by Nathaniel R
Before we plunge into the deep end of movie awards season, which tends to consume our every waking moment from right now through Oscar night each year, a wee theater break.
Though we love movies with all our hearts, the one thing live-action movies don't really have an equivalent of is the grand theatrical tradition of the musical comedy. I'm talking inspired silliness as goddamn raison d'etre. I recently fell hard for Desperate Measures, a hilarious wild west riff on Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. The show has now been extended three times at the York Theatre in Manhattan and will close on New Year's Eve so get to it! (The York specializes in helping develop new musicals and I'm happy to call attention to this noble cause as a bonafide fanatic of the genre.)
I sat down recently to talk to with two of the musical's stars,...
Before we plunge into the deep end of movie awards season, which tends to consume our every waking moment from right now through Oscar night each year, a wee theater break.
Though we love movies with all our hearts, the one thing live-action movies don't really have an equivalent of is the grand theatrical tradition of the musical comedy. I'm talking inspired silliness as goddamn raison d'etre. I recently fell hard for Desperate Measures, a hilarious wild west riff on Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. The show has now been extended three times at the York Theatre in Manhattan and will close on New Year's Eve so get to it! (The York specializes in helping develop new musicals and I'm happy to call attention to this noble cause as a bonafide fanatic of the genre.)
I sat down recently to talk to with two of the musical's stars,...
- 11/27/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
John Collins’ Elevator Repair Service theater company has done some remarkable things with texts — notably the entirety of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” in “Gatz.” But they stumble badly in their first foray into Shakespeare, a misbegotten revival of “Measure for Measure” that opened Tuesday at Off Broadway’s Public Theater in New York. “Measure” is one of the Bard’s so-called “problem plays,” an uneasy mix of farcical comedy and moral philosophizing that got a nearly successful revival from British director Simon Godwin this summer at Brooklyn’s Theater for a New Audience. But Collins & Co. amp up the comedy.
- 10/11/2017
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Elevator Repair Service's Measure For Measure, created by Elevator Repair Service and directed by John Collins, began previews on Sunday, September 17 and runs through Sunday, November 12, with an official press opening tonight, October 10 at The Public Theater. BroadwayWorld has a look at the cast in action below...
- 10/10/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Elevator Repair Service's Measure For Measure, created by Elevator Repair Service and directed by John Collins, began previews on Sunday, September 17 and runs through Sunday, November 12 at The Public Theater. BroadwayWorld is taking you inside opening night below...
- 10/9/2017
- by Jennifer Broski
- BroadwayWorld.com
Elevator Repair Service's Measure For Measure, created by Elevator Repair Service and directed by John Collins, began previews on Sunday, September 17 and runs through Sunday, November 12, with an official press opening on Tuesday, October 10 at The Public Theater. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below...
- 9/25/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The York Theatre Company production of Desperate Measures, the knee-slappin' new musical with a nod to Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, with book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg Anna Karenina and music by David Friedman Scandalous, presented in association with Cecilia Lin and Hu Guo, is now in performance through Sunday, October 15, 2017 at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's 619 Lexington Avenue, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue. Opening Night is Sunday evening, October 1, 2017. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below...
- 9/21/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Celebrated author Robert James Waller has died at the age of 77. Take a look back at People’s 1995 cover story on Meryl Streep and her emotional role in the film adaptation of Waller’s The Bridges of Madison County.
In the final days of the five-week shoot of The Bridges of Madison County last fall, Meryl Streep did one of the many things she does better onscreen than anyone else: she cried. Filming an emotional scene in which her character struggles to say goodbye to her lover, the actress would show up on the set in Winterset, Iowa, at 9 in...
In the final days of the five-week shoot of The Bridges of Madison County last fall, Meryl Streep did one of the many things she does better onscreen than anyone else: she cried. Filming an emotional scene in which her character struggles to say goodbye to her lover, the actress would show up on the set in Winterset, Iowa, at 9 in...
- 3/10/2017
- by People Staff
- PEOPLE.com
Beyond the Movies: Top Six Cineplex Events in SeptemberBeyond the Movies: Top Six Cineplex Events in SeptemberJenny Bullough9/7/2016 12:10:00 Pm
From Spock to Shakespeare, Michael Buble to The Beatles, there’s a lot going on in Cineplex Events this month! Here are our top picks for what’s onscreen in September besides movies.
For the Love of Spock – Sept. 9
A one-of-a-kind documentary sure to unite trekkies worldwide, For the Love of Spock tells the life of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock and the actor who played him, Leonard Nimoy, for nearly fifty years. Through interviews with his family, friends, and co-stars, get to know the real Leonard Nimoy beyond the famous ears. Featuring Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, Jj Abrams, William Shatner, and Nimoy himself.
Check out the trailer below and click here for tickets and showtimes:
Field of Dreams (Classic Film Series) – Sept.
From Spock to Shakespeare, Michael Buble to The Beatles, there’s a lot going on in Cineplex Events this month! Here are our top picks for what’s onscreen in September besides movies.
For the Love of Spock – Sept. 9
A one-of-a-kind documentary sure to unite trekkies worldwide, For the Love of Spock tells the life of Star Trek’s Mr. Spock and the actor who played him, Leonard Nimoy, for nearly fifty years. Through interviews with his family, friends, and co-stars, get to know the real Leonard Nimoy beyond the famous ears. Featuring Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, Jj Abrams, William Shatner, and Nimoy himself.
Check out the trailer below and click here for tickets and showtimes:
Field of Dreams (Classic Film Series) – Sept.
- 9/7/2016
- by Jenny Bullough
- Cineplex
Are you dying to see Shakespeare performed out of the Globe Theatre but don’t have the funds to fly to London? Fans of the Bard in Houston and Dallas, rejoice: The Globe on Screen is launching high-definition screenings of performances at the Globe of “Richard II,” “Measure for Measure,” and “The Merchant of Venice,” now through September in movie theaters in both cities. In Houston, the River Oaks Theatre will be screening the productions; the Plano Angelika Film Center will be the theater to head to in Dallas. Read: “Why You Should Study Shakespearean Soliloquies” With “Game of Thrones” High Sparrow Jonathan Pryce as Shylock, Charles Edwards as Richard II, and Mariah Gale as Isabella, some of Shakespeare’s most riveting characters are heading straight to the Lone Star State by way of the big screen and city they originated in. Watch: “HBO Releases ‘Game of Thrones’ Blooper Reel” In Houston,...
