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My blog has quite a lot of posts about Samuel West (Julius Caesar, On Chesil Beach and Darkest Hour) and Charles Edwards (My Fair Lady Australian tour and Henry IX).

Saturday 28 April 2007

Samuel West. Harold Pinter. Theatre - Betrayal. Theatre - Pimlott celebration

[updated 26 April 2009]

  • An article from the Guardian about Pinter things, written by Sam.
  • There will be a production of Betrayal by Harold Pinter at the Donmar from 31 May to 21 July. As well as Sam, Toby Stephens (squeeeee!) and Dervla Kirwan are in it. Another article from The London Theatre Guide is here.
  • On 17 May, Sam will contribute to a celebration of the director Steven Pimlott, who died in February.

    ETA: excerpt from an account/review at qsulis
    "...Steven Pimlott was perhaps best known as a director of plays. These are well represented this afternoon, starting with Samuel West introducing and then performing a speech from Richard II. (Pimlott’s fabled "stripped down" RSC one). He may be a big name actor, and a very talented one, but he also comes across as a pleasant person (is that typical of the kind of people who regularly worked with Mr Pimlott?)
    Before departing the stage, Samuel West introduced Steven Pimlott’s daughter Phoebe Pimlott to play "Why" by Pam Wedgewood on the piano..."

Samuel West - Theatre - As You Like It

As You Like It by William Shakespeare
Crucible Theatre (Sheffield), 31 January - 24 February 2007
Director: Samuel West

Reviews

Guardian
"...Samuel West's radical revival brings out the magic, mystery and meta-theatrical strangeness of this highly familiar work..."

Observer
"...[Sam] alights on the theatrical elements in As You Like It... it catches the essence - what Jacques calls 'a most humorous sadness' - of Shakespeare's greatest comedy."

Independent
"...Samuel West's farewell production at the Crucible makes one wish he were staying longer."

Links
Sheffield Theatres 1|2
Interview with Sam [link]

The final performance of this production was dedicated to Steven Pimlott, who directed Sam in Richard II and Hamlet. From the journal Early Modern Literary Studies:
"...In the final performance of Samuel West's production at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, this elegiac quality was sharply underlined when West himself walked on in a black suit at the beginning of the show to announce that he had come straight from the funeral of [sic] Stephen Pimlott, who directed him in Richard II and Hamlet, and that the performance was dedicated to Pimlott. At the end of the play, Eve Best's Rosalind led West back on stage to take a final bow on this, his last appearance as artistic director of Sheffield Theatres..."


Saturday 21 April 2007

Charles Edwards - Theatre - The 39 Steps - US tour

Playbill has reported that The 39 Steps will be touring to Boston, then New York.
Casting has not been announced.

The current cast is:
Charles Edwards - Richard Hannay
Rachel Pickup - Annabella/Pamela/Margaret
Rupert Degas - clown
Simon Gregor - clown

From 23 April the cast will be:
Robert Portal - Richard Hannay
Rachel Pickup - Annabella/Pamela/Margaret
Jimmy Chisholm - clown
Simon Gregor - clown

Sunday 1 April 2007

TV randomness - March

House season 1 episodes 14-17 (of 22)

Life on Mars series 2 episodes 3-6 (of 8)

Hotel Babylon series 2 episodes 3-5 (of 8)

Recovery

Confessions of a Diary Secretary

Multiple viewings:

Life on Mars series 1 episodes 6 and 7 (of 8) (2)

Blackpool episodes 1-3 (of 6) (3)