Josie Rourke’s production at the Donmar plays up the novel’s feminist subtext while emphasizing the genuine bond between its two dissolute protagonists. The result is a surprisingly romantic take on this cynical novel.
Stage vs. Screen
Here you'll find pieces that look at how films have been influenced by the conventions of theatre and vice versa. We also look at adapting plays for the screen and films for the stage, including what is lost and gained from the change in medium.
Director Andrew Haigh talks 45 Years
Andrew Haigh discusses shooting long takes, keeping us in Kate’s head space, and editing the film before the editing room.
Kurzel’s Macbeth emphasizes tone over text
Kurzel takes his cues from the text, but he expresses his ideas about the text through images and sounds — the whistling wind, the clashing swords, and the ghostly hooded figures — rather than through the dialogue. The verse, in Kurzel’s hands, is barely even identifiable as poetry. But what is Shakespeare without the unforgettable language?
Henry V at the RSC is more Hal than Harry
Shakespeare’s Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 chronicle the growth of feckless frat boy Hal into sober ruler-in-waiting Harry. Henry V should be the culmination of that transformation: the growth of a young King into a leader. Yet the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Henry V feels more like Henry IV Part 3. Though this entertaining production is well-acted and effectively staged, Henry himself still acts like a prince and not a king. This may be Director Gregory Doran’s aim: showcase Harry’s (Alex Hassell) ongoing maturation by starting him off as green and unimposing. But Shakespeare’s original text establishes Henry as a man who wields authority: he is a “dread sovereign,” “terrible in constant resolution.”
Spectre Review: Mendes pulls from Shakespeare
How Sam Mendes borrowed from his King Lear production at the National Theatre when making his second James Bond film, Spectre.
Born to Dance is a winning Maori Hip Hop Musical
f the sub-genre Maori Hip Hop Musical isn’t enough of a hook to get you to see “Born to Dance,” let me add that it’s heaps of fun. Like a cross between “Bring it On” and “Billy Elliot,” there’s plenty of dance talent on display in this film.