EXCLUSIVE: Louis McCartney describes himself as “a West End baby” because before he was cast to play boyish-looking monster Henry Creel in the Stranger Things stage show The First Shadow, he’d never performed on stage in his life.
21.02.2024 - 14:51 / variety.com
Naman Ramachandran A key audience participation segment of the London West End adaptation of Henrik Ibsen‘s 1882 play “An Enemy of the People” left people in tears, star Matt Smith told the BBC. In “An Enemy of the People,” when Dr. Stockmann (Smith) makes an unbelievable discovery about the healing waters in his local baths, he holds the future of the town in his hands, but those with everything to lose refuse to accept his word.
The battle soon goes beyond contaminated water. Shortly after the play’s interval, the house lights come on and the audience is invited to ask questions about the play’s central theme. About the unscripted segment, in the style of a town hall, the “Doctor Who” and “The Crown” star said he has witnessed audience arguments, walk-outs and tears, per the BBC.
“The idea of the audience being able to participate has always appealed to me,” Smith told the BBC. “I really want people to come and engage, put their hands up and say whatever they want to.” “There is a sort of universality to it that stands the test of time,” Smith said about the relevance of the 1882 play in contemporary times. “How do you quantify it? Who’s telling the truth? If you’re undermining it, does it then dilute it?” The play has been adapted numerous times for the stage and screen.
This adaptation was originally in the German language by Thomas Ostermeier and Florian Borchmeyer and it is the first time it is being performed in English. Ostermeier’s version, conceived and directed by Ostermeier, originally produced at Schaubühne Berlin, was previously performed at London’s Barbican in 2014. The revival, also directed by Ostermeier, is at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre.
EXCLUSIVE: Louis McCartney describes himself as “a West End baby” because before he was cast to play boyish-looking monster Henry Creel in the Stranger Things stage show The First Shadow, he’d never performed on stage in his life.
Kate's Middleton's uncle, Gary Goldsmith, called Meghan Markle a "stick in the spokes" of the Royal family on Celebrity Big Brother just hours after entering the show.
EXCLUSIVE: Napoleon star Vanessa Kirby will reunite with The Crown’s Benjamin Caron on a movie based on Willy Vlautin’s 2021 novel The Night Always Comes, about a working-class woman in the Pacific Northwest who embarks on a 24-hour quest to call in old debts and raise enough money to keep a roof over her head.
Francis Ford Coppola is celebrating his memorable film The Outsiders with footage of the auditions that brought together the film’s young stars, almost all of whom went on to even greater glory.
The Crown star Emma Corrin will appear in Deadpool & Wolverine as Cassandra Nova, the evil twin sister of X-Men leader Professor Charles Xavier.The news was confirmed on the film’s official copyright, where Corrin’s name is listed next to her character Cassandra.The character’s appearance in the film had been speculated by fans after a mysterious bald head was spotted in the first Deadpool 3 trailer. Marvel fans also correctly guessed that Corrin would be taking on the role.Cassandra was first introduced as Charles Xavier’s evil twin sister back in 2001, appearing in the New X-Men #114 comic written by Grant Morrison.In the comics, Cassandra started out as a psychic entity from the Astral Plane who latched onto Charles in the womb.Plot details for Deadpool 3 (offically named Deadpool & Wolverine) have not yet been revealed, but from the teaser, we know that Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth will meet up with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine after being pulled through time by the Time Varience Authority to carry out a secret mission.The teaser opens at Wade Wilson’s birthday party, where he tells his friends and family: “It’s been a challenging few years, for sure, but I’m happy – and that’s because of each and every one of you.
The View when he took aim at the lockdowns that forced children across the United States to study from home due to health concerns.Speaking about his new book, We’ve Got Issues, Dr Phil was asked about how children should deal with social media platforms.“In, like, ’08, ’09, smartphones came on, and kids started, they stopped living their lives and starting watching people live their lives, and so we saw the biggest spike and the highest levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and suicidality, since records have ever been kept, and it’s just continued on and on and on,” Dr Phil said, the Independent reported.He then pivoted to criticise the lockdown orders.“… then Covid hits 10 years later, and the same agencies that knew that, are the agencies that shut down the schools for two years.“Who does that? Who takes away the support system for these children? Who takes it away and shuts it down?“And by the way, when they shut it down, they stopped the mandated reporters from being able to see children that were being abused and sexually molested and in fact sent them home and abandoned them to their abusers, with no way to watch, and referrals dropped 50 percent to 60 percent.”American lawyer and The View host Sunny Hostin interjected: “There was also a pandemic going on…”Her co-host, actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg also pushed back by stating that the lockdowns were an attempt to “save kids’ lives”.“Remember, we know a lot of folks who died during this,” she said.Dr Phil retorted: “Not schoolchildren” before clarifying that children were the “safest group”.“They were the less vulnerable group and they suffered and will suffer more from the mismanagement of Covid than they will from the exposure to Covid.“And that’s not
Filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun has taken Sundance by storm, two films in a row now. Schoenbrun’s coming-of-age horror “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” was a big breakout at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and landed the director on the map.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Netflix is getting into the business of Broadway. The streaming behemoth is producing the upcoming play “Patriots,” from “The Crown” creator Peter Morgan. The show, set in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union, is about Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a billionaire who helped orchestrate the ruthless rise of Vladimir Putin.
