Chicago July 2013 - first up: The Jungle Book

I spent 2 weeks in Chicago this summer, packed with mostly great Theater, good food, many drinks and most importantly in the company of the best friends one can have.

This blog however is limited to plays :) so no personal stories beyond the theatre or food recommendations, if you're still interested... read on.

I arrived in Chicago on Tuesday July 16th, touch down 2:10 pm... first curtain of this trip at 7:30 pm, The Jungle Book had the dubious honor of trying to impress and at the same time keep me awake (there's a 7 hr time difference to home).

It passed with flying colors.

This play had such energy!
Managed to get great seats, the seats generally considered best in the house, (always around 4th/5th row middle section). The Goodman, but really most Chicago theaters, has excellent seating, lots of legroom and accommodates the bigger people among us with a bit more ease than a random UK theater. One negative about the Goodman... they are somewhere in between Chicago average and Broadway price-wise... at least for their bigger shows (Iceman Cometh last year was even steeper). Really not an attractive feature of an otherwise perfectly pleasant theater. Chicago is my theatre city #1 because of it's variety, the many many storefront theaters that can absolutely compete with the established bigger ones and one of it's great features is the overall reasonable prices... one can actually see 11 shows in two weeks here without going bankrupt... I wouldn't dare try that on Broadway.

Rant over, back to The Jungle Book.

It's a 2 part play, one intermission, the transition from book/disney movie to the stage was beautifully done for me... it's been years since I last saw the movie and I've never read the book I think, but everything was familiar. Mary Zimmerman's The Jungle Book was quite elaborate, had lots of music and song, and (for me) great costumes, without turning into a sort of Broadway Musical spectacle.

Akash Chopra (Mowgli) and Kevin Carolan (Baloo)

The costumes were remarkable, only little things added to human figures to make us see in an instant what animal they were supposed to be, Baloo the bear was definitely not in bear costume, but the tiny things added to the human really projected a bear.

The best scene of the play was King Louie's song "I want to be like you" it's the finale of the first act, which goes out with a bang. André De Shields, double cast as Akela and King Louie has a fabulous scene, singing this landmark song of the play and with a presence on stage that was breathtaking.

André De Shields (King Louie) and Akash Chopra (Mowgli)

After that explosive finale of act one, act two fell a little flat, never reaching that same level of intensity or excitement, but overall this was a wonderful, entertaining play. My favorite moments of the play were (obviously) King Louie's song in act 1 and the elephants of act 2, they were highly entertaining and spot on... also the vultures need special mention as the comedy act of Act 2.

(front row, from left to right) Monique Haley (Elephant), Akash Chopra (Mowgli), Ed Kross (Colonel Hathi),
and Anjali Bhimani (Baby Elephant) with the rest of Colonel Hathi’s elephant army

(from left to right) Vultures Govind Kumar, Ed Kross, Nehal Joshi, and Geoff Packard 

on a side note:
Before this play even opened there was a bit of a discussion about racist implications... I have to say, as a kid watching the disney movie, no racist implication registered with me at all... it was just a fun movie to watch, as an adult I can see the issues. In the play I don't think it was an explored theme, good or bad, to me it was simply a translation of the story to the stage without taking a stance either way.

look here for some of that discussion:
http://www.silkroadrising.org/news/the-trouble-with-mary
http://www.silkroadrising.org/news/mary-responds-my-interview-with-mary-zimmerman

from the official website:

The jungle springs to life in a music-filled spectacle that chronicles young Mowgli’s adventures growing up in the animal kingdom. Based both on Rudyard Kipling’s time-honored children’s tales and the classic Disney film—and with a score featuring the movie’s best-loved songs and original Indian-inspired music and dance—this spellbinding world premiere is the theatrical event of the season. 

For adults and families with children ages 6+.

Saved the best for last: Dr Glas (London april 2013 part 5)

By pure coincidence I had saved the best for last on this trip. I came to london with high expectations for a few plays, some lived up to it, some disappointed to a certain extent... I really didn't know what to expect from Dr Glas, a one man show, performed in Swedish with English subtitles projected to the top of the set.

It wasn't hard to get a ticket for this one, I guess the Swedish language part of this deal scared some people off, even with the raving reviews it had received in both the Swedish press on the original run and the UK press for this London run.


