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Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Lenny Henry, review: a rusty yet thoughtful return to stand-up from a singular British talent
After a 16-year absence from stand-up, Lenny Henry 's 'triumphant return' to the stage in Perth last night consisted, in reality, of a fleeting half hour of new material, followed by a looser, more engaging Q&A. There were glimpses of the comic dynamo he once was, but this was more warm-up gig than comeback special. Performing as part of the Scottish city's Festival of the Arts, Henry's set was a mixture of personal and topical reflections on the last few years. He joked about Suella Braverman, Ozempic, and the Duke of York. None of which were groundbreaking. He was most captivating when delivering a retrospective, verbal memoir: on how humour could disarm bullies in the schoolyard, or his forthcoming film role in Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly alongside George Clooney. Along the way, mime, songs and lively impressions of Tommy Cooper, Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington reminded the audience what makes Henry such a singular talent. This was the 66-year-old's first stand-up outing since 2009, having spent the intervening years acting on stage and screen (as well as his charity work with Comic Relief). As he put it: 'I'd been doing stand-up since I was 15. By the time I was 40, I thought, is this it? I felt like I was slightly spinning my wheels.' Host Fred MacAulay warmed up the 1,200-strong audience, at one point asking if anybody present was under 30. There were no more than four lonely whoops. Naturally, then, Henry's quippy material about getting older – from the joy of weekend trips to the garden centre to the cuts to the winter fuel allowance – went down a treat. 'I'm usually in bed by now,' he joked at 8:15pm, met with knowing laughter from the crowd. Other material was a harder sell. 'Do you know the Jamaican nod?' was answered with a silence borne not so much from disinterest as unfamiliarity. Henry delivered his jokes using presidential-style autocue screens. Understandable, perhaps, given the long hiatus, but it robbed him of spontaneity. For someone who was once one of the most physical performers in British comedy, it was a weirdly static performance. Only three times did he step out from behind the glass to deliver terrifically surreal, well-oiled routines with the fire and pacing of old. The second half of the show, a sit-down Q&A with MacAulay, was much stronger. Between the silly questions from the audience ('Do you actually stay in Premier Inns on tour?') and baffling ones ('What have Lenny Henry, Michael Jackson, Richard Attenborough and me got in common? Answer: the same birthday!'), there were some gems. A question about whether he still visits Dudley sparked a thoughtful response about growing up near where Enoch Powell gave his 1968 Rivers of Blood speech in Wolverhampton. It was in these unscripted moments that we saw the old Lenny shine through. So, though not quite a triumphant return for this national treasure, a necessary first-step. And an answer, finally: he does indeed stay in Premier Inns. No further dates
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Purpose' wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Tony Awards next?
Just four days after earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Play and five more citations for its cast members, Purpose has just won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Today's announcement of the finalists and winner by Columbia University described Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' work as "a play about the complex dynamics and legacy of an upper-middle class African American family whose patriarch was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement. A skillful blend of drama and comedy that probes how different generations define heritage." More from GoldDerby Netflix sets release date for Noah Baumbach's 'Jay Kelly': See George Clooney in first photo David Fincher and the genre-bending return of 'Love, Death + Robots' 'Squid Game' drops final season preview, Jenna Ortega and Robert De Niro team for David O. Russell's latest, and more of today's top news stories Cole Escola's Oh, Mary! also received recognition as a finalist for the Pulitzer. Columbia described the play as "a zany portrait of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln's family life, whose outrageous humor also serves as an empathetic celebration of anyone who's been marginalized or misunderstood." Escola's riotous spoof took off-Broadway and now Broadway by storm and earned Tony nominations for Best Play, two of its cast members, costume design, and director Sam Pinkleton. The Best Play category at the 2025 Tonys now boasts two winners and one finalist for the Pulitzer, as nominee English by Sanaz Toossi received the honor back in 2023. This lineup, which also features Kimberly Belflower's John Proctor Is the Villain and Jez Butterworth's The Hills of California, is now one of the most luminous groups in Tony history. Two years ago, the Best Play category boasted three Pulitzer winners: Fat Ham by James Ijames, Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis, and Cost of Living by Martyna Majok. This year is also only the third time in Tony history where two Pulitzer winners have been nominated in the same year. This first happened in 1956 when The Diary of Anne Frank and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof both earned Tony nominations (the former won) and then occurred once more in 2004 when Anna in the Tropics and I Am My Own Wife were both nominated (the latter prevailed). SEE Tony Talk: Breaking down those surprise nominations and early winner predictions for 'Maybe Happy