We have been blessed with concurrent Richarding opportunities this Fall/Autumn—with the play Love, Love, Love, and his tv show Berlin Station. But they both come to an end on Sunday December 18th, as we and they say farewell.
Sweet SatuRdAy! The curtain falls on Love, Love, Love after a great run in NYC!
Though I didn’t get to travel to see the play, I enjoyed reading various accounts and reviews. The play was a hit! And of all the clips that I have enjoyed, the one below is my favorite.
Thanks to Rita Maltese for sharing this sweet Roundabout Theatre Company play Love, Love, Love slow dancing scene in Act 3 between Kenneth and Sandra—portrayed by Richard Armitage and Amy Ryan. Richard and Romance at every age. Sighhhh! Enjoy!
When a play, film, tv show, story, etc. ends with such tenderness, the characters can’t be all bad. Sighhh! I so wish I could have seen the play. And I hoped for Love, Love, Love to be filmed and distributed—as The Crucible was—however unrealistic I felt that to be.
So hey, Roundabout Theatre Company, BroadwayHD, and Mike Bartlett! Myself and thousands of others have $20+ burning holes in our pockets. So please throw us a bone, put even a single wide shot camera on filming the finale performance, of Love, Love, Love. If you add the people who couldn’t see the play plus the people who did see the play and want to again, that $20 dvd/stream times even 5,000 people equals at least $100,000. Ka ching!
Berlin Station Episode 10 Finale as Cliffhanger for Season 2?
And I may have watched too many Dallas tv show finales growing up. Remember the year that wasn’t when Bobby left the show, but turned up the following year in Pam’s shower, and his absence was all a dream? Such is the bemused cynicism that I have for tv shows desire to hook us in to staying with them.
For Berlin Station starring Richard Armitage, I think that everyone every character is up for debate as to if they will stick around for season 2 that has already been announced. And I sincerely don’t believe that EPIX or the producers will tell us what is happening in the season 1 finale. Though we could guess that next season might see a shift to another city—as Richard hinted at about other locales in one interview. Afterall, the finale episode is called “Oratorio Berlin”. Perhaps the Berlin locale’s swan song? How does Munich Station or Paris Station or London Station grab you? Well, they follow the two syllable city name mode. Ha! And that does look like the Eiffel Tower in the distance from Patricia and Daniel chatting in the episode 10 clip below.
And—maddeningly–if the show’s creative team is smart, they will keep us guessing about what will happen to the characters and the actors who play them. That will keep the buzz going. But, of course, uncertainty will seriously tick off many people. Ha!
And myself and many others would love to see Richard Armitage’s character Daniel Miller LIVE (as in still breathing through the credits roll)—though Mr. Armitage plays death scenes so superbly well. Personally, I would like to see Daniel and more of his characters—in addition to Kenneth and Harry—get the girl, have a family and live a good and a happy and a purpose filled life. A happy life is what we all dream of, right? I do. We have a bucket list of things would yet like to do, have, or accomplish. And hey, even the scheming Esther Krug in Berlin Station is a step up from Lucas North’s in Spooks spy girlfriend Sarah Caldwell. *shivers* Though I do get a sense that Esther is softening toward Daniel (right).
And though Richard has somewhat of a track record of spending 3 yrs with Robin Hood as Sir Guy and then 3 yrs with Spooks as Lucas North, his career has ramped up several notches considerably since that time. And he rightly “wriggled” out of the subsequent seasons of Strike Back after 2010’s series broadcast to portray Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit trilogy of films.
So I think maybe we can hope for him to be in season 2—since with Season 1 he was able to do other projects like Love, Love, Love, the Romeo and Juliet Audiobook, etc. But no films per se—except some post production maybe. So I think Richard committing to a second season—even cameos—will be a big decision for him, in terms of possibly restricting him from doing other projects.
However, a bright spot might be that if and when Richard Armitage signed on to Berlin Station as its star, that EPIX had a renewal clause–which I’m certain any savvy actor’s representatives would negotiate quite lucratively for him, and with options for him to be able to do other projects. That was said to be George Clooney’s only contract request for his tv show ER—to have the scheduling flexibility to do movies and other projects when he wanted to. And that worked out well for him. *wink*
Something About Love (A) 
December 17, 2016–Thanks for liking this post! I’m glad that you enjoyed it! Holiday Cheers! Grati ;->
discovermarche
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December 17, 2016–Re: Love, Love, Love:
Thanks to Hariclea at her Opera is Magic blog for sharing her insights about her experiencing Richard Armitage’s LLL play:
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December 18, 2016–Love, Love, Love the “dance” metaphor from the Roundabout Theatre Company re the close of the #LLLplay!
