm not at all
sure! (Be warned - there are more of these pictures...)
MACBETH:- Playing alongside Derek Jacobi was a thrill. He's such a fine actor - we can all learn by watching him work. The production was to be taken to Broadway but for some reason the American backers backed out! What a shame.....
ROPE:- One of the darkest plays I've ever done. Playing a murdering pervert was real breakaway from the usual juvenile lead characters I normally play - but what a part! It's really easy to get carried away by the role as each night brought something new and strange (and sometimes worrying!) When my folks came down I was slightly apprehensive as it did get rather close to the bone, but as usual being such a good gauge they ignored the fact I was their son and appreciated the show for what it was. A fantastic production.
A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL: - I didn't want this play to end. The director took a chance in casting someone young in the role and it really paid off ( at least I think it did!). At one point I had to wear a ridiculous black wig which didn't sit right, was too thick and made me look like a mushroom - but even that didn't take anything away from my enjoyment of the play.
LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN: - I've never done a Wilde before but fell into the style suprisingly well (apparently!) The cast were incredibly strong and talented and being part of such an exhilarating team was fantastic. I'm very lucky in that a lot of them have become dear friends. A special time with special people.
NEVILLE'S ISLAND: - This was actually the Scottish premiere of Tim Firth's play! I played Roy, a born-again Christian and birdwatcher on a management team building exercise in the Lake District. At the end, I came on to the stage wearing only huge white Y-fronts, and carrying a dead gyrfalcon, which I then got to put my hands in and fetch out its innards. I really enjoyed it! It was lovely to do a play with such a small cast (only four actors) in such a friendly theatre.
HARD TIMES: - 'Hard Times' was an adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel, but with a really small cast! I played Mr Gradgrind as well as a few other characters. It was a great show, with just four actors playing all the characters - that's a lot of lines to learn!
Some reviews:-
"Geoffrey Abbott is perfect as the arrogant instigator - a loathsome man who pushes his luck" - Salisbury Journal (Rope)
"Geoffrey Abbott is excellent as stout hearted Brandon who grows increasingly conceited.... at one point we see Brandon privately caressing the locked chest gratifying some bizarre childhood fetish" The Express (Rope)
"Geoffrey Abbott is all silky charm and cruelty unexpectedly snapping into vicious hate" -The Stage (Rope)
"Geoffrey Abbott as Brandon switches wonderfully from lover to controller" - The Carrier (Rope)
"No explosions until Geoffrey Abbott's merry elegance brings onto stage a living incarnation of Oscar himself. In his mouth Wilde's cynicism is tempered with the great pleasure the writer takes in good company, his brilliant wit is polished, epigrams are scattered like diamonds" - The Stage (Lady Windermere's Fan)
"Geoffrey Abbott turns out his usual polished performance - excellent" The Stage (The Devil's Cardinal)
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