Krister Henriksson was absolutely marvelous in this one man show, he had all of us mesmerized from beginning to end with his narrative performance... not that it felt narrative at all, but as a one man show there is no escaping the soliloquy in having to take us by the hand and tell the story along with acting out the main characters part.

The set design was amazing, one big room, sparse furniture. It managed to transform into the few different places that Dr Glas was supposed to be during this performance with just a change of light and  placement of the character himself in the room... no set changes necessary to make us believe he was either in his office, or on a street-side terrace sipping his drink and contemplating what to do next, or walking on the bridge and seeing his abhorred patient walking by.

The story was gripping, the performance excellent, the subtitles not at all disturbing in the experience.
According to Hjalmar Söderberg's book the character is supposed to be in his thirties, and Krister Henrikson is definitely not, but it doesn't matter at all in this production. As the protagonist of this story Doktor Glas let's us follow him in his memories, we read his journal with him, age of the character has no meaning, we could be reading in real time or we could be remembering times long gone.
Definitely THE best play of this trip, and if mr Henriksson decides to take it somewhere else next I would strongly recommend going, you will not be disappointed!

As I'm only very slowing getting into the habit of trying to review a play, and this play deserves all the praise critics have lauded it with I want to leave you with these professional words:

Kate Kellaway

• theguardian.com
, Friday 19 April 2013

It might seem a doomed idea to turn Hjalmar Soderberg's 1905 novel Doktor Glas into a one-man show. It caused a scandal when first published because of its treatment of sex, death and suicide – but it is written in journal form. How to dramatise its internal quality? Krister Henriksson, whose initiative this is, knows exactly how. Familiar asHenning Mankell's Wallander in the TV series, Henriksson is one of Sweden's great actors, and this 90-minute soliloquy as Doktor Glas – much feted in Scandinavia – is a tour de force. He co-directs with Peder Bjurman, who is also the show's masterly designer. A stark Scandinavian consulting room becomes the manifestation of a tormented mind, its changing colours – brilliantly lit by Linus Fellbom – also suggestive of morning sun, blood and snow. Doktor Glas is testing the walls of his own life.

Unhappily dressed in a brown suit, he rubs a folded oblong of handkerchief on to a perspiring brow as he reveals his loathing for Reverend Gregorius, "a toadstool in the pulpit", and his longing for the Reverend's wife, who is having an adulterous affair elsewhere. What is riveting is the nuanced closework of Henriksson's performance. His countenance – its clearings, contortions and forced smile – holds us rapt. When he extends an arm, he has the air of a baffled host, a gesture that deepens our sense of his isolation. He has a voice for every character: his high, pitiful, feminine impersonation of Mrs Gregorius convinces you he was never cut out to be her lover.

Doktor Glas's loneliness continues to deepen. And even in translation, the integrity of the writing (performed in Swedish with subtitles) compels. The play is a hybrid: thriller, metaphysical essay with poetic moments and occasional bleak jokes. It makes you long to read a novel that has been bizarrely neglected in the UK.

and the info from the official website:

ABOUT DOKTOR GLAS

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Krister Henriksson, who is best known as Wallander in Henning Mankell’s widely praised Swedish TV series, will make his West End debut in Doktor Glas, which transfers to London following its acclaimed run at Sweden’s National Theatre. Adapted from the classic novel by Hjalmar Söderberg and performed in its original Swedish with English surtitles, Doktor Glas will run at the Wyndham’s Theatre, a Delfont Macintosh Theatre, from 16 April to 11 May 2013.

Doktor Glas tells the story of a 19th century physician who falls madly in love with the beautiful young wife of a corrupt clergyman. When she confides in him that her marriage is making her miserable, he agrees to help in whatever way he can. Soon Doktor Glas finds himself torn between his passion and his morality, and drives the play towards its shocking climax.

CAST AND CREATIVES

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KRISTER HENRIKSSON

Krister Henriksson is one of Sweden’s most highly respected and admired actors who made his breakthrough at the Stockholm City Theatre in the lead role of Peer Gynt. He has played a string of major roles on the world’s most respected stages, and has performed in plays by Shakespeare, Beckett, Strindberg, Ibsen, Miller, Pinter and Noren. He worked alongside Ingmar Bergman when he directed him in A Winter’s Tale at the Royal Dramatic Theatre (Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern). Later Bergman handpicked Henriksson for the role as the young Bergman in Liv Ullman’s film Faithless (Trolösa), which was based on Bergman’s manuscript.      