- 8/5/2016
- backstage.com
With the release of the biker gang vs. dirty cops take on “Cymbeline” this weekend, audiences were treated to another Shakespeare adaptation that transports the Bard to modern day. Plays that were written 400 years ago continue to find relevance with modern audiences and continue to fit into contemporary settings with fresh retellings. But for all the talk that Shakespeare’s plays are “timeless” and “universal,” there is still a lot in his plays that is very specific to the social and political environment of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. Some storylines and characters translate well to modern settings, while others don’t. (“Measure for Measure,” for example, may be an unpopular one for reinterpretation in part because of a central plot line dependent on a law forbidding pre-marital sex.) A film's commitment to using Shakespeare’s language in a modern setting can lead to beautiful results. Also entertaining and thought-provoking are...
- 3/14/2015
- by Emily Rome
- Hitfix
Today in 1931, Broadway veteran James Earl Jones was born. He has won Tony awards in 1969 for The Great White Hope and in 1987 for Fences. He has acted in many Shakespearean roles Othello, King Lear, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Abhorson in Measure for Measure, and Claudius in Hamlet. On April 7, 2005, James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams headed the cast in an African-American Broadway revival version of On Golden Pond, directed by Leonard Foglia and produced by Jeffrey Finn. In February 2008, he starred on Broadway as Big Daddy in a limited-run, all-African-American production of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Debbie Allen and mounted at the Broadhurst Theatre. In October 2010, Jones returned to the Broadway stage in Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy along with Vanessa Redgrave at the Golden Theatre. In November 2011, Jones starred in Driving Miss Daisy in London's West End,...
- 1/17/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Goodman Theatre presents Rufus Collins Broadway's To Be or Not To Be and The Royal Family and Amanda Drinkall Strawdog Theatre Company's Great Expectations and Measure for Measure at the Goodman Venus in Fur, helmed by Joanie Schultz. As previously announced, Venus in Fur runs March 8 - April 13 in the Albert Theatre opening night is Tuesday, March 18. BroadwayWorld brings you highlights below...
- 3/12/2014
- by BroadwayWorld TV
- BroadwayWorld.com
Stage and screen actor who excelled in playing authority figures and appeared in TV shows such as Brookside and Lovejoy
Malcolm Tierney, who has died aged 75 of pulmonary fibrosis, was a reliable and versatile supporting actor for 50 years, familiar to television audiences as the cigar-smoking, bullying villain Tommy McArdle in Brookside, nasty Charlie Gimbert in Lovejoy and smoothie Geoffrey Ellsworth-Smythe in David Nobbs's A Bit of a Do, a Yorkshire small-town comedy chronicle starring David Jason and Gwen Taylor.
Always serious and quietly spoken offstage, with glinting blue eyes and a steady, cruel gaze that served him well as authority figures on screen, Tierney was a working-class Mancunian who became a core member of the Workers' Revolutionary party in the 1970s. He never wavered in his socialist beliefs, even when the Wrp imploded ("That's all in my past now," he said), and always opposed restricted entry to the actors' union,...
Malcolm Tierney, who has died aged 75 of pulmonary fibrosis, was a reliable and versatile supporting actor for 50 years, familiar to television audiences as the cigar-smoking, bullying villain Tommy McArdle in Brookside, nasty Charlie Gimbert in Lovejoy and smoothie Geoffrey Ellsworth-Smythe in David Nobbs's A Bit of a Do, a Yorkshire small-town comedy chronicle starring David Jason and Gwen Taylor.
Always serious and quietly spoken offstage, with glinting blue eyes and a steady, cruel gaze that served him well as authority figures on screen, Tierney was a working-class Mancunian who became a core member of the Workers' Revolutionary party in the 1970s. He never wavered in his socialist beliefs, even when the Wrp imploded ("That's all in my past now," he said), and always opposed restricted entry to the actors' union,...
- 2/22/2014
- by Michael Coveney, Vanessa Redgrave
- The Guardian - Film News
Chiwetel Ejiofor's sister cried on air over his Oscar nomination.
Zain Asher is a news reporter for CNN and spoke of her delight that her brother had been nominated for Best Actor for his role in 12 Years a Slave.
When asked about Ejiofor, she replied: "Chiwetel - he's been acting since he's 13 years old and - oh my god! I told myself I wasn't going to cry. I do feel so emotional now."
She added: "Growing up with him, he was always in his bedroom practising Shakespeare lines, writing Shakespeare on the wall.
"I would go out with my friends and I would come home and in the morning he'd be reciting Measure for Measure and in the evening it would be Othello. He's just somebody who's really dedicated."
Ejiofor is up against Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), Bruce Dern (Nebraska) and...
Zain Asher is a news reporter for CNN and spoke of her delight that her brother had been nominated for Best Actor for his role in 12 Years a Slave.
When asked about Ejiofor, she replied: "Chiwetel - he's been acting since he's 13 years old and - oh my god! I told myself I wasn't going to cry. I do feel so emotional now."
She added: "Growing up with him, he was always in his bedroom practising Shakespeare lines, writing Shakespeare on the wall.
"I would go out with my friends and I would come home and in the morning he'd be reciting Measure for Measure and in the evening it would be Othello. He's just somebody who's really dedicated."
Ejiofor is up against Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), Bruce Dern (Nebraska) and...
- 1/17/2014
- Digital Spy
Chiwetel Ejiofor, star of this year's 12 Years a Slave, was nominated for an Oscar in the best actor in a leading role category on Thursday morning, and nobody was happier for him than his sister, Zain Asher. Zain, a CNN reporter, shared a tearful reaction to her big brother's exciting news in a live interview today, telling her colleagues, "This was a day that my family has really been hoping for and waiting for for such a long time." Zain went on to talk about how hard Chiwetel has worked in his acting career since the age of 13. She recalled listening to her brother recite Shakespeare lines as a kid, saying, "In the morning, he would be reciting Measure For Measure, and in the evening, it would be Othello." While fighting back tears, Zain added, "He's been acting for over 20 years, and so to finally see recognition for his work...