Ending,' 'Sunset Boulevard,' and more Now that Purpose has claimed one of the most coveted titles in American letters, does it have a better chance at winning the Tony Award for Best Play? Not necessarily, according to Tony history. Over the past 77 years, there have been 37 winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama also nominated at the Tonys, from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman at the third annual ceremony, to Guirgis, Ijames, and Majok's plays in 2023. Of those 37 works, 17 won both the Pulitzer and the Tony, a sizable number but not quite a majority. Like Oh, Mary!, there have been 15 previous finalists for the Pulitzer that have also been nominated at the Tony Awards. The first was Neil Simon's Broadway Bound in 1987, which starred the late Linda Lavin in her Tony-winning role, and the most recent was Tracy Letts' The Minutes in 2022. Of those 15, six went on to win the Tony, a slightly lower rate of victory than for the Pulitzer winners. Jacobs-Jenkins' recognition does suggest that the contest for Best Play might be a lot more competitive than many theater fans recognize. An overwhelming majority of our users are currently predicting Oh, Mary! to win, according to our combined odds, but Purpose fits the mold of serious, intellectual works that grapple with history that often prevail amongst Tony voters; farces and other comedies win far less frequently. But there are exceptions to this trend, as recent, weighty works like Lynn Nottage's Sweat and Ayad Akhtar's Disgraced have lost, too. An upset could be brewing, though, as one of our experts and one of our editors currently predict the win for Purpose. SEE Instant Tony odds: 'Oh, Mary!' and 'Maybe Happy Ending' are the extremely early shows to beat Ironically, all three playwrights recognized by Pulitzers today are 2025 Tony nominees. In addition to Jacobs-Jenkins and Escola, Itamar Moses was shortlisted for his off-Broadway work The Ally. Columbia described it as "a timely drama about activitism, conflicting expectations, and moral responsibility on a college campus, probing American identity and the contradictions within progressive politics using richly drawn characters with deep emotional resonance." Though The Ally has not bowed on Broadway, Moses received a Tony nomination this year in the Best Musical Book category for his libretto for Best Musical nominee Dead Outlaw. He is already leading our odds in the race and may receive an extra bump with the announcement. Moses previously received the Tony in the same category for The Band's Visit. 1. Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller – 1949 2. The Teahouse of the August Moon, John Patrick – 1954 3. The Diary of Anne Frank, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett – 1956 4. Long Day's Journey into Night, Eugene O'Neill – 1957 5. J. B., Archibald MacLeish – 1959 6. The Subject Was Roses, Frank D. Gilroy – 1965 7. The Great White Hope, Howard Sacklet – 1969 8. That Championship Season, Jason Miller – 1973 9. Fences, August Wilson – 1987 10. The Heidi Chronicles, Wendy Wasserstein – 1989 11. Lost in Yonkers, Neil Simon – 1991 12. Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, Tony Kushner – 1993 13. Proof, David Auburn – 2001 14. I Am My Own Wife, Doug Wright – 2004 15. Doubt, John Patrick Shanley – 2005 16. August: Osage County, Tracy Letts – 2008 17. Clybourne Park, Bruce Norris – 2012 SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Sadie Sink on her character's 'emotional rage' in 'John Proctor Is the Villain' and her reaction to 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' 'It should be illegal how much fun I'm having': Lea Salonga on playing Mrs. Lovett and more in 'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends' 'Death Becomes Her' star Jennifer Simard is ready to be a leading lady: 'I don't feel pressure, I feel joy' Click here to read the full article.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jay Kelly OTT Release Date: When and where to watch George Clooney & Adam Sandler's coming-of-age comedy film
Jay Kelly OTT Release Date: Get ready for a cinematic treat as Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney and Adam Sandler team up for this new coming-of-age comedy-drama. Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach, Jay Kelly is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on November 14, 2025, followed by a global streaming debut on Netflix on December 5, 2025. While specific plot details remain under wraps, the film, set against the themes of identity and self-discovery, is described as a "heartbreaking comedy'. Meet the cast of Jay Kelly The film also stars Billy Crudup (Almost Famous, 20th Century Women), Laura Dern (Marriage Story, Little Women), Grace Edwards (Asteroid City, Call Jane), Stacy Keach (Nebraska, The Bourne Legacy), Riley Keough (Zola, Daisy Jones & the Six), Emily Mortimer (Lars and the Real Girl, Match Point), Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring, Angels in America), Nicôle Lecky (Mood, Sense8) and Thaddea Graham (Bad Sisters, Sex Education) among others. Jay Kelly also stars Jim Broadbent (Gangs of New York, Another Year), Eve Hewson (The Perfect Couple, Flora and Son), Alba Rohrwacher (Maria, La Chimera), Lenny Henry (Missing You, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl), Josh Hamilton (Maestro, Kicking and Screaming) and Greta Gerwig (White Noise, Frances Ha) among others. Directed by Noah Baumbach, known for films like Marriage Story and The Meyerowitz Stories, Jay Kelly is co-written with Emily Mortimer. The film is produced by David Heyman, Amy Pascal, and Baumbach himself. Filming took place across various locations, including New York City, London, and Tuscany. Excited to watch Jay Kelly on OTT? Drop your thoughts @indiatimes.