In his native Sweden and across the world, Krister is best known for his role in the TV adaptation of Henning Mankell’s police drama Wallander. The grittiness of his performance has won him plaudits from critics across the globe and has spawned the British remake starring Kenneth Branagh.He has also won rave reviews for his stage portrayal in Doktor Glas, which has toured extensively around Sweden and other Nordic countries.

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DIRECTOR and SET DESIGNER - PEDER BJURMAN

Acclaimed director and writer, Peder Bjurman, works in the field of visual theatre, combining movement, imagery and music along with conceptually abstract or narrative texts. His performances often blend the tragic with either the poetic or the comic, and his stagings are  often shown in smaller, experimental venues as well as the larger theatres. Conscious of every feature of his productions, Bjurman gives equal importance to each separate element , including the lighting, sound, set and the actors’ performances, often employing cutting-edge stage technology and techniques. His work is frequently devised and developed in close collaboration with the ensemble cast or with other artists, composers, designers and stage tech companies.

Since 1991, Peder Bjurman has collaborated with Swedish performance companies and artists such as Charlotte Engelkes, Bogdan Szyber and Carina Reich. His latest productions, including Slapstick at Rival, Enter Numan at The House of Dance in Stockholm, and Sisyphus at Södra teatern in Stockholm, were all much acclaimed by critics and audiences.
Bjurman also provided the original idea for The Far Side of the Moon, directed and performed by Robert Lepage, with music by Laurie Anderson. The play was turned into a feature film, which itself received a nomination during the 2002 Academy Awards. He co-wrote The Andersen Project, commissioned by the Andersen Jubilee, which opened in Copenhagen during June 2005. The plays tours continually to this day, around the world. The new collaboration with Robert Lepege in 2011-15, Cartes, is a 12-hour long epic following the Orient-Occident relations and divided into four parts.

The artistic collaboration with actor Krister Henriksson, Doktor Glas, at the Vasa theatre in Stockholm, premiered in 2006.

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LIGHTING DESIGNER - LINUS FELLBOM

Since his debut as a lighting designer 1995 he has designed lighting for over 170
productions. He has worked at most of the bigger venues around Sweden and has also been engaged at theatres and opera houses in cities like Oldenburg, Göttingen, Stuttgart, Berlin, Innsbruck, Vienna, Riga, Lodz, Warsaw, Cape Town, New York, Edinburgh, Leeds, London,Nancy, Valencia, Oslo and Copenhagen. In 2005 Linus made his debut as a stage director with ”Sympathy for the Devil” by Lucas Svensson at Strindberg’s Intimate Theatre in Stockholm.

Recent credits as Lighting Designer includes:
“On – Emotion” by Mick Gordon (also director) and Paul Brooks at Soho Theatre in London. “Scorched” by Wajdi Mouawad at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, directed by Rune David Grue. “Admeto” by Georg Friederich Händel at the Händel Festival, Deutsches Theater, Göttingen and at the Edinburgh International Festival of Theatre, directed by Doris Dörrie. “A Midsummer Nights Dream” by Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn at Staatsoper Wien, choreography by Jorma Elo. “Kristina” by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Lars Rudolfsson (also director) at Royal Albert Hall. “The Portrait” by Mieczyslaw Weinberg at Opera North, Leeds and Opéra National de Lorraine, Nancy, directed by David Pountney. “Don Giovanni” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at Hamburger Staatsoper, directed by Doris Dörrie. “Kristina från Duvemåla” by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Lars Rudolfsson (also director) at Svenska Teatern in Helsinki. “Thaïs” by Jules Massenet at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, directed by Nicola Raab.

Credits as Set Designer includes:
“Sympathy for the Devil” by Lucas Svensson at Strindberg’s Intimate Theatre.
”Vi är Dom” at Orionteatern in Stockholm, Choreography by Camilla Ekelöf.
”A Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion at Göteborgs Stadsteater, directed by Ronnie Hallgren. “Creditors“ by August Strindberg for Riksteatern in Sweden.
”Red in 3.” by Jorma Elo for the Stuttgarter Ballett.