- 1/16/2014
- by Brittney Stephens
- Popsugar.com
Goodman Theatre heats up 2014 with Venus in Fur-a smart, sexy, sinister comedy Vogue and suspense-packed study of the erotics and the semiotics of power New York Times-penned by theatrical mastermind David Ives. In her Goodman mainstage debut, Joanie Schultz directs the Chicago premiere production of the Broadway triumph that earned two Tony nominations, two Drama League nominations and a Drama Desk nomination. Rufus Collins Broadway's The Royal Family and To Be or Not To Be portrays playwrightdirector Thomas Novachek and Amanda Drinkall Great Expectations at Strawdog Theatre Company, Measure for Measure at the Goodman portrays Vanda Jordan-the preternaturally talented actress whose audition for the gifted-but-demanding playwrightdirector's new work becomes an electrifying game of cat and mouse that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, love and sex. The design team includes Todd Rosenthal set, Mikhail Fiksel sound, Jenny Mannis costumes and Keith Parham lights. Alden Vasquez is...
- 1/2/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The following "Auditions at a Glance" calendar conveniently organizes projects by the date and day-of-the-week that the projects' auditions are taking place, to help you schedule your plans. Click on any of the following links to see the casting and job notices related to the dates and project titles highlighted below. Fri. Oct. 18 'Christmas Gift!' 'Dreaming In Autistic Colors' 'Hay Fever' 'In The Clutch' 'Romans Xiii' 'The Clearing' Sat. Oct. 19 'Romans Xiii' Sun. Oct. 20 'Ain't Misbehavin' Royal Caribbean Productions, Las Vegas Fall 2013 Mon., Oct. 21 Click here to search for auditions. Tues. Oct. 22 'Boeing, Boeing',Chicago EPAs 'Henry IV, Part 1', Chicago EPAs 'Into the Woods', Chicago EPAs 'Measure for Measure', Chicago EPAs 'Sense and Sensibility', Chicago EPAs 'Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure', Chicago EPAs 'Twelfth Night', Chicago EPAs 'The Comedy of Errors', Chicago EPAs Wed. Oct.
- 10/16/2013
- backstage.com
While Tom Hiddleston effortlessly oozes sex appeal whether he’s battling hunky on-screen brother Chris Hemsworth in the Thor and The Avengers films or, more recently, singing ‘Bare Necessities” at this past weekend’s D23 Disney Expo, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything hotter than Hiddleston letting the written word of William Shakespeare fall from his oh-so-divine lips.
While playing Loki in the Marvel Studios films may get him buckets of exposure these days, spend some time sitting across from the engaging Hiddleston talking about his role as King Henry V in PBS’s Great Performances: The Hollow Crown miniseries next month, as this reporter did recently, and you’ll see the Brit’s eyes light up and his enthusiasm become more than a little intoxicating.
The Hollow Crown, which begins September 20th on PBS, features productions of Shakespeare’s Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1 and 2 and Henry V.
While playing Loki in the Marvel Studios films may get him buckets of exposure these days, spend some time sitting across from the engaging Hiddleston talking about his role as King Henry V in PBS’s Great Performances: The Hollow Crown miniseries next month, as this reporter did recently, and you’ll see the Brit’s eyes light up and his enthusiasm become more than a little intoxicating.
The Hollow Crown, which begins September 20th on PBS, features productions of Shakespeare’s Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1 and 2 and Henry V.
- 8/15/2013
- by Jim Halterman
- The Backlot
Chiwetel Ejiofor talks about his return to the London stage to play murdered African hero Patrice Lumumba in A Season in the Congo – and his emotional trip to the Congo to prepare for it
You have the sense talking to Chiwetel Ejiofor that he would always be prepared to go the extra mile. On screen and off he has a self-deprecating, generous spirit, quick to laugh, but he also carries a watchful air, a real openness to the moment. Directors – from Woody Allen to Spike Lee to Stephen Poliakoff – see this in him too. From his breakthrough role in Stephen Frears's 2002 film Dirty Pretty Things in which Ejiofor so memorably played the illegal immigrant doctor, Okwe, moonlighting as a minicab driver in London, he has been the go-to man for a particular kind of optimistic and highly credible intensity.
He seems fated to certain roles. He made a natural...
You have the sense talking to Chiwetel Ejiofor that he would always be prepared to go the extra mile. On screen and off he has a self-deprecating, generous spirit, quick to laugh, but he also carries a watchful air, a real openness to the moment. Directors – from Woody Allen to Spike Lee to Stephen Poliakoff – see this in him too. From his breakthrough role in Stephen Frears's 2002 film Dirty Pretty Things in which Ejiofor so memorably played the illegal immigrant doctor, Okwe, moonlighting as a minicab driver in London, he has been the go-to man for a particular kind of optimistic and highly credible intensity.
He seems fated to certain roles. He made a natural...
- 6/15/2013
- by Tim Adams
- The Guardian - Film News
Joss Whedon keeps dropping little bits and details here and there regarding The Avengers 2. How can he not? He's constantly being asked about it! He always just says enough to make us happy, but not enough to reveal what he's really doing.
While doing the press rounds for his indie film project Much Ado About Nothing, he talked to Vulture who asked him about the main conflict in The Avengers 2, and he ended up dropping a little story detail that gives some insight into the team's struggles in the upcoming sequel. Here's the question and answer:
What will be the main conflict this time, now that they've formed a team? Trying to stay a team? Becoming their own worst enemy? Because these are not folks who can pull off making a movie out of a Shakespeare play in twelve days.
No, they're not. And actually, that's the middle of the movie,...
While doing the press rounds for his indie film project Much Ado About Nothing, he talked to Vulture who asked him about the main conflict in The Avengers 2, and he ended up dropping a little story detail that gives some insight into the team's struggles in the upcoming sequel. Here's the question and answer:
What will be the main conflict this time, now that they've formed a team? Trying to stay a team? Becoming their own worst enemy? Because these are not folks who can pull off making a movie out of a Shakespeare play in twelve days.
No, they're not. And actually, that's the middle of the movie,...
- 6/6/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
New Avengers 2 small spoiler details dished by director Joss Whedon. According to a new report from Comicbookmovie.com, the people over at Vulture got a chance to chat it up with Avengers 2 director ,Joss Whedon, and he shared a few small details about what's going on with the flick. It turns out that the movie will be exploring how the Avengers will continue to exist as a team,and more. Joss stated, "No, they're not. And actually, that's the middle of the movie, them trying to. It's the Avengers trying to do Measure for Measure, and it doesn't go well. It's very exciting, especially in 3-D. The rest of it, you're right about. It was necessary to build this team, but what happens to them and to the world when they actually exist as a team? How does that work? And I have until we shoot in February to make sure that I'm right.