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December 18, 2016–Berlin Station ended its 10 episode 1st season as it began–with Daniel Miller getting shot. And …..
***SPOILERS***
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Episode 10 of Berlin Station was really great! You saw the divisive Berlin Station team pulling together–despite their differences and innate mistrust of each other. Bravo and Brava to all of them! This is the kind of pulsing film noir twists that should be in every episode of season 2–we hope!
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December 18, 2016–Richard Armitage also shared his annual Holiday Message–looking forward and back, with lots of angst, humility, incredulity about world tragedies, compassion, and heart:
And here is the text of his message quoted verbatim if you can’t see it below:
“What a year 2016 has been. So many people we have lost; Bowie, Cohen, Prince, Fidel Castro, Shimon Peres, Nancy Regan, Tom Hayden, Muhammad Ali, Gary Marshall, Edward Albee, Peter Schaffer, Gene Wilder, Alan Rickman.
(I actually started with just one name but then I remembered all the others) Brexit happened, and Trump became the president elect of the US. Earthquakes rumbling around the ‘Ring of Fire’ . Yes there is a literal and symbolic shift happening in our world, our social and our physical.
I started this year in Berlin, filming the second half of our series ‘Berlin Station’ which has now just finished airing, during that time I visited a refugee centre in Spandau. It was a humbling experience. I witnessed how, beyond the drama of the news cycle, on a moment to moment basis, families in need were being helped and housed, by German ‘families’. Simple folk, volunteers, putting their fear aside and stepping up to help our fellow men in need.
What has been happening Aleppo, is almost beyond comprehension, genocide on a scale not seen since the Shrebrenica massacre during the Bosnian war.
Our leaders no longer seem to value the truth, rhetoric designed merely to ‘bag a win’ at any cost is the new normal, even if that means dividing nations; pitting neighbours against each other; by country, by state/county, even to the person next door.
It hasn’t been a great year in terms of honour and grace, it has been a year of hubris and loss. Don’t get me wrong, there were “Wins” (and I respect and congratulate those who made those choices) but I believe they came at a price yet to be understood.
On a personal level, I met a group of people in New York, working at the Roundabout Theatre Company on Mike Bartletts ‘Love Love Love’ directed by Michael Mayer. It was a ‘diamond in the rough’. It began on my birthday during a heatwave and ended with snowfall as we approach the years end. It was a tonic in every way, because our audiences gathered and heard a story told about people, about parenting, about generations and the society that supports them.
We are very lucky to live in a society that supports us, even if we feel it is failing us, we mustn’t lower our expectations but we do need to take stock and just face the reality of millions of displaced people, who’s society not only has failed them, it is inflicting genocide on them.
So as we gather ourselves with our families, in our warm homes, with food on the table, I just can’t help but ask that we say thank you. That’s what I intend to do.
I am very privileged, I have success and security. I am lucky man, I don’t really know how to ask for this but I’m going to ask for something that I want for myself in 2017. I want to be fearless. To live without fear. To not fear my neighbour, to extend myself towards my fellow man. What else do we have but the ability to do this, and yes it’s ‘easy for me to say this ‘ in my comfortable place, but there is a narrative of fear out there, which we must resist, or accept isolation and division.
A friend of mine (shall remain nameless) recently suffered a devastating painful loss, but with family, loved ones and friends pulled themselves up, and exhibited the kind of bravery that was nothing less than humbling.
So let’s celebrate what we have. Let’s be thankful for our humanity and our ability to empathize and help those in need. Doesn’t have to be money, it can be your time, it can literally be just a helping hand. Here is a link to my Just Giving pages.
Happy Christmas everyone.
https://www.justgiving.com/user/18578864
(NB. Castro was also named here without fear. Not an endorsement, just a name that is noteworthy….sigh.)”
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December 19, 2016—Thanks to Fernanda Matais for sharing this hard hitting Berlin Station, season 1, episode 10 critique!
http://www.tracking-board.com/berlin-station-review-oratorio-berlin/
P.S. I agree with some of it–a mile a minute episode that had the pacing I would like to have seen in earlier episodes. But all in all, I’m looking forward to Season 2.
And as FM pointed out, Patricia is Daniel Miller’s “cousin”, not his sister.
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