#Toby Theater

[tonyvasquez]

Behind the Curtain with the Indianapolis Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty

[tobys-walrus-crew]

FINALLY!!! First look production photos of Toby Stephens in Corruption Play at @LCTheater !

📸 T. Charles Erickson

[dreadfuldevotee]

Never talk to me about Modern AU Interview with the Vampire unless it's Armand & Co. putting up a complete nightmare community theater production of "Sweeney Todd"

[doyouknowthismusical]

[kaz-of-crows]

as much as i hate modern setting shakespeare, i do love the heart hands our toby does when he says “sneck up” which makes it effectively “kill yourself 🫶”

[shippingdragons]

Break a leg Corruption Company! This play gives me life, it’s just such good theatre!

[ladykissingfish]

I had this conversation last night with @amikotsu ; two separate scenarios so putting them both on this post 😂

*at the movies*

Deidara, sitting in between Sasori and Tobi: G-guys … I’m not so sure about this …

Sasori: Brat. You’ve been begging to see this movie for weeks. 

Deidara: Yeah but, I didn’t realize … I mean after reading the reviews I didn’t know how scary it’s supposed to be …

Tobi: You’ll be okay, Senpai! Tobi and Sasori-san are right here, and we won’t let the scary things get ya! Okay?

Deidara, taking a deep breath: Okay …

*later, coming out of the theater*

Sasori: Well, I’ll hand it to you, Deidara … that WAS fairly frightening. But I’m proud of you for getting through it.

Deidara: *wraps himself around Sasori’s arm* Couldn’t have done it without that helping hand you gave me, Danna ~

Sasori: … huh?

Deidara: You know, hm … *lowers his voice* I wish you could be that romantically adventurous all the time, but I’ll admit that you doing it so quietly, in the dark, with everyone around us but nobody aware of what we were doing … that was the biggest turn-on of my life ~

Sasori: 

Sasori: I didn’t touch you that entire time. My hands were folded in my lap.

Deidara: What?! Then who the hell —

Tobi, grinning and sweating bullets under his mask:

———

*at the movies, waiting in line at the snack counter*

Kakuzu: My chest hurts …

Hidan: You say that every time we come here, you cheap old fuck. Nobody made ya come!

Kakuzu: Oh, right. Like three little brats were just going to walk into an R-rated movie without adult supervision!

Deidara: We ARE adults, hm!

Kakuzu: *snorts* Yeah, sure. Now … *studies the menu* What are we going to be getting? How about we just ask for some cups for water? Water is probably free …

Itachi: But Kakuzu-san, the best part of coming to the movies is getting popcorn and soda ..

Kakuzu: Are you mad? LOOK AT THOSE PRICES! Eight dollars for a small soda?! FIFTEEN DOLLARS FOR A SMALL POPCORN?! Shit, I’m in the wrong business … I should have opened a movie theater so that I could force people to sell a kidney to buy some overrated junk food!

Hidan: My Jashin, stop whining, old man. Look, me and blondie and red-eyes will pool our money and get something for us all the share. So stop your bitchin’, alright?!

*Kakuzu sighs as the others buy four drinks and one jumbo popcorn for them all to share*

Kakuzu, as they’re walking to fill up their drinks at the soda dispenser: I won’t even ask how much this was. Next time, I’m not letting you talk me out of bringing my big bag. We’ll sneak in the entire kitchen before I let you spend money like this again. We — Kakuzu: *suddenly slips on an ice cube on the floor and slides into the wall, banging his head* *Deidara and Itachi rush to him to help him up, and Hidan brings over a manager* Hidan, to manager: What the fuck is this shit?! You guys don’t clean up these areas or what?? My friend could have seriously hurt himself!! We should call our lawyer and —

Manager: N-no need for that, gentlemen! Surely you’ll allow us to compensate you in some way …

*several moments later, in the theater before the previews start*

Deidara, eating nachos: This is great, hm! We got so much free food!