- 6/6/2013
- by Andre
- OnTheFlix
Seventeen years after being nominated for an Oscar for her role in Mike Leigh's award-winning Secrets & Lies, Londoner Marianne Jean-Baptiste has returned to the London stage. Here she talks about her own brand of spirituality, motherhood and why she chose to pursue her career in America
Marianne Jean-Baptiste is back. She is about to play the lead in the National's production of James Baldwin's The Amen Corner, and there is a feeling that she is, at last, in her rightful place. Jean-Baptiste made history: she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies (1996) and was the first black British actress to be nominated for an Oscar. Yet we have not seen her on stage here for years. Her return is a cause for celebration. I hear her generous laughter in the theatre's upstairs corridor before clapping eyes on her – and know,...
Marianne Jean-Baptiste is back. She is about to play the lead in the National's production of James Baldwin's The Amen Corner, and there is a feeling that she is, at last, in her rightful place. Jean-Baptiste made history: she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies (1996) and was the first black British actress to be nominated for an Oscar. Yet we have not seen her on stage here for years. Her return is a cause for celebration. I hear her generous laughter in the theatre's upstairs corridor before clapping eyes on her – and know,...
- 6/2/2013
- by Kate Kellaway
- The Guardian - Film News
Shalita Grant recently nabbed a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Grant's Off-Broadway credits include Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Lct The Philanderer Pearl Theatre Measure for Measure,The Winter's Tale, The Merchant of Venice The Public Theater and Roxy Font FringeNYC. On film she has appeared in Empire Corner, Invisible and Rehearsing a Dream and guest starred on the CBS drama series The Good Wife.
- 5/26/2013
- by Walter McBride
- BroadwayWorld.com
New York — A new musical featuring the songs of Bob Marley, the world premiere of William Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" by the innovative Fiasco Theater company and an Australian take on "Peter Pan" are among next season's offerings at The New Victory Theater.
A total of 15 productions from seven countries are on tap from the city's first and only full-time performing arts theater for kids and their families.
"Bob Marley's Three Little Birds" is based on a story by Marley's daughter, Cedella, and features music by the legendary reggae artist. It will begin in February at the theater's home on Broadway.
The Fiasco Theater, known for its stripped-down takes on such shows as "Into the Woods" and "Cymbeline," will present their interpretation of "Measure for Measure." There's also a fresh take on Neverland that comes courtesy of the renowned Belvoir theater company of Sydney.
The New Victory...
A total of 15 productions from seven countries are on tap from the city's first and only full-time performing arts theater for kids and their families.
"Bob Marley's Three Little Birds" is based on a story by Marley's daughter, Cedella, and features music by the legendary reggae artist. It will begin in February at the theater's home on Broadway.
The Fiasco Theater, known for its stripped-down takes on such shows as "Into the Woods" and "Cymbeline," will present their interpretation of "Measure for Measure." There's also a fresh take on Neverland that comes courtesy of the renowned Belvoir theater company of Sydney.
The New Victory...
- 5/23/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
It's Saturday, and that means it's time for BroadwayWorld's 'Saturday Intermission Pics' round-up. Today's photos feature Star Trek-themed pics from the casts of The Book Of Mormon and Kinky Boots, plus SIPs from Nice Work, The Trip To Bountiful, Spider-man, West Side Story, Top Hat, The Book Of Mormon in the West End, Silence The Musical celebrating its 500th performance, off-Broadway, a first shot from Measure For Measure at the Stratford Festival, a literal 'sip' from Spamalot at the Hobby Center and more...
- 5/18/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Changeling, a 17th-century play by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, gets a very modern twist in our new film, made in collaboration with the Guardian and the Young Vic
Warning: film contains adult themes
A "bed trick" is a convention in Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre: a plot twist in which someone goes into a sexual liaison with someone else, but sneaks off after the lights have gone out, allowing someone different to sneak into their place. This is a very weird concept to us, perhaps a shocking one, but it's present in a lot of plays: Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, Middleton's The Revenger's Tragedy, and The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, which I directed at the Young Vic in London last year. When I was working on the play, it struck me as a bizarre and interesting idea, and that was one of the things that influenced...
Warning: film contains adult themes
A "bed trick" is a convention in Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre: a plot twist in which someone goes into a sexual liaison with someone else, but sneaks off after the lights have gone out, allowing someone different to sneak into their place. This is a very weird concept to us, perhaps a shocking one, but it's present in a lot of plays: Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, Middleton's The Revenger's Tragedy, and The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, which I directed at the Young Vic in London last year. When I was working on the play, it struck me as a bizarre and interesting idea, and that was one of the things that influenced...
- 5/16/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
When asked my influences, I invariably add William Shakespeare which may seem a bit pompous. Shakespeare? Really? (Aside: this column is not going to deal with the whole “Who Really Was Shakespeare?” debate. If you want to believe someone other than Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare’s play, you go ahead. It’s not germane and, frankly, I’ve read as much on the subject as I care to and so far as I’m concerned, Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare’s plays. End of discussion.) Please note I am not comparing myself to Shakespeare; simply that I’ve learned some things about writing from him.
Such as:
Theme is tied to plot. There are famous speeches and soliloquies in Shakespeare, where the character stops to speak his or her mind, none more famous than the “to Be Or Not Be” speech in Hamlet. The action, however, doesn’t just come to a stop...
Such as:
Theme is tied to plot. There are famous speeches and soliloquies in Shakespeare, where the character stops to speak his or her mind, none more famous than the “to Be Or Not Be” speech in Hamlet. The action, however, doesn’t just come to a stop...
- 5/12/2013
- by John Ostrander
- Comicmix.com
Jim Shapiro – The Kings Man 46
On April 16, Athena Learning are set to release the BBC documentary Shakespeare: The King’s Man on DVD in the U.S. This fascinating three part series chronicles the work of Britain’s greatest writer during the reign of King James I. Columbia University professor James Shapiro researched, wrote and presented the show. I recently had the opportunity to speak with him about this groundbreaking documentary.
