Love's Labours Lost

I rather naughtily snatched a picture of the set of Love's Labours Lost in the interval of this production at the RSC in Stratford and what a set it was. Based on Charlecot House, this was the basic framework, but rooms slid on through the arch, doors descended, and most impressive of all, a huge roof structure with smoking chimneys, rose up through the floor. The production nodded heavily to Brideshead Revisited and Downton Abbey, and I love this play because of the sting in the tail that really does take your breath away. Here, they had a double whammy with WWI lurking right at the end. A beautiful joyous, moving production. Yes we are always precious about taking photos during a performance, and rightly so...it ruins it for the audience and cast but also there is some special about the moment being unique.
How wonderful the new stage is. There's still a lot of dead wood front of house, a lot of wasted space, but the stage is immediate and intimate and not a hint of theatre curtains anywhere. If you can have a phobia of front tabs I have it.