Itachi, opening his third box of candy: Not to mention free movie tickets for the next few weeks!

Hidan: And it’s all thanks to the old bastard! Thanks, Kakuzu! Oi, ‘Kuzu?

Deidara: Looks like he’s taking a nap …

Itachi: Hidan, wake him up. I think I read somewhere that it’s not safe to go to sleep with a possible concussion …

Deidara: Oi, shouldn’t we take him to the hospital then?

Hidan, slapping Kakuzu awake: We’ll go after the movies. I’ve been waiting all month to see this; Kakuzu understands. Right, old bastard?!

Kakuzu:

[wicked-source]

Toby & the curse of downplaying saving Elizabeth.

[g0ld3n-gu4rd]

Favorite actor EVER⁉️

He’s so silly

[cavernfullofexistentialdread]

Here’s more proof that Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss are geniuses

Anne’s line “who was I kidding I was pretemonje” can be interpreted in many ways with this context

She’s hot and she knows it

She was ready to eat (like… in a promiscuous way if yk what I mean)

She was ready to slay and guess what? She DID. NOT ONLY WAS SHE MURDERED BUT SHE ATE THIS WHOLE FUCKING SONG UP

Also not only is this in French but it’s a British shop

This is probably the first post in my series of over analyzing six lyrics

[captaincleverusernamehere]

Sweeney Todd rehearsal out of context

[tobys-walrus-crew]

We have the first rehearsal photos for Corruption at @ LCTheater!!! Yesterday Lincoln Center Theater began rehearsals. The play is written by J.T. Rogers and directed by Bartlett Sher and will begin previews on Thursday, February 15! Tickets go on sale on Friday!

Photos: Chasi Annexy

[rockinshots]

This woman has created a revolution x 3. Kathleen Hannah is an incredible artist, activist, and feminist. I'm so very grateful to live a path she has woven... Bikini Kill was Epic at The Warfield Theater.

Get out and see this mover and shaker. She is a legend!!

[inatyzzy]

yall this is gonna be kinda niche and ill lock out a lot of people on here, but i fucking hate uncle vanya. bad play.

"its a classic play!" its also a very boring one. theres no story or plot and things just happen. its just "here's the conflicts. okay now things happen" and thats the entire thing.

oh and the characters are garbage? "oh but toby, thats the whole point!" yeah??? ok??? well bad point lmao. bro did what he wanted when making the play- good on him. but that dont make it less boring or less enjoyable to read.

i literally hate uncle vanya so much. it and rent are the two plays i can absolutely go off about how much i hate them for hours.

if you ask me about rent, you'll get a kankri ass essay on it.

[ultimate-nonreplica-contest]

Ok here’s what we’re gonna do: I’m gonna take the top two from this and put them against Helsinki and Chorzów as a sort of sudden death “Round 1.5”

Also, depending on my personal circumstances, round 2 will be posted either tomorrow afternoon or middle-of-the-day Tuesday. :)

[shippingdragons]

Toby Stephens Returns to the New York Stage to Investigate the Media In ‘Corruption’

Stephens talks about playing Tom Watson, the member of Parliament who pursued the investigation of the UK phone hacking scandal. “We’re still living in the aftermath of all the stuff that came out," he says.

By Harry Haun • 03/25/24 4:55pm

Toby Stephens as Tom Watson in Corruption at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. T Charles Erickson

“I love doing what I do on stage,” declares Toby Stephens, more joyfully than boastfully. Call it a (very) early calling. The gifted offspring of genuine theatrical royalty (Sir Robert Stephens and Dame Maggie Smith), he plies the family trade with distinction on two continents. He can’t help it.

When Broadway first saw Stephens, he was drawing double duty in the 1999 revival of Jean Anouilh’s Ring Round the Moon, playing patrician twins who turn into romantic rivals. A quarter of a century later he has finally returned to New York in Corruption, where he is one of just two actors in a company of 13 who does not play multiple roles.