What was the inspiration behind Shakespeare: The King’s Man?
“The executive producer Phil George approached me about making the documentary because he knew I was working on a follow-up to my book 1599 which won the Samuel Johnson award. I was starting to research Jacobean Shakespeare, which I had all but ignored up until that point. People think of Shakespeare as an Elizabethan writer when in fact the Tudor line ended in 1603 when the Stuart’s rose to power.
On April 16, Athena Learning are set to release the BBC documentary Shakespeare: The King’s Man on DVD in the U.S. This fascinating three part series chronicles the work of Britain’s greatest writer during the reign of King James I. Columbia University professor James Shapiro researched, wrote and presented the show. I recently had the opportunity to speak with him about this groundbreaking documentary.
What was the inspiration behind Shakespeare: The King’s Man?
“The executive producer Phil George approached me about making the documentary because he knew I was working on a follow-up to my book 1599 which won the Samuel Johnson award. I was starting to research Jacobean Shakespeare, which I had all but ignored up until that point. People think of Shakespeare as an Elizabethan writer when in fact the Tudor line ended in 1603 when the Stuart’s rose to power.
- 3/31/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
Actor of geniality, grace and solemnity, he excelled in playing characters on the margins of society
Richard Griffiths, who has died aged 65 from complications following heart surgery, was a fine actor defined by his largeness of spirit, his comic instinct and his empathy with outsiders, as well as his undeniable physical size. He was the kind of actor whom everyone remembers with affection, whether as the flawed but inspirational Hector in Alan Bennett's The History Boys (first staged in 2004, then filmed in 2006) or as the eccentrically gay Uncle Monty in Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I (1987).
Like most actors who have a thriving career in film and television, he learned his craft in theatre. I first became aware of him in the late 1970s when he rose steadily through the ranks of the Royal Shakespeare Company. I was especially struck by his ability to speak verse with mellifluous clarity.
Richard Griffiths, who has died aged 65 from complications following heart surgery, was a fine actor defined by his largeness of spirit, his comic instinct and his empathy with outsiders, as well as his undeniable physical size. He was the kind of actor whom everyone remembers with affection, whether as the flawed but inspirational Hector in Alan Bennett's The History Boys (first staged in 2004, then filmed in 2006) or as the eccentrically gay Uncle Monty in Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I (1987).
Like most actors who have a thriving career in film and television, he learned his craft in theatre. I first became aware of him in the late 1970s when he rose steadily through the ranks of the Royal Shakespeare Company. I was especially struck by his ability to speak verse with mellifluous clarity.
- 3/30/2013
- by Michael Billington
- The Guardian - Film News
Tags: nunsJodie FosterEllen DeGeneresSister ActMaggie SmithWhoopi GoldbergIMDbShirley MacLaine
Nuns are suddenly all the rage again. From Sister Jude on American Horror Story: Asylum to Isabelle Huppert's Sapphic leanings in The Nun, it's time to talk ladies of the cloth. So, team, who is your favorite sister?
Dara Nai: I give the old movie, Two Mules for Sister Sara, two rosary-clutching thumbs up, mostly because Shirley MacLaine plays Sister Sara, a cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking nun who runs around 1800s Mexico with a cynical mercenary (a pre-chair-talking Clint Eastwood), fighting the French. She uses him and abuses him, handles him and bandages him, and ultimately outwits him when she reveals her secret at the end of the film. I won't reveal what it is, but if you know this movie, you know it's awesome.
Dorothy Snarker: Didn't Jodie Foster play a one-legged nun in The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys? I never saw the movie,...
Nuns are suddenly all the rage again. From Sister Jude on American Horror Story: Asylum to Isabelle Huppert's Sapphic leanings in The Nun, it's time to talk ladies of the cloth. So, team, who is your favorite sister?
Dara Nai: I give the old movie, Two Mules for Sister Sara, two rosary-clutching thumbs up, mostly because Shirley MacLaine plays Sister Sara, a cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking nun who runs around 1800s Mexico with a cynical mercenary (a pre-chair-talking Clint Eastwood), fighting the French. She uses him and abuses him, handles him and bandages him, and ultimately outwits him when she reveals her secret at the end of the film. I won't reveal what it is, but if you know this movie, you know it's awesome.
Dorothy Snarker: Didn't Jodie Foster play a one-legged nun in The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys? I never saw the movie,...
- 3/15/2013
- by trishbendix
- AfterEllen.com
Frog and Peach Theatre Company will present a star-studded reading of Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure' today, February 26 at The Player's Club, 16 Grammercy Park South, with a cast including Austin Pendleton as Angelo and Darrell Hammond as Pompey, together with Frog and Peach company members Ted Zurkowski as Lucio, Amy Frances Quint as Isabel, Eric Doss as Provost, Ryan Tramont as Escalus, Erick Gonzalez as Claudio and Jonathan Reed Wexler as Elbow. An original score by Ian McDonald King Crimson, Foreigner will be performed live by Mr. McDonald.
- 2/26/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Frog and Peach Theatre Company will present a star-studded reading of Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure' on February 26 at The Player's Club, 16 Grammercy Park South, with a cast including Austin Pendleton as Angelo and Darrell Hammond as Pompey, together with Frog and Peach company members Ted Zurkowski as Lucio, Amy Frances Quint as Isabel, Eric Doss as Provost, Ryan Tramont as Escalus, Erick Gonzalez as Claudio and Jonathan Reed Wexler as Elbow. An original score by Ian McDonald King Crimson, Foreigner will be performed live by Mr. McDonald.
- 2/19/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The actor's latest two films have earned her a Bafta nomination as a rising star. But she's determined not to let it go to her head
Andrea Riseborough is perched on her bags in the hallway of her hotel (no room key yet), rattling down the line about the honour of being nominated – for a Bafta rising star award – and how she fell in love with an American (for her sins) and moved to Idaho in the middle of nowhere, to a haven in the woods, which is beautiful. Kind of like a log cabin, where she likes to sit and see the elks and play the banjo.
Unashamedly, endearingly eccentric, she talks through questions, spinning off on tangents, excited to be home; she was raised in north Tyneside before decamping to Rada in London in 2005.
Riseborough's usual persona in interviews seems to be that of a luvvie who lives...
