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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 5h

Yep they are a thing for almost all productions 😊

playbill.com/article/ever...

Everyone Loves Another Op'nin', Another Show. But What About Previews?

The history of Broadway previews, and why you should be in the audience for them.

playbill.com

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 16h

Just like on Broadway and the West End, there is a week or so of “previews” where they perform the show for an audience to gauge what needs to be tweaked prior to the official opening night. 😊

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 21h

I was such an honor watching him. He’s so fucking talented I can’t even verbalize it.

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 21h

I know, I feel deeply privileged to get to see the evolution even in just these first two shows. He’s such a force of nature. 🤩

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

as they’re finding and filling out their chemistry.

It’s such an honor to get to see this beautiful human being and actor return to his stage roots with such a bloodcurdling triumph of a performance (and for Macbeth, that’s the highest compliment, really).

He did us so proud, guys. 🥹

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

moment while other actors were speaking. They were a perfect match in these roles, they fed off one another and pushed one another and it was mesmerizing to watch. I’m sure it’ll just gel even more with time but what a privilege to watch them push and test one another, it felt so genuine and true

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

I also cannot speak highly enough of Lia Williams. She was BORN to perform Shakespeare, her every beat was perfect, so easy to understand, and the energy between her and Sam was electric in every scene, whether they were having an angry stare off or a shouting fight or a tender, intimate whispered

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

gentle tenderness we know to expect; when he’s cradling Lady Macbeth’s body, his voice was so heartbreakingly gentle, but every vein in his face was taut with grief (you know that look I’m talking about). Let me tell you, seeing that from like… four feet away… was… I may never recover, y’all.

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

EXQUISITE actor, and honestly, knowing what he’s fully capable of, having seen how deep he can dig for emotional honesty and grit, I had a high bar going in. He leaped over that bar like it was nothing. He was on FIRE. Dripping tears, full body shaking, wild eyed mad ranting, but also the deeply

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

BRUTAL, and he handles that descent into total madness— literally hallucinating, clawing at power as he constructs his own demise — with all the talent, the raw, visceral emotion, and the layered performances we’ve seen in him from Wentworth to the “violent man” waiting for Lionel Brown. Sam is an

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

descent into a violent reign where one murder of a friend becomes two, then three, until there’s this absolutely blood chilling moment where Sam!Macbeth takes a little child by the hand and then picks up a hammer and walks off stage to absolute horrified silence, knowing he’s about to kill him. It’s

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

As for the performances: absolutely STUNNING. Truly, all bias aside, Sam and Lia were both phenomenal in their roles, and (as with everyone) hugely improved the second night. For those unacquainted with Shakespearean tragedy, this is a gory, emotional, and at times really disturbing story of a man’s

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

supposed to be walking barefoot!! 😳😫 They actually had to stop the show to send a full janitorial crew onstage to clean up the shards before they could resume. Tonight they replaced that glass with a metal ashtray, phew. No one was hurt, but that was definitely a needed change 😅

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

things that needed tweaking from the first preview, and made the show overall much stronger the second night. I’m sure that fine tuning will continue in this first week, that’s what previews are for! ☺️

A BIG mishap the first night was that a glass shattered onstage where a ton of actors were

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

clearly had taken a lot of notes from things that didn’t work the first night — way too much smoke (both effects and fake cigarettes), some actors (not Sam or Lia) who we couldn’t really hear at all, some different blocking and line deliveries, just overall a lot of really positive changes to fix

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

and stage door was a different vibe that first night — he was so sweet and lovely and accommodating, as always, but he just looked dead on his feet, whereas tonight he was bright and energetic and clearly a lot happier with how the show had gone. That tracked with our impression as well. They very

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

Ok, first night: we only found out after the fact, at stage door, that they had only actually done their first full read through THAT MORNING 🤯 because LB asked how he felt about opening night and he clarified that bit, and said it was actually just the first preview. He was very clearly exhausted

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 22h

Ok, thank you for your patience! Without further ado, my review of the first two performances of Sam in Macbeth 🔪🩸

He was sweet about taking selfies but got distracted by the billions of people talking to him lol but here’s pics of us in the same photo smiling! He’s such a sweetheart. What a gem.

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 1d

First preview of Macbeth was fantastic!! I’m going again tomorrow night and will post a full review after I’ve had time to process it twice. 😊 Sam was so lovely at stage door, I got an autograph on my program tonight and I’ll try to get a picture with him tomorrow. Stay tuned!

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Reposted by Danielle

Sarah @tinytunney.bsky.social · 4d

It's going to be bittersweet seeing him and bby Claire together, but I'M SO HAPPY WE FINALLY GET UNCLE LAMB!!! 🥹💜

(📷: Outlander_STARZ on IG)

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Reposted by Danielle

Leah, ya know? 💜🥔 @awkwardterrier.bsky.social · 5d

What's this? Can it be? It is! Another series of scenes which confound my moodboard making abilities is set before you!!! Chapter 7 of And Be Two Travelers is up now: archiveofourown.org/works/682664...

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 7d

Thanks friend 🥰

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 7d

It’s freakin miserable — Michigan didn’t get the memo that it is OCTOBER

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 7d

He really did come through! 🙌🏻

And thank you!

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Danielle @smashingteacups.bsky.social · 7d

Thank you!

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