VIDEO: Rupert Everett talks Pygmalion in VisitBritain advert
June 23, 2011
The UK’s national tourism agency, VisitBritain, has launched an international TV campaign featuring some of Britain’s best known celebrities, inviting the world to visit Britain.
British theatre is well represented with Dame Judi Dench and Rupert Everett both featured in the campaign, along with Slumdog Millionaire actor Dev Patel, fashion icon Twiggy and chef Jamie Oliver.
Alongside a number of 30 and 60 second commercials that have been created for the campaign, are longer films featuring each of the celebrities. Rupert Everett presents much of his film from the Garrick Theatre, where he is currently starring as Professor Higgins alongside Kara Tointon in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion.
VIDEO
VisitBritain extended commercial featuring Rupert Everett
LINKS
Book tickets to Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre in London
Pygmalion – Round-up of Reviews
May 26, 2011
Reviews round-up of Pymalion at the Garrick Theatre, starring Rupert Everett, Kara Tointon and Diana Rigg.
Rupert Everett and Kara Tointon in Pygmalion. Photo: Alastair Muir
Following a sell-out run in Chichester, George Bernard Shaw’s classic play Pygmalion comes to town starring Rupert Everett as egocentric Professor Henry Higgins and Kara Tointon (EastEnders) as Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle.
Read a round-up of Pygmalion reviews, below.
LINKS
Book tickets to Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre in London
Diana Rigg joins Rupert Everett in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre
March 25, 2011
Dame Diana Rigg is to join Rupert Everett and Kara Tointon in the Chichester transfer of Pygmalion.
Dame Diana Rigg
The Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2010 revival of Pygmalion, directed by Philip Prowse, is transferring to the Garrick Theatre this Spring (12 May to 3 September 2011).
Revisiting the part of Professor Henry Higgins will be stage and screen star Rupert Everett, joined by Strictly Come Dancing winner and former EastEnders actress Kara Tointon as Eliza Doolittle. George Bernard Shaw’s famous play was turned into the successful1956 musical My Fair Lady.
The play will also star Peter Eyre as Colonel Pickering, alongside Rigg as Mrs Higgins.
Diana Rigg’s credits include Hay Fever and The Cherry Orchard at Chichester, Honour, Suddenly Last Summer, Follies, All About My Mother, Mother Courage and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. She won a Tony award on Broadway for her performance in the Almeida production of Medea.
Book tickets to Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre in London
Olivier Awards – Picks and Pans
March 14, 2011
What we loved and loathed about this year’s newly reinvigorated Olivier Awards
That is was actually held in a theatre again (who knew that a London theatre would make a great venue for a London awards ceremony!)
How pregnant was Nancy Carroll? “Awards shock induces labour” headlines were thankfully (sadly) unnecessary.
Elaine Paige claiming all thanks for bringing the Olivier Awards back to the telly (well, kind of back to the telly, so long as you had a red button). Do you think Julian Bird of the Society of London Theatre felt that he might have also helped to get the Beeb back on board?
Note to the BBC: Aren’t the Olivier Awards what BBC4 was created for? Why not shove it on there and be done with it?
No expense was spared on the television coverage of the BBC Radio 2 coverage… including Paul Gambaccini and Matt Wolf’s plastic punnets of grapes on display during the televised Radio 2 segments, and just enough microphones for about ONE GUEST. That said, we did love Paul and Matt’s chattettes, but also resented the disastrous cutting away from the awards action, in particular missing the Railway Children receiving Best Entertainment was a crime. Isn’t the red button all about skipping about and being in lots of places at the same time, split screens, viewers deciding what to see and listen to?…
Barry Manilow’s face: scary, and clearly inspiration for Rupert Everett (and tell me again, other than Cobacabana The Musical playing in the West End in 1994, why was Barry there?)
The Stage’s Mark Shenton: please God have a holiday and don’t get up at 4.30am to listen to the Olivier Awards (although we are always pleased that you do make the effort).
I don’t care what they say, Jodie Prenger was a trouper doing the live Red Carpet coverage. You need someone who can just TALK INCESSENTLY whilst thrusting a microphone in the faces on posing celebrities – and she did the Larry’s proud.
Sheridan Smith’s heartfelt, natural speech when picking up best actress in a musical made us love her even more and we have a sneaky feeling she may be back next year for her part in Flare Path (and who wouldn’t swear on camera when you find out you’ve won a MAJOR AWARD?!)
LISTEN & WATCH AGAIN
BBC iPlayer – Radio 2 coverage
LINKS
Olivier Awards – list of winners
Pygmalion tickets at the Garrick Theatre starring Alistair McGowan and Kara Tointon
March 12, 2011
Following a sell-out run in Chichester, George Bernard Shaw’s classic play Pygmalion comes to town, now starring Alistair McGowan as egocentric Professor Henry Higgins and Kara Tointon (EastEnders) as Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle. Also stars Diana Rigg.