Andrea Riseborough is perched on her bags in the hallway of her hotel (no room key yet), rattling down the line about the honour of being nominated – for a Bafta rising star award – and how she fell in love with an American (for her sins) and moved to Idaho in the middle of nowhere, to a haven in the woods, which is beautiful. Kind of like a log cabin, where she likes to sit and see the elks and play the banjo.
Unashamedly, endearingly eccentric, she talks through questions, spinning off on tangents, excited to be home; she was raised in north Tyneside before decamping to Rada in London in 2005.
Riseborough's usual persona in interviews seems to be that of a luvvie who lives...
- 2/8/2013
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
The following "Auditions at a Glance"calendar conveniently organizes projects by the date and day-of-the-week that the projects' auditions are taking place, to help you schedule your plans. Click on any of the following links to see the casting and job notices related to the dates and project titles highlighted below. Thu. Feb. 7 • Nc, 'Reverse Psychology' • Va, 'Gypsy' Fri. Feb. 8 • Click here to search for auditions. Sat. Feb. 9 • Fl, Ga & Il, 'The Lion King' Open Calls • Lane Bryant Plus Size Model Search • Ma, Gloucester Stage Co. 2013 Dramas • Ma, Wellfleet Actors Theater • Mo, Muny Summer Season, Singers • Sc, 'Chicago, the Musical' Sun. Feb. 10 • Ok, Stiletto Entertainment Mon. Feb. 11 • Co, 'Dividing the Estate' • DC & MD, 2013 Aea Liaison Committee Auditions • Fl, 'Crazy for You' • Il, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre • Ma, Gloucester Stage Co. 2013 Dramas Tue. Feb. 12 • Canada, Royal Caribbean Productions • Co, 'Dividing the Estate' Measure'&kwdt=1&lcta=1&btnSearch=Run+Search+Now">• DC,...
- 2/5/2013
- backstage.com
Today in 1931, Broadway veteran James Earl Jones was born. He has won Tony awards in 1969 for The Great White Hope and in 1987 for Fences. He has acted in many Shakespearean roles Othello, King Lear, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Abhorson in Measure for Measure, and Claudius in Hamlet. On April 7, 2005, James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams headed the cast in an African-American Broadway revival version of On Golden Pond, directed by Leonard Foglia and produced by Jeffrey Finn. In February 2008, he starred on Broadway as Big Daddy in a limited-run, all-African-American production of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Debbie Allen and mounted at the Broadhurst Theatre. In October 2010, Jones returned to the Broadway stage in Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy along with Vanessa Redgrave at the Golden Theatre. In November 2011, Jones starred in Driving Miss Daisy in London's West End,...
- 1/17/2013
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Old Globe today announced the cast and creative team for The Old GlobeUniversity of San Diego Graduate Theatre Program presentation of William Shakespeares Measure for Measure, running Nov. 10 Nov. 18 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Globes Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Opening night is Nov. 10 at 800 p.m. Directed by Ray Chambers, tickets to Measure for Measure can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at 619 23-globe or by visiting the Box Office.
- 10/17/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today we are talking to a Tony Award-winning star known for her many impressive appearances on Broadway in Jellys Last Jam, Play On, The Wild Party and her tremendous title turn in the towering Caroline, Or Change - the one and only Tonya Pinkins. Opening up about her career and many of her most memorable roles, Pinkins lets us in to her world and shares experiences of working with some of the most noted names in theatre - George C. Wolfe, Harold Prince, August Wilson, Stephen Sondheim, Lloyd Richards, Daniel Sullivan, David Esbjornson and many more among them - on everything from Merrily We Roll Along, her Broadway debut, to her many musical roles to August Wilsons The Piano Lesson and Radio Golf all the way to last seasons Shakespeare In The Park double-header of The Merry Wives Of Windsor and Measure For Measure. Most importantly, Pinkins fills us in...
- 8/24/2012
- by Pat Cerasaro
- BroadwayWorld.com
Will Geers' Theatricum Botanicum, the idyllic setting of the four-day California festival, began life as a refuge for actors who were persecuted in the name of anti-communism
The audience arriving for the opening night of the 8th Topanga film festival at the Theatricum Botanicum are greeted by a veritable wooded wonderland. Think Sundance in the Shire, with drinks in front of the Hamlet Hut, a dusty brook and musicians strumming acoustic guitars under giant oak trees.
A trio of belly dancers perform on the wooden stage of the majestic open-air auditorium before the first night screening of Kyle Ruddick's One Day on Earth, while the half moon throws out a glowing silvery light.
"It's beautiful here, just perfect," says festival director Urs Baur, to a cheering crowd, who in deference to the festival's wolf logo, collectively howl at the moon.
The Theatricum Botanicum, nestled deep in Topanga canyon, which sits east of Malibu,...
The audience arriving for the opening night of the 8th Topanga film festival at the Theatricum Botanicum are greeted by a veritable wooded wonderland. Think Sundance in the Shire, with drinks in front of the Hamlet Hut, a dusty brook and musicians strumming acoustic guitars under giant oak trees.
A trio of belly dancers perform on the wooden stage of the majestic open-air auditorium before the first night screening of Kyle Ruddick's One Day on Earth, while the half moon throws out a glowing silvery light.
"It's beautiful here, just perfect," says festival director Urs Baur, to a cheering crowd, who in deference to the festival's wolf logo, collectively howl at the moon.
The Theatricum Botanicum, nestled deep in Topanga canyon, which sits east of Malibu,...
- 8/8/2012
- by Lisa Marks
- The Guardian - Film News
Lynne Meadow Artistic Director, Barry Grove Executive Producer, and Mandy Greenfield Artistic Producer just announced two-time Emmy and two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth Chicago, The Addams Family, Cheers and Drama Desk Award winner Lorenzo Pisoni Humor Abuse at Mtc, Measure for Measure, Equus will appear in the New York premiere of Golden Age, the new play by four-time Tony Award winner Terrence McNally, directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie.
- 7/26/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Julian Barnes reviews two very different interpretations of Cymbeline in the same TV cycle
Several furlongs understandably separate the left hand of the BBC from the right one. Only rarely, though, do we witness such a cameo of intermanual incomprehension as occurred last week within their Shakespeare cycle: the right hand seizing a hammer and snappishly nailing the left hand to the arm of the chair.