Naman Ramachandran “Slave Play” writer Jeremy O. Harris feels confident that casting “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington in the production’s West End run won’t be a “distraction.” In a new interview with The Guardian, Harris said Harington was recommended to him by “Game of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie and he would not have agreed to his casting if Harington had wanted to “make it the Jon Snow experience.” “Kit was saying ‘I don’t want this to be Kit Harington in ‘Slave Play,” this is an ensemble play and I’m not even the lead,’” Harris said.
Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor Germany’s Beta Film is introducing at the London TV Screenings the first episode of “Maxima,” a six-part drama about the love story between future Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and the then Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander. The series is produced by Millstreet Films “The Neighbors”), with Videoland (RTL Netherlands) holding Dutch broadcasting rights.
Coronation Street's Matt Milburn, who plays Tommy Orpington, is reportedly leaving the soap, causing heartbreak as his character's spicy affair with Tracy McDonald (Kate Ford) continues. Kevin Webster, portrayed by Michael Le Vell, revealed that the former Weatherfield County player - now a painter and director - will be saying goodbye to the cobbles for Spain next week.
Guy Lodge Film Critic It is any parent’s hope that their children won’t inherit their battles, or at the very least, that they can pass the generational baton with some ground gained. For young Palestinian lawyer and activist Basel Adra, a West Bank native who grew up watching his activist parents fight to protect their land from Israeli occupiers, there has been no such progress: Time has stood dispiritingly still as he has aged into his elders’ shoes.
Jaden Smith is assuring fans that new music is coming, revealing that he has been busy in his personal life, referring to his romantic relationship with social media influencer Sab Zada. But apart from her large following on Instagram, Zada recently made her music debut with her latest EP in the summer of 2023.Meet Trey Smith, Willow and Jaden Smith’s older brotherJada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith are ‘staying together forever’ despite separation revealWillow Smith joins the shirtless suit trend, worn by Timothée Chalamet and Nicole KidmanThe son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith took to Twitter to share some sweet photos with his girlfriend.
the hit Netflix series and went on to receive an Emmy nomination for his work on the show.Recalling bumping into the Duke of Sussex at a polo match a few years ago, Smith revealed what Harry said to him.“He was like ‘alright grandad? I was like ‘alright mate?'” Smith told the BBC.In January 2023, Harry admitted to watching “The Crown” and said he goes so far as to “fact check” the show’s account of the royal family.During his appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Meghan Markle’s husband discussed the controversial drama when asked if he had “binged” anything on TV lately.Colbert asked if “The Crown” was one of the shows, saying Harry “had to have watched some” of it given that it’s all about his family.“Yes, I have watched some of ‘The Crown,’” he revealed, before Colbert asked if he’s watched any of the recent episodes.“The older stuff and the more recent stuff,” Harry clarified.The runaway royal was then asked if he did any “fact checking” while watching the show, prompting an animated response from Harry followed by laughter from the audience.“Yes, I do actually,” the father of two revealed. “Which, by the way, is another reason why it’s so important that history has it right.”Harry first admitted to dabbling in the hit Netflix show in February 2021 during an expansive interview with former “The Late Late Show” host James Corden.Harry told Corden that he prefers watching the show to reading headlines about himself and his wife.“They don’t pretend to be news — it’s fictional, but it’s loosely based on the truth,” he said of the show.
The Crown‘s sixth and final season debuted last year, and we’re breaking down the ranking of each season.
Prince Harry really HAS watched The Crown!
Elton’s Prada has found its Devil: Vanessa Williams has been cast as Miranda Priestly in the upcoming West End production of the Elton John-Shaina Taub stage musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.
Naman Ramachandran Vanessa Williams will take on the role of queen of fashion Miranda Priestly in the London West End stage adaptation of “The Devil Wears Prada.” “The Devil Wears Prada” is a new musical based on the hit 2006 film and bestselling 2003 novel. It features an original score by Olivier and Tony Award winner Elton John (“Tammy Faye,” “Billy Elliot: The Musical,” “The Lion King”), direction and choreography by three-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (“Kinky Boots,” “Legally Blonde,” “Pretty Woman,” “Hairspray”), lyrics by singer-songwriter Shaina Taub (“Suffs”) and book by Kate Wetherhead (“Ever After,” “Submissions Only”), The story follows fresh out of college, aspiring journalist Andy who scores a job at the prestigious Runway magazine working for fashion’s most powerful and terrifying icon – editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly.
David Tennant found his way into the nation's hearts as Doctor Who. The Scottish actor has been on screens for more than 20 years.
David Tennant is one of the best-known faces on British television.The Scottish actor, 52, will be helming the star-studded BAFTA ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre on Sunday, where Oppenheimer will be leading the pack with 13 nominations. David admitted he felt a bit “bewildered” when he was first asked to host, but then thought: “What a laugh, what a lark.” “It just felt like an honour and a privilege to be asked to do something so august”, he added.