Credits as Director includes:
William Shakespeare’s ”Richard III” for Riksteatern in Sweden.
Carl Maria von Weber’s “Freischütz” for the Swedish Folkopera in Stockholm.
August Strindberg’s “Creditors” for Riksteatern in Sweden.
Astrid Lindgren’s “Ronja Rövardotter” at Järnverket in Iggesund.
Lucas Svensson’s “Maria Callas – Unanswered Life” at Stockholms Stadsteater.

Upcoming work 2013:
”Don Giovanni” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at Teatro Del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, directed by Lorenzo Marianni.
“Romeo & Juliet” a new ballet piece by Mats Ek with music by Pjotor Iljitj Tjajkovskij at the Royal Opera in Stockholm.
“Otello” by Giuseppe Verdi at the Royal Opera Copenhagen, directed by Nicola Raab.

Daytrip to Brighton: Passion Play (London april 2013 part 4)

Just before I left for London, I saw an add for Passion Play, with Zoe Wanamaker in the cast... Zoe Wanamaker has this certain something that makes me want to see whatever she is in, but at the same time annoys the hell out of me...

The add was very tempting (thumbs up for who ever created it)... sadly the play would open in London the week after I was to leave for home, But then I notice it would do out of town previews, with it hitting the Stage in Brighton in 'my' week.

Brighton... whenever I hear that word my mind wanders to Pride and Prejudice... yes, THAT special BBC version with Colin Firth, where there is that scene where Lydia (the obnoxious sister) yells out "I WANT TO GO TO BRIGHTON!!!" and then ends up making things more miserable for her family than ever.

so Brighton had a nice ring to it, Passion Play was tempting and Zoe Wanamaker  was in it... time for a day trip to Brighton.

To say Brighton has the allure Lydia made it sound like... no, nothing of the sort. maybe it had more grandeur in Jane Austen's days but today, it's more mundane I'd say. Though the beach was nice enough, a good way to spend some time while waiting for the theater to open.

Brighton does have a nice theater, and it's in an easy area, shops, restaurants, walkable distance from both the train station and the beach. And as I found out while chatting to regular patrons it's often used as a pre-West-End venue, so I'll keep an eye on it for future reference for sure.

Now Passion Play, I liked it very much, apart from the unsatisfying ending (not having seen it before or having read it it could have gone either way for me) I liked it very much, it had a very modern set, that worked beautifully in creating different places of action without big set changes, both lead characters have an 'inner self' that is played by another actor, by duplicating costumes that worked very well. I've read that in a previous production those parts were not cast and the lead actors played both parts... not sure how that would work, but I guess you'd have to see it to judge. 

Here Zoe Wanamaker (Eleanor) and Owen Teale (James) are the stars of the show, their inner selves (Samantha Bond as 'Nell' and Oliver Cotton as 'Jim') did a great job in showing us the inner dialogue. Kate (Annabel Scholey) was less of a hit for me, a little harsh in performance, it was hard for me to understand why James would fall so hard for her.

First visit to Theatre Royal Brighton, was a nice outing, there will definitely be a next time!

Oliver Cotton (Jim), Samantha Bond (Nell), Zoe Wanamaker (Eleanor),
Annabel Scholey (Kate), Owen Teale (James), photo: John Swannell

from the official website:

Olivier Award-winner Zoë Wanamaker and Tony Award-winner Owen Teale star in PASSION PLAY, a provocative comedy about love, sex and infidelity.

Comfortably married for 25 years, Eleanor's world is turned upside down when her husband begins an affair with their young friend Kate. As the lies mount up, the marriage is stripped bare, revealing illicit desires and hidden passions.

A potent mix of desire, intimacy and deception, this modern classic by Peter Nichols (Privates on Parade, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg) and winner of the Evening Standard Award for Best Play makes a much-anticipated return to the West End, and is directed by David Leveaux (Arcadia, Betrayal, The Real Thing). Zoë Wanamaker (Harry Potter, My Family and Arthur Miller's All My Sons) and Owen Teale (West End and Broadway's A Doll's House, RSC's King Lear and Sky1's Stella) will be joined on stage by Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey, Outnumbered, Miss Moneypenny in James Bond), Oliver Cotton (BBC's Ripper Street, The Dark Knight Rises),Siân Thomas (Donmar's Richard II, Merlin, Harry Potter) and Annabel Scholey (Lady Anne opposite Kevin Spacey in Richard III, Eastenders, Jayne Eyre).

