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Henry up for stage newcomer prize…
Nov 9th
Comedian Lenny Henry has been nominated for a London Evening Standard theatre award – for outstanding newcomer.
The 51-year-old has been cited for his Shakespearean acting debut in Othello, currently running in London’s West End.
Rachel Weisz’s work in A Streetcar Named Desire sees her up for the best actress award – renamed this year in honour of the late Natasha Richardson.
Enron, based on the collapse of the US energy giant in 2001, is up for best play, best director and best actor.
So is Jerusalem, a play about contemporary rural England that, like Enron, enjoyed sold-out success at the Royal Court theatre earlier this year.
In all, Royal Court productions or co-productions have generated 11 of this year’s nominations.
‘Particularly strong’
Sam West and Mark Rylance are recognised for their respective work in Enron and Jerusalem, both of which will have West End runs in the New Year.
Simon Russell Beale and Ken Stott – respectively seen in West End productions of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge – complete the best actor shortlist.
Henry Hitchings, the Standard’s chief theatre critic, said the best actor category was “particularly strong” this year.
“When we had the discussion about best actor, there were lots of good names in the mix,” he continued.
Other familiar names in the running this year include Juliet Stevenson, up for best actress for her work as a violinist with multiple sclerosis in Duet for One.
The winners will be announced on 23 November at a lunchtime ceremony at the Royal Opera House, to be hosted by broadcaster Kirsty Young.
Sick theatregoer almost ruins Breakfast at Tiffany’s…
Nov 6th
Anna Friel almost forgot her lines during a recent performance in West End show Breakfast At Tiffany’s – when a sick theatre-goer showered the audience with vomit.
The Pushing Daisies star is currently appearing as Holly Golightly in the hit stage production of Audrey Hepburn’s classic movie.
But one performance was almost ruined after a reveller threw up over the balcony – splattering audience members below.
Friel admits she was angry at first – until she realised what had happened.
She tells radio station Smooth, “I thought it was late-comers who shouldn’t have been allowed in – but it turned out someone had vomited from the balcony over six people and they were being escorted out to be cleaned up.
“I carried on singing but almost lost my way as there was such a noise coming from the seats. I almost lost it but I’m proud I kept my concentration.”
Jude Law’s Hamlet is in the money…
Nov 5th
Jude Law’s “spine-tingling” performance as Hamlet has helped turn the Shakespeare classic into a Broadway hit, with the production in the black and making money.
Producers of the latest interpretation of the play said that they have now recouped the show’s 2.5 million dollar (£1.5 million) costs in less than three months.
It follows rave reviews from New York critics after it swapped to Broadway following a successful West End stint.
Producer Arielle Tepper Madover said: “It’s heartening to see that Shakespeare can be a commercial success on Broadway, as well as seeing so many young audience members at the Broadhurst (Theatre) experiencing their first Shakespeare production.”
Law’s star quality has been credited with helping draw crowds to the production. But his portrayal of the brooding prince has also received plaudits. The day after opening in Broadway on October 6, New York’s notoriously hard-to-please theatre critics were full of praise.
The New York Times’s influential stage critic Ben Brantley wrote: “Mr Law approaches the role with the focus, determination and adrenaline level of an Olympic track competitor staring down an endless line of hurdles.”
Although noting that “the finer shades of feeling” were often missing in the 36-year-old’s energetic performance, the review was largely positive. “Mr Law’s undeniable charisma and gender-crossing sex appeal may captivate Broadway theatregoers who wouldn’t normally attend productions of Shakespeare,” the critic wrote.
Others were even more gushing in their praise. The New York Daily News’s Joe Dziemianowicz wrote that Law gave “a spine-tingling and richly layered performance” that made you “forget about his past roles and bad-boy melodramas”.
The Michael Grandage-directed production of Hamlet arrived at New York’s Broadhurst Theatre in October following stints in London and Denmark’s Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, the setting of the play.
Abi will act like a lady…
Oct 29th
Abi Titmuss is to take a starring role in Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth.
The former pin-up, 33, will play Lady Macbeth next month at the Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
Ex-nurse Abi is keen to forge a career as a serious actress.
Director John Hales said: “Abi will bring sensuality to the role and will both surprise and impress.”
Find out more here: www.theseagull.co.uk