The Bardathon is generally impressive, rarely less than worthy, and often – by making available the obscurer plays – simply very useful. Its handmaiden series Shakespeare in Perspective (BBC2), in which specialist non-specialists sound off about the week's play, is, though usefully conceived, rather iffy in practice. Some of the temporary sages hired have been decidedly unnerved by the task of "introducing Shakespeare", able to handle it only by diving off into larky self-reference ("Gosh, fancy little me talking about big Bill …").
But besides this inner queasiness,...
Several furlongs understandably separate the left hand of the BBC from the right one. Only rarely, though, do we witness such a cameo of intermanual incomprehension as occurred last week within their Shakespeare cycle: the right hand seizing a hammer and snappishly nailing the left hand to the arm of the chair.
The Bardathon is generally impressive, rarely less than worthy, and often – by making available the obscurer plays – simply very useful. Its handmaiden series Shakespeare in Perspective (BBC2), in which specialist non-specialists sound off about the week's play, is, though usefully conceived, rather iffy in practice. Some of the temporary sages hired have been decidedly unnerved by the task of "introducing Shakespeare", able to handle it only by diving off into larky self-reference ("Gosh, fancy little me talking about big Bill …").
But besides this inner queasiness,...
- 7/14/2012
- by Julian Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
Artistic Director Robert Falls announced today that he will direct a major revival and new adaptation of Measure for Measure, Shakespeares darkly comic collision of vice and virtue, in Goodman Theatres 20122013 season, March 9 April 14, 2013. Also, director David Cromer announced partial casting for his production of Sweet Bird of Youth Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award-nominee Diane Lane appears as Princess Kosmonopolis and Finn Wittrock, who recently appeared in Broadways Death of a Salesman with Philip Seymour Hoffman, is cast as the young-actor-turned-gigolo Chance Wayne. Complete casting to be announced soon. The production opens the Goodmans new season, September 15 October 21 a September 24 Season Opening Benefit will take place at The Standard Club. Tickets available only on subscription call 312.443.3800 or visit www.GoodmanTheatre.org. Individual tickets to Sweet Bird of Youth go on sale August 10 Abbott Fund, Fifth Third Bank, Katten Muchin Rosenman Llp and PwC Llp are the Corporate Sponsors Partners.
- 7/11/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
If you thought Carrie White flipped out at her prom in "Carrie," wait until you see the lengths Lola "Princess" Stone -- played by Robin McLeavy -- goes to in "The Loved Ones" to land her dream date. The critically acclaimed 2009 Australian horror film directed by Sean Byrne has been described as a combination of "Pretty in Pink" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" for its depiction of lonely Princess kidnapping and torturing (with the help of her dad) the guy she is crushing on. "The Loved Ones" is currently playing in select cities.
Aussie actress McLeavy, who turns 31 this month, comes from a theater background and jumped at the chance to play a girl who is a tad mental. McLeavy chatted us up about getting into her character's headspace and who she will be playing in this summer's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."
Your character in "The Loved Ones" is singularly...
Aussie actress McLeavy, who turns 31 this month, comes from a theater background and jumped at the chance to play a girl who is a tad mental. McLeavy chatted us up about getting into her character's headspace and who she will be playing in this summer's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."
Your character in "The Loved Ones" is singularly...
- 6/11/2012
- by Robert DeSalvo
- NextMovie
New York -- Blair Underwood's weird ride to becoming Stanley Kowalski onstage in "A Streetcar Named Desire" started four years ago with a dashed hope.
The actor had wanted to play Brick in an all-black Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," but had lost the part to Terrence Howard, fresh off his Oscar-nominated turn in "Hustle & Flow."
"What are you going to do?" Underwood says, shrugging his shoulders.
Losing the role didn't sour him on the production, which he went to see one night at the Broadhurst Theatre. He was in the lobby during intermission when Stephen C. Byrd, one of the show's producers, spotted him and introduced himself.
Would Underwood be interested in playing Stanley in a multiracial production of Williams' other masterpiece on Broadway? Of course, came the answer. And, fittingly, years later, after shaking off a challenge from Denzel Washington,...
The actor had wanted to play Brick in an all-black Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," but had lost the part to Terrence Howard, fresh off his Oscar-nominated turn in "Hustle & Flow."
"What are you going to do?" Underwood says, shrugging his shoulders.
Losing the role didn't sour him on the production, which he went to see one night at the Broadhurst Theatre. He was in the lobby during intermission when Stephen C. Byrd, one of the show's producers, spotted him and introduced himself.
Would Underwood be interested in playing Stanley in a multiracial production of Williams' other masterpiece on Broadway? Of course, came the answer. And, fittingly, years later, after shaking off a challenge from Denzel Washington,...
- 4/3/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Today in 1931, Broadway veteran James Earl Jones was born. He has won Tony awards in 1969 for The Great White Hope and in 1987 for Fences. He has acted in many Shakespearean roles Othello, King Lear, Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Abhorson in Measure for Measure, and Claudius in Hamlet. On April 7, 2005, James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams headed the cast in an African-American Broadway revival version of On Golden Pond, directed by Leonard Foglia and produced by Jeffrey Finn. In February 2008, he starred on Broadway as Big Daddy in a limited-run, all-African-American production of Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Debbie Allen and mounted at the Broadhurst Theatre. In October 2010, Jones returned to the Broadway stage in Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy along with Vanessa Redgrave at the Golden Theatre. In November 2011, Jones starred in Driving Miss Daisy in London's West End,...
- 1/17/2012
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Outstanding in the Madonna-directed W.E., the Rada graduate may just be the best and brightest actor of her generation
Andrea Riseborough does not so much walk into a room as float through it; a fragrant, other-worldly presence who seems to appear out of nowhere like a shimmering will-o'-the-wisp. Her physical presence is slight – translucent skin and tiny, fine-boned fingers – and she gives the impression of operating on a different plane from the rest of us, as though earthly concerns are something of a mystery to her.
We are seated upstairs in the studio where the 30-year-old Riseborough has just finished the Observer photoshoot. On the table is a tray of baked apples. She peers at them detachedly, as though they are a strange piece of sculpture she cannot quite understand. Would she like one? "Oh no, I can't eat them," Riseborough says, smoothing down her floral tea dress. Why not?...