CREATIVES

PETER NICHOLS - WRITER

Peter Nichols was born in Bristol in 1927 and educated there at The Grammar School and Old Vic Theatre School. After National Service in India, Malaya and Hong Kong, he was an actor in repertory theatre and television for five years and then a teacher in London schools. His many original scripts and adaptations have appeared on television, film and radio.

His plays for theatre are: A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG, THE NATIONAL HEALTH, FORGET-ME-NOT LANE, THE FREEWAY, CHEZ NOUS, PRIVATES ON PARADE, BORN IN THE GARDENS, PASSION PLAY, POPPY, BLUE MURDER (later FIG-LEAVES), SO LONG LIFE, A PIECE OF MY MIND and LINGUA FRANCA. These have won four Evening Standard Awards, a Society of West End Theatres Award for Best Comedy and two Ivor Novello Best Musical Awards. Details of the first and later productions are in his Plays One and Two which are published by Methuen. Five novels and another ten or so stage plays remain unproduced.

PRIVATES ON PARADE was revived by The Michael Grandage Company at the Noel Coward Theatre in December 2012 and starred Simon Russell Beale.

Peter was resident playwright at the Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis where he co-directed THE NATIONAL HEALTH. He also directed revivals of A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG andFORGET-ME-NOT LANE at Greenwich and the first productions of BORN IN THE GARDENS andBLUE MURDER at Bristol. In 2000 he wrote and directed NICHOLODEON, a miscellany of his scenes and songs for Show of Strength.

His original plays for television include an INSPECTOR MORSE. Small and big-screen versions of some of his stage plays, adapted by Peter , include A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG, THE NATIONAL HEALTH and PRIVATES ON PARADE.

Recent work for radio includes SOMETHING IN THE AIR and JAM YESTERDAY, both about the Nazi Swing Band. FEELING YOU'RE BEHIND (a memoir published by Weidenfeld) appeared in 1984 and in 2000 Peter edited a selection from the diary he's kept on-and-off since he first left England aged eighteen (published by Nick Hern Books). Peter's 'papers' from 1945 to 2000 are now held in the British Library, He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He and his wife, to whom he has been married since 1960 now live in Oxford, previously in Devon, Bristol, Shropshire and (mostly) London. At the last count they have three surviving children and seven granchildren.

DAVID LEVEAUX - DIRECTOR

Recent productions include: RUDOLPH (Tokyo Japan), BACKBEAT (Toronto, Duke of York UK ),CQ/CX (Atlantic Theatre Co. NY), THE LATE MIDDLE CLASSES (Donmar),TALES OF BALLYCUMBER (Abbey Theatre, Dublin), ARCADIA (West End & Broadway), RUDOLPH (Vienna),A DOLL’S HOUSE (Tokyo Japan), THREE SISTERS (Abbey Theatre, Dublin).

Previous Broadway productions include: CYRANO with Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner, THE GLASS MENAGERIE with Jessica Lange and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Tom Stoppard'sJUMPERS (Tony Award nom. for Outstanding Direction), NINE with Antonio Banderas (Tony Award for Best Revival and nom. for outstanding Direction), Stoppard's THE REAL THING (Tony Award for Best Revival), Harold Pinter's BETRAYAL with Juliette Binoche, ELECTRA with Zoë Wanamaker (Tony Award nom.), Eugene O'Neill's ANNA CHRISTIE with Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson (Tony Award for Best Revival) and A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN with Kate Nelligan (Tony Award nom. for Outstanding Direction).

Other productions include: London’s West End SINATRA LIVE AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM andJUMPERS (Piccadilly). For the Almeida Theatre: Harold Pinter's NO MAN’S LAND, MOONLIGHTwith Ian Holm, BETRAYAL and Neil LaBute's THE DISTANCE FROM HERE.

For the RNT: Stoppard’s JUMPERS and Strindberg's THE FATHER.

For the RSC:’TIS PITY SHE’S A WHORE and ROMEO AND JULIET.

Opera includes: THE TURN OF THE SCREW and THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (Scottish Opera, Tramway), and for the English National Opera, Strauss's SALOME.

In 1993, he formed Theatre Project Tokyo, an independent theatre company with executive producer Hitoshi Kadoi. His productions for TPT include: THERESE RAQUIN, BETRAYAL, ‘TIS PITY SHE’S A WHORE, HEDDA GABLER, ELLIDA, THE TWO HEADED EAGLE, THE IBSEN PROJECT, THE CHANGELING, THREE SISTERS, MACBETH (Saison Theatre and Kobe Oriental Theatre) and NINE ( the musical) plus two of Mishima’s MODERN Noh PLAYS.