KARA TOINTON in Pygmalion
March 9, 2011
Strictly Come Dancing winner Kara takes to the West End stage as Eliza Doolittle
Kara Tointon. Photo: © Roy Tan
British actress Kara Tointon is on the fast-track to fame. She beat stiff competition last year on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing to be crowned the winner, and this year takes to the West End stage to play Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw’s classic play Pygmalion, alongside stage and screen star Rupert Everett as Henry Higgins.
Kara’s career to date includes some early stage work in The Sound of Music and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but has been dominated by TV acting, including parts in Teachers, Dinotopia, Mile High, Dream Team and four years playing Dawn Swann in EastEnders.
The Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2010 revival of Pygmalion, directed by Philip Prowse, will transfer to the Garrick Theatre this Spring (12 May to 3 September 2011).
George Bernard Shaw’s famous play was turned into the successful1956 musical My Fair Lady.
Book tickets to Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre in London
RUPERT EVERETT in Pygmalion
March 9, 2011
Rupert Everett revisits Henry Higgins in Chichester transfer of Pygmalion
The Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2010 revival of Pygmalion, directed by Philip Prowse, will transfer to the Garrick Theatre this Spring (12 May to 3 September 2011).
Revisiting the part of Professor Henry Higgins will be stage and screen star Rupert Everett, joined by Strictly Come Dancing winner and former EastEnders actress Kara Tointon as Eliza Doolittle. George Bernard Shaw’s famous play was turned into the successful1956 musical My Fair Lady.
Rupert Everett has had a long and eventful showbiz career that encompasses theatre, film, TV and writing novels and autobiographies.
His stage work includes Waste of Time (Citizens Theatre Glasgow), Don Juan (Glasgow and London), Chinchilla (Glasgow and London), Another Country (Greenwich Theatre and Queen’s Theatre in the West End), Mass Appeal (Lyric Hammersmith), Heartbreak House (Citizens Theatre Glasgow), The Vortex (Citizens Theatre Glasgow and Garrick), The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore (Glasgow and London), Some Sunny Day (London), and most recently playing Charles Condomine in Blithe Spirit on Broadway.
Rupert’s TV work includes The Far Pavilions, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking, and films range from his first break-out hit, Another Country alongside Colin Firth in 1984, to Dance with a Stranger, Arthur the King, Duet for One The Comfort of Strangers, Pret-à-Porter 1994, The Madness of King George, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Shakespeare in Love, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, the Shrek movies and Stardust. He is currently working on Hysteria alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jonathan Pryce.
Book tickets to Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre in London
More presenters announced for Olivier Awards
March 4, 2011
The Society of London Theatre has released more details of the presenters at this year’s revamped Olivier Awards, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 13 March 2011.
Benedict Cumberbatch, one of the presenters at this year's Olivier Awards
Showbiz stars who will be presenting awards include:
- Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, current stars on Frankenstein
- Anne-Marie Duff, star of the Old Vic’s Cause Celebre
- Elisabeth Moss (Peggy from Mad Men), currently appearing in The Children’s Hour at the Comedy Theatre
- Actor Rupert Everett
- The League of Gentlemen and the National’s Season’s Greetings star Mark Gatiss
- Amanda Holden from Shrek The Musical
- Elaine Paige
- Tamara Rojo, Royal Ballet star
- Star of The Wizard of Oz, Danielle Hope
- Wicked’s Rachel Tucker
- Actor Patrick Stewart
They will join already announced stars that include Lost star Matthew Fox and Olivia Williams, the star of In A Forest, Dark and Deep at the Vaudeville Theatre, and Alfie Boe, opera and musicals leading man, who will play Jean Valjean in the West End production of Les Miserables this summer.
Also the first musical number presenters have been confirmed as legendary singer / songwriter Barry Manilow, who will be performing a number alongside West End star Kerry Ellis (Wicked, Oliver!).
West End Star Watch: Update
June 13, 2010
Our regular round-up of theatre names hitting town or making the news. This issue includes Alison Steadman, Jenny Galloway, Catherine Zeta-Jones, David Haid, Robert Lindsay and Anthony Sher.
ALISON STEADMAN
Director of the moment Thea Sharrock, who enjoyed rave notices last week for her new production of Terrence Rattigan’s After the Dance at the National Theatre, will turn to Noel Coward later this year.
A new production of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit will materialise at the Theatre Royal Bath and then transfer to the Apollo Theatre from 2 March 2011 starring award-winning actress Alison Steadman (Gavin and Stacey) as Madame Arcati.
No stranger to Blithe Spirit, Sharrock directed a 2004 production of the play at the Savoy Theatre starring Penelope Keith. The Noel Coward classic has had numerous UK revivals in the last few years. The director told Baz in the Daily Mail that, “You cannot really mess with those old boys - the structure is so particular”. Indeed.