Andrea Riseborough does not so much walk into a room as float through it; a fragrant, other-worldly presence who seems to appear out of nowhere like a shimmering will-o'-the-wisp. Her physical presence is slight – translucent skin and tiny, fine-boned fingers – and she gives the impression of operating on a different plane from the rest of us, as though earthly concerns are something of a mystery to her.
We are seated upstairs in the studio where the 30-year-old Riseborough has just finished the Observer photoshoot. On the table is a tray of baked apples. She peers at them detachedly, as though they are a strange piece of sculpture she cannot quite understand. Would she like one? "Oh no, I can't eat them," Riseborough says, smoothing down her floral tea dress. Why not?...
- 1/8/2012
- by Elizabeth Day
- The Guardian - Film News
It takes a certain kind of person to be in the movie industry. Tom Copeland, former Texas Film Commission director, teaches Texas State University-San Marcos students what it takes to persevere in the industry. A lesson he teaches in his courses is what he refers to as "Scared Straight: What Kind of Person Are You?"
I had the opportunity to speak with Copeland to find out what kind of person he is. The Meadow High School graduate's interest in theater flourished while studying under legendary high-school drama coach Noyce Burleson, who set the state record for most consecutive Uil One-Act Play Contest appearances and wins.
As a high-school student, Copeland became active in Texas Tech University's theater program, where he met Fred March, former Texas State Department of Theatre and Dance chair. He enrolled at Texas State, back when it was Southwest Texas State University, in 1969.
During his time as a Texas State student,...
I had the opportunity to speak with Copeland to find out what kind of person he is. The Meadow High School graduate's interest in theater flourished while studying under legendary high-school drama coach Noyce Burleson, who set the state record for most consecutive Uil One-Act Play Contest appearances and wins.
As a high-school student, Copeland became active in Texas Tech University's theater program, where he met Fred March, former Texas State Department of Theatre and Dance chair. He enrolled at Texas State, back when it was Southwest Texas State University, in 1969.
During his time as a Texas State student,...
- 1/5/2012
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
Let’s first address the flying superhero in the room: No, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark doesn’t (quite) make our list of the worst stage shows of 2011. (You can check out our Mormon-led best list here.) In the end, we decided Spidey’s aerial effects are pretty darned cool, though all too brief, and the retooled show isn’t as unwatchably overwrought as Julie Taymor’s original version. Instead, our evil eye is trained on the year’s even more offensive theatrical blunders like the misguided revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (pictured, with Jessie...
- 12/30/2011
- by Aubry D'Arminio
- EW.com - PopWatch
Leading light of the British stage once seen as Gielgud's successor
John Neville, who has died aged 86, was a leading light of the Old Vic, the charismatic artistic director of the Nottingham Playhouse in the early 1960s and, after emigrating to Canada in 1972, a renowned leader of that country's theatre, notably at Stratford, Ontario. Tall, handsome and authoritative on the stage, and best known today, perhaps, for his sinister role as the Well-Manicured Man in The X-Files on television – was he on the side of good or evil? – he was often thought of as the natural successor to John Gielgud.
He found huge matinee-idol success early on, in the Gielgud roles of Hamlet and Richard II, though his patrician veneer and noble bearing could be easily discarded, as he showed to devastating effect in 1963, when he played Bill Naughton's Alfie at the Mermaid theatre, the role that became Michael Caine...
John Neville, who has died aged 86, was a leading light of the Old Vic, the charismatic artistic director of the Nottingham Playhouse in the early 1960s and, after emigrating to Canada in 1972, a renowned leader of that country's theatre, notably at Stratford, Ontario. Tall, handsome and authoritative on the stage, and best known today, perhaps, for his sinister role as the Well-Manicured Man in The X-Files on television – was he on the side of good or evil? – he was often thought of as the natural successor to John Gielgud.
He found huge matinee-idol success early on, in the Gielgud roles of Hamlet and Richard II, though his patrician veneer and noble bearing could be easily discarded, as he showed to devastating effect in 1963, when he played Bill Naughton's Alfie at the Mermaid theatre, the role that became Michael Caine...
- 11/22/2011
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
Ferociously intelligent actor who reigned supreme in Stoppard and Shakespeare
John Wood, who has died aged 81, was one of the greatest stage actors of the past century, especially associated with his roles in the plays of Tom Stoppard. But a combination of his enigmatic privacy and low profile on film – he cropped up a lot without dominating a movie – meant that he remained largely unknown to the wider public.
As with all great actors, you always knew what he was thinking, all the time. Wood was especially striking in the brain-box department. Tall, forbidding and aquiline-featured, he was as much the perfect Sherlock Holmes on stage as he was the ideal Brutus. He exuded ferocious intelligence, and the twinkle in his eye could be as merciless as it was invariably amused.
As the Royal Shakespeare Company's Brutus in Julius Caesar in 1972, he was undoubtedly the noblest Roman of them all,...
John Wood, who has died aged 81, was one of the greatest stage actors of the past century, especially associated with his roles in the plays of Tom Stoppard. But a combination of his enigmatic privacy and low profile on film – he cropped up a lot without dominating a movie – meant that he remained largely unknown to the wider public.
As with all great actors, you always knew what he was thinking, all the time. Wood was especially striking in the brain-box department. Tall, forbidding and aquiline-featured, he was as much the perfect Sherlock Holmes on stage as he was the ideal Brutus. He exuded ferocious intelligence, and the twinkle in his eye could be as merciless as it was invariably amused.
As the Royal Shakespeare Company's Brutus in Julius Caesar in 1972, he was undoubtedly the noblest Roman of them all,...
- 8/10/2011
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
The theater world gets a bit quiet during the summer, post Tony Awards, but there are still live performances to be seen and talked about. Like "Shakespeare in the Park" in, well, Central Park. If you've never been it's always worth going no matter what the show is because it's free and open air theater is truly a special everyone-should-try-it experience. But I wish they'd be more daring with their selections. Some years they stray from the bard, whilst retaining the title, like the year they relaunched Hair -- god, that was a great production -- or when they mounted that Jonathan Groff / Anthony Mackie Euripides moment Everyone but me hated that one but I think I was just so glad to see something that wasn't performed as often and with two actors I quite like.
Danai Gurira rehearses for "Measure for Measure"
This year they're back to the bard.
Danai Gurira rehearses for "Measure for Measure"
This year they're back to the bard.
- 6/22/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
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