HILDEGARD BECHTLER - SET DESIGNER

Theatre includes Old Times (currently at the Harold Pinter), Top Hat (currently at the Aldwych),The Sunshine Boys, Arcadia (also Broadway), Blithe pirit, The Misanthrope, The Lady from Dubuque, By the Bog of Cats, The Master Builder, Footfalls, Hedda Gabler (West End);Scenes from an Execution, After the Dance, Harper Regan, The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other, The Hothouse, Thérèse Raquin, Exiles, Primo, Iphigenia at Aulis, The Merchant of Venice, Richard II, King Lear (National Theatre); Farewell to the Theatre (Hampstead);Cause Célèbre, All About My Mother, Richard II (Old Vic); The Crucible (West End/RSC);Electra (RSC); Primo, Hedda Gabler, The Seagull (Broadway); Rosmersholm, The Goat or Who is Sylvia? (Almeida); The Jewish Wife (Young Vic); Now or Later, The Seagull, Krapp’s Last Tape, My Name is Rachel Corrie (Royal Court).

Opera includes The Makropulos Case at the 2012 Edinburgh International Festival and Opera North, The Damnation of Faust at English National Opera and productions at Santa Fe Opera, La Scala Milan, Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, Opera North, Bayerische Staatsoper, Het Muziektheater Amsterdam, Sydney Opera House, Paris Opera and Scottish Opera’s The Ring Cycle. Television includes Primo, The Merchant of Venice, Richard II and The Waste Land.

Winner of 2011 Olivier Award for Best Design for After The Dance, 2009 Australian Green Room award for Best Opera Design Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at Sydney Opera House.

Then there was The Tempest (London april 2013 part 3)

I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan, probably because I don't watch it enough so I may get there eventually... but even at this stage I do love seeing Shakespeare at the Shakespeare Globe in London, it's just got that special something.

Pleasant evening at the Globe, The Tempest was interesting from start to end, funny, touching, highly recommended production!

Kudos to Roger Allen (Prospero) and Colin Morgan (Ariel) for capturing my rapt attention throughout the play... actually the whole cast was great, James Garnon (Caliban) should get special mention for that must have been an exhausting part (as was Ariel) but somehow he never really got my sympathy.

Prospero (Roger Allen), photo Marc Brenner

Ariel (Colin Morgan), photo Marc Brenner

from the official website:

'WE ARE SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON.'

Prospero, Duke of Milan, usurped and exiled by his own brother, holds sway over an enchanted island. He is comforted by his daughter Miranda and served by his spirit Ariel and his deformed slave Caliban. When Prospero raises a storm to wreck this perfidious brother and his confederates on the island, his long contemplated revenge at last seems within reach.

Imbued with a spirit of magic and the supernatural, The Tempest is Shakespeare’s late great masterpiece of forgiveness, generosity and enlightenment.

Jeremy Herrin’s previous work for Shakespeare’s Globe includes 2011’s much loved Much Ado About Nothing.

Roger Allam won the Olivier Award for best actor for his role as Falstaff in Henry IV parts 1 & 2 at the Globe in 2010. Other recent credits include The Thick of It (BBC) and Tamara Drewe (Film).

Colin Morgan is best known for playing Merlin in the long running BBC series Merlin.

This production will employ Renaissance costumes and staging.

THE TEMPEST

23 April - 18 August

By William Shakespeare

Running time: 3 hours (approx) including interval
CREATIVES

Directed by
Jeremy Herrin

Designed by
Max Jones

Music by
Stephen Warbeck
CAST

Roger Allam
Prospero

Jason Baughan
Antonio

Jessie Buckley
Miranda

Sam Cox
Stephano

Pip Donaghy
Gonzalo

Trevor Fox
Trinculo

Peter Hamilton Dyer
Alonso

James Garnon
Caliban

Joshua James
Ferdinand

William Mannering
Sebastian

Colin Morgan
Ariel

Matthew Raymond
Boatswain/Adrian

Sarah Sweeney
Iris

Amanda Wilkin
Ceres

Next up: Peter and Alice (London april 2013 part 2)

Next up was John Logan's new play: Peter and Alice, a Michael Grandage Production at the Noel Coward Theatre.

from the official website:

“Of course that’s how it begins: a harmless fairy tale to pass the hours”

When Alice Liddell Hargreaves met Peter Llewelyn Davies at the opening of a Lewis Carroll exhibition in 1932, the original Alice in Wonderland came face to face with the original Peter Pan. In John Logan’s remarkable new play, enchantment and reality collide as this brief encounter lays bare the lives of these two extraordinary characters. Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw in Logan’s first new play since Red, which went on to win 6 Tony Awards in 2010.