Stephens portrays Tom Watson, a British Parliament member who helped squeeze a death rattle out of Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World for hacking the phones of thousands of celebrities. Playwright J.T. Rogers adapted Watson and journalist Martin Hickman’s 2012 book Dial M for Murdoch: News Corporation and The Corruption of Britain into Corruption, currently getting a world-premiere staging from Bartlett Sher at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, the site of the duo’s previous Tony winner, 2016’s Oslo.

In the 25 years between his New York stage sojourns Stephens has been busy doing his thing “in an industry that’s becoming more and more precarious,” he tells Observer. That’s meant keeping “a variety going,” trading movie roles like the Bond villain Gustav Graves in Die Another Day with a turn as Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company. “I still try to balance theater with making money. That’s what it comes down to—finding that balance.”

What was the lure that brought Stephens back to New York? “A number of things,” he begins. “Firstly, I worked with Bart and J.T. on Oslo in London and enjoyed the experience. Secondly, Corruption is a new piece. Really interesting new writing is quite rare these days. Lots of revivals are done, but I really want to work on something new.” And then there’s focus of Corruption: the media, privacy, and truth itself. “It’s an important subject because we’re still living in the aftermath of all the stuff that came out. It’s still on-going.”

It’s not been an easy play to bring off. “There’s a point in rehearsals and previews where you suddenly feel like ‘Oh, I’m in control of this. It’s not in control of me,’” he says. “What I hate is when you aren’t quite in control of the material. It’s just beyond your fingertips.” The challenge of Corruption was its complexity. “The play is freighted with information, and you have to get that across and make it all seem naturalistic and real. You must leave the audience believing this narrative.”

Adding to the complexity, the show changed throughout previews, a process Stephens calls “terrifying,” though, “that’s how J.T. and Bart work,” he adds. Some of the changes were subtle, others were major. “By the time we reached the first night, it was a very different piece than what we started with. The skeleton was there, but the way we told the story was different. They tightened it up, cut things, rearranged things, even put new scenes in.” Still, there was enough time to work with the material that by opening night Stephens had found the control he was looking for. “I had fun because I knew it was cemented and this would be the piece we’re doing.”

How deeply did Stephens delve into the character of the man he was playing? “Not very,” the actor admits. “I know of him because I’m aware politically in the U.K. I read the newspaper and follow current affairs. I’ve watched him through the years. In terms of research, I believe the play is the play. That’s my main touchstone. I have to trust J.T. has done thorough research, which he has.”

Tom Watson, Toby Stephens, playwright J.T. Rogers, and director Bartlett Sher on opening of Corruption. Tricia Baron

In fact, Stephens opted not to read the book the play is based on. “I find doing loads of research—beyond what the material is— isn’t helpful. All that does is confuse and muddy what you’re doing,” he says. “My business is to do the play I’m given and make my character dramatic and nuanced enough for audiences to deal with.”

So for Stephens, the research is the script, though he does admit one addition to get Watson’s accent right. “He’s got an accent that’s quite broad when he’s talking as himself, but when he’s in Parliament or talking officially, it’s slightly subtler,” he says. To nail that, he watched “a lot of videos—but up to a point. I don’t want to do an impersonation.”

Tom Watson was a surprise guest at Corruption’s opening. “Thank God, I didn’t know that he was present,” Stephens sighs. “Afterwards, Tom said, ‘If this play was done in London, it would be a lightning rod.’ I think he’s right about that. It’s still very fresh in people’s memory. There’s still legal action against newspapers for hacking.” Though Watson had read the play before seeing it, Stephens thinks he was slightly stunned by the whole thing. “Actually seeing it, seeing somebody else playing you, is a completely different thing. You’ve got someone who has lived the real story, and you’re doing a simplified version of that. But I think that he was very, very impressed by the show. ”