The only question is, will Rupert Everett reprise his recent Broadway performance as Charles Condomine for the production?
JENNY GALLOWAY
Amongst many standout performances in Thea Sharrock’s production of After the Dance is that of Jenny Galloway as Miss Potter, an actress who is s one of the most accomplished stars you’ve (probably) never heard of. She has recently been cast in Cameron Mackintosh’s enormous 25th anniversary concert version of Les Miserables at the O2 Arena on 3 October playing Madame Thénardier, a role she played in the London and New York productions.
Galloway’s career spans musicals and plays including two Olivier Award winning performances – as Rosie in Mamma Mia! (2000) and Luce in The Boys from Syracuse (1992). She also originated the role of Mrs Brill in Mackintosh’s production of Mary Poppins – in London and Broadway – and recently appeared in the Donmar in the West End’s production of Madame De Sade with Judi Dench.
DAVID HAIG
The great migration of classic TV shows to stage (see Porridge, Inspector Morse, Dad’s Army etc) shows no sign of abating. Jenny Galloway’s fellow Mary Poppins cast mate David Haig, who originated the role of Mr Banks in the show, will be back in London this Autumn in a stage production of TV classic Yes, Prime Minister.
Haig plays Prime Minister Jim Hacker in the Chichester production that will run at the Gielgud Theatre from 17 September, penned by the show’s original TV writers Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. The comedy will also star Henry Goodman as Sir Humphrey Appleby.
ANTHONY SHER
A big name he may be, but Anthony Sher is not averse to playing the odd small venue: he will debut in Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass at the Tricycle Theatre from 30 September, directed by Iqbal Khan. Let’s hope it also transfers to the West End to follow the current Arthur Miller success in town – All My Sons at the Apollo Theatre starring David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker.
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES
Anthony Sher’s cousin, Ronald Harwood, received a knighthood this week in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his enormous contribution to stage and screen writing, including classic theatrical play The Dresser. Congrats also go to Catherine Zeta-Jones who has been appointed a CBE. Currently wowing them on Broadway in A Little Night Music, here’s hoping this week proves a double-success for Mrs Michael Douglas and she wins a Tony award tonight for her performance in the show.
ROBERT LINDSAY
The Novello Theatre will see out Tap Dogs in September and follow with Onassis on 30 September starring Robert Lindsay. He will resurrect his performance as Aristotle Onassis in Martin Sherman’s play Onassis following a run in Derby. Based on the last years of the controversial Greek tycoon, the play was originally produced as Aristo at Chichester to mixed reviews but with glowing praise for Lindsay’s performance. Sherman and director Nancy Meckler have subsequently rewritten the piece.
The cast will also include Tom Austen, Liz Crowther, Ben Grove, Robert Hastie, John Hodgkinson, Sue Kelvin, Graeme Taylor and Gawn Grainger.
Rupert Everett to play Chichester
February 14, 2010
Rupert Everett is to star in a brand new production of Pygmalion at the Chichester Festival Theatre as part of its 2010 season.
Rupert Everett and Angela Lansbury in the recent Broadway production of Blithe Spirit
In the new Chichester Festival Theatre season, to be announced later this week, Rupert Everett will star in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, playing Professor Henry Higgins alongside the inimitable Stephanie Cole as his mother. The play will be directed by Philip Prowse.
Everett takes the role after his Broadway run as Charles Condomine in Blithe Spirit alongside Angela Lansbury. Charles Condomine was famously played by Rex Harrison in the 1945 David Lean film, who also played Henry Higgins in the stage and film musical adaptation of Pygmalion, My Fair Lady. Is Rupert reinventing himself as the Rex Harrison of our times?
Chichester’s new season follows their triumphant run last year, including the critical and Olivier Award-nominated success of Enron, a joint effort with the Royal Court theatre and now playing to packed houses at the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End.
Also performing in Chichester will be Sir Patrick Stewart, following his success last year in Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal Haymarket by portraying Shakespeare in a revival of Edward Bond’s 1973 play Bingo.
Stewart is no stranger to the Bard’s work, having built his career around playing Shakespeare’s great roles, including his performance as Macbeth at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2007 directed by Rupert Goold, and last year in the RSC’s Hamlet with David Tennant.
Bingo will be staged on the Chichester Festival Theatre’s Minerva stage in April, directed by Angus Jackson, the hot young director who has worked twice before at Chichester: last year directing Wallenstein with Iain Glen (currently starring in Ghosts at the Duchess Theatre in London) and Funny Girl in 2008 with Samantha Spiro.
Other new productions in the season include a brand new stage adaptation of the classic film Love Story.
Based on the novel by Erich Segal, and the 1970 movie starring Ali McGraw, Ryan O’Neal and Ray Milland, this “play with music” will feature music by Howard Goodall and lyrics by Stephen Clark and will be directed by Rachel Kavanagh, to run at Chichester in May.