I was looking forward to this one, I'm a huge fan of Judi Dench and I was not disappointed, she was brilliant on stage. The play itself I found a bit disappointing, both stories (Alice and Peter) were interesting, and if you are not very familiar with their stories like I was you either learn something new or will forever have the wrong idea about the backstory of these people (depending on how truthful John Logan's play is) but for me the 'meeting off' logic and chemistry between the stories didn't really come across.

I loved Alice's story, thoroughly enjoyed Alice (Judi Dench) and Lewis Carroll (Nicholas Farrell), Peter's story fell flat for me, I had no connection with Peter (Ben Whishaw-older Peter and Olly Alexander - younger peter).

Critics seemed to love it, Box office hit in any case... again lucky to have bought a ticket in advance.


all in all,  I had a pleasant evening, and Judi was marvelous!

The Audience - London April 2013

I've been remiss in keeping up this blog... sorry, personal events happened and took away all motivation.

have had 2 major theater trips since my last post... first up: London April 2013.

Had the good fortune that I was sent to London for work last april, I added some personal time and caught a few excellent plays and/or performances.

Started off with: The Audience (Gielgud Theatre)

first play of this trip was an absolute hit, critics mostly loved it, box office gold... very hard to get a ticket unless you, like me fortunately, booked in advance.

from the official website:

For sixty years Elizabeth II has met each of her twelve Prime Ministers in a weekly audience at Buckingham Palace – a meeting like no other in British public life – it is private. Both parties have an unspoken agreement never to repeat what is said. Not even to their spouses.

The Audience breaks this contract of silence – and imagines a series of pivotal meetings between the Downing Street incumbents and their Queen. From Churchill to Cameron, each Prime Minister has used these private conversations as a sounding board and a confessional – sometimes intimate, sometimes explosive.

From young mother to grandmother, these private audiences chart the arc of the second Elizabethan Age. Politicians come and go through the revolving door of electoral politics, while she remains constant, waiting to welcome her next Prime Minister.

Helen Mirren was great as Queen Elizabeth II, not all prime ministers were a hit for me, though none were horrible either. Standout performance for me was Richard McCabe as Howard Wilson (he had 2 non-consecutive terms so we got to see him twice on stage). For me as a non-Brit it was a bit of a history lesson, an extremely pleasant one at that!

Helen Mirren (Queen Elizabeth II), Haydn Gwynne (Margaret Thatcher),Richard McCabe (Harold Wilson), Paul Ritter (John Major) (Photos by Johan Persson) 

The performance I saw had Edward Fox as Winston Churchill, he did a good job, nothing against is Churchill but I'd have loved to have seen Robert Hardy in that role, as he is one of my childhood heroes. Press release on why he dropped out:

NEWS

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PRESS RELEASE - ROBERT HARDY

25th February 2013

It is with great regret that the Producers of The Audience have accepted Robert Hardy’s decision to withdraw from the production. Hardy, 87, recently suffered a fall and cracked some ribs, yet continued to perform at all of the preview performances last week. Over the weekend he has decided that a schedule of eight performances a week over a long run is not sustainable and he has therefore reluctantly decided to stand down. The Producers would like to thank Robert Hardy for his extraordinary contribution to the production and they wish him a speedy recovery.

The Audience will continue to play at the Gielgud Theatre with Hardy’s understudy, David Peart, playing the role of Winston Churchill and the producers are actively looking for an actor to replace Robert Hardy

The director Stephen Daldry said “Robert is one of theatre’s great actors and for him to have accepted this challenge at his age speaks of his courage and commitment to the theatre. That he feels unable to continue is a great sadness to us all but we respect his decision and wish him a return to full health and strength very soon.”

Rehearsal picture: Robert Hardy and Helen Mirren

The world has lost a great actor in Richard Griffiths

I feel honored to have seen his work live on stage in "The Habit of Art", and later the man himself in a more private setting. Richard Griffiths was a talented, funny and truly generous soul. Rest In Peace or, as Richard E Grant has already said, Chin Chin dear sir.

United in creativity ... Alex Jennings and Richard Griffiths in The Habit of Art. Photograph: Tristram Kenton

here's what the Guardian had to say:

Richard Griffiths, uncle to Withnail and Harry Potter, dies aged 65

Daniel Radcliffe leads tributes to one of Britain's most celebrated character actors, who died following heart surgery

• Alexandra Topping
• guardian.co.uk, Friday 29 March 2013 12.10 GMT

Richard Griffiths died after complications following heart surgery. Photograph: Getty

Richard Griffiths, the award-winning actor famous for his roles in Withnail & I andHarry Potter, has died following complications after heart surgery. The celebrated stage and screen star, one of Britain's best-known character actors, was 65.

Tributes poured in for the actor, who died on Thursday at the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire. Daniel Radcliffe, who starred alongside Griffiths in the Harry Potter films, said the actor made any room "twice as funny".

Radcliffe said Griffiths had supported him at two key points in his career, when he first played the young Harry Potter and later when he made his stage debut in Equus.

"In August 2000, before official production had even begun on Potter, we filmed a shot outside the Dursleys', which was my first ever shot as Harry. I was nervous and he made me feel at ease," he said.

"Seven years later we embarked on Equus together. It was my first time doing a play but, terrified as I was, his encouragement, tutelage and humour made it a joy. In fact, any room he walked into was made twice as funny and twice as clever just by his presence. I am proud to say I knew him."

Richard E Grant, who played the title role in Withnail & I, paid tribute to his late co-star on Twitter. He wrote: "My beloved 'Uncle Monty' Richard Griffiths died last night. Chin-Chin my dear friend."

Griffiths was feted for his roles as Withnail's eccentric Uncle Monty in the cult classic and Hector, the unconventional teacher in Alan Bennett's play The History Boys, for which he won the Laurence Olivier Award for best actor, the Drama Desk Award for outstanding actor in a play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for best featured actor in a play, and a Tony Award for best performance by a leading actor in a play.

He gained widespread fame as grumpy Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter films and was much loved as disillusioned police officer and pie chef, Inspector Henry Crabbe, in the successful TV detective drama series Pie In The Sky.

Sir Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, said Griffiths' "army of friends" would be devastated by his unexpected death. "Richard Griffiths wasn't only one of the most loved and recognisable British actors – he was also one of the very greatest," he said.

"His performance in The History Boys was quite overwhelming: a masterpiece of wit, delicacy, mischief and desolation, often simultaneously. But that was just one small part of a career that spanned Shakespeare, cutting-edge new plays and major work in film and television."

Hytner, who directed Griffiths in The History Boys and The Habit Of Art, added: "His currency as an actor was truth; as a colleague it was hilarity. His anecdotes were legendary. They were, literally, endless. They would go on for hours, apparently without destination, constantly side-splitting.

"The only way to stop them was to tell him you were walking away, though there were always others in the audience so, as far as I know, he never stopped. He was the life of every party."

Thea Sharrock, who directed Griffiths in Equus, Heroes and Sunshine Boys, said: "I worked with Richard more times than any other actor. Everybody knew he was my favourite. He was the most tender, gentle, kind, generous, loving man. His curiosity was unending, as was his striving for perfection. I cannot imagine a world without all those stories. I will miss him so very, very much."

The producers of Heroes and Equus, David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers, said the actor was a "great man, a great character, a great talent greatly missed".

Griffiths, the son of a steelworker, was born in Thornaby-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, in 1947 were he cared for his deaf parents. He left school at 15 but later studied drama, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company. He married Heather Gibson in 1980 after they met during a production of Lady Windermere's Fan in 1973.

His portly stature, which made him instantly recognisable on screen, was thought to have been caused by medication he was given as a youngster. He was awarded an OBE for services to drama in 2007.

His agent, Simon Beresford, said his thoughts were with Griffiths' wife and family. "Richard brightened my days and enriched the life of anyone he came into contact with. On stage he allowed us to share in our own humanity and constantly question our differences," he said.

"Richard gave acting a good name. He was a remarkable man and one of our greatest and best-loved actors. He will be greatly missed."