Latest news with #RichardII
The Independent
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Bridgerton and Wicked star Jonathan Bailey tackles the Bard in trailer for Richard II
Jonathan Bailey shows off a sinister side in new trailer for Richard II. Nicholas Hytner 's revival of Shakespeare 's Richard II continues its limited run at the Bridge Theatre until May 10, 2025. The play follows an unhinged king set on wrecking the country he leads. Bailey's past credits include Bridgerton, Fellow Travellers, Cassio in Nicholas Hytner's National Theatre production of Othello and Edgar to Ian McKellen 's King Lear. He has also won an Olivier Award for his role of Jamie in Company and is Fiyero in the upcoming Wicked movie.
The Guardian
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Peter Carroll: ‘I had a fur phobia for many years – after I performed in Cats'
Who runs your Instagram account? I don't know what you're talking about. I've got absolutely no idea about that, it's something that just happened. If I find out, I'll thank them. This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. You've done a lot of Shakespeare in your time; which play is your favourite? The history plays are pretty good – Richard II and III; Henry IV, V and VI. We don't present them here [in Australia] that often but I'm rehearsing a production now. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning They're a wonderfully complex analysis of the way human beings – now and in the past – have tried to govern and tried to create the best state possible. And failed. What's the best lesson you learned from someone you've worked with? To always keep positive and not to reject anything – because you never know when the things you dismiss are going to be useful. I've learned there are no silly questions; they might be a bit silly but silly questions can produce interesting solutions. What's the most chaotic thing that's ever happened during a show? There was a wonderful moment in Les Mis [in 1991] when I was playing Thenardier: the stage was supposed to revolve, and the cast had to get all the tables and chairs off at the same time that we were leaving the stage singing – through a fairly narrow wing space. But the revolve went the wrong way, then it lurched to a stop and went back the other way, double pace – and so a stage full of tables and chairs and actors went flying. Several of the actors were paralytic with laughter – others were bruised. What's the most underrated Australian play? Ron Blair's The Christian Brothers [a one-man play about a teacher at a Christian Brothers school] is the most glorious piece of writing. I was in the first production at Nimrod in 1975 [directed by John Bell] and I've performed it many times in different seasons. When I last performed it, it was at Sydney Opera House [in 2001] and by that time so much had happened with the Christian Brothers that the play suddenly became much darker, and much more like a play by Beckett. Context is all. You've played hundreds of characters at this point in your career; which has been the hardest to shake off? I don't have that problem – the character's at work; the curtain comes down and it's gone. Certainly some roles have been physically exhausting. And if you have to touch into darker areas, that can be very exhausting as well. But I'm lucky – I have a home life which is loving and stable, as much as human beings are ever stable. The acting life is this sort of subterranean thing that I'm only allowed to do within the context of film or television or stage. That sounds quite functional. Well, I think it has to be. And I think we've learned a lot through the last decade, in terms of how to behave towards each other – in the rehearsal room and on stage – and techniques to come down so that you don't [bring the work home with you]. There used to be an idea that the actor had to live in a garret and starve because that would be wonderful for their soul – what a lot of rubbish! Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion It's really different now. There's been a lot of work to change things like the way intimacy is handled, and to develop support systems. And I think that's producing really good results. Workplaces are enormously different from when I started out: they were much more hierarchical, they were often male-dominated, there was often a lot of alcohol. And the actor started from the baseline of: you're nothing but the director will build you up and make you something. The general atmosphere in a rehearsal room tends to be [better now]. There's more acceptance. We have HR standing by if there are problems. Acting is always such a leap into the unknown. It's instinctive. And so you bare yourself – you make a fool of yourself, and you are very vulnerable. And now we're more aware of that. Do you believe in theatre ghosts? No, but I like to think that the spirits of earlier performers are hovering. When I walk into a theatre, I'm immediately aware of the atmosphere. Theatres are places where there has been an enormous amount of human endeavour and all sorts of stories and feelings, and that [leaves a trace]. And every time a theatre is pulled down, it's quite a difficult thing for actors. Are you sure you don't believe in theatre ghosts? Well, my rational part says: don't be so silly; it's nerves. But another part of me says [shrugs, raises eyebrows]. But also, architecture has changed a lot. I don't know that there are many ghosts who like to inhabit concrete and straight lines and those sorts of places. I think they much prefer wood and plaster and the Victorian [aesthetic]. What's the oldest thing you own, and why do you still have it? I hold on to books for a long time. I'm under pressure to cull – space is finite. We've lived in the same flat for 16 years now but before that we lived in a house, and when we moved we culled a lot of books because they just couldn't fit. And I regretted every book that was thrown out. I am a bit of a hoarder in that regard, I must say. What's the last great Australian book you read? There's been so many but Robbie Arnott's latest book was fabulous. And Helen Garner's latest – the football one – was absolutely wonderful. I've always said, if I could act the way Helen Garner writes, I'd be happy – because it's so clear, so direct, so simple yet so loaded. What animal do you most relate to? It used to be dogs but I know a particular cat who is very splendid – it doesn't live with us but I know it – so I'm a cat person now. I had a fur phobia for many years – after I completed Cats [the musical, in 1995, playing Bustopher Jones]. Actually, if we're talking about what was the most difficult role to let go, it was that – because of the damage that had been done to my spine and several other areas. It's outrageous. It damaged endless generations of dancers. Not that I was a dancer, I was an actor who moved around – vigorously, and cat-like. Peter Carroll appears in The Player Kings: Shakespeare & Marlowe's History Cycle, 26 March to 5 April at Seymour Centre, Sydney
Telegraph
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
I love Adolescence, but culture must stop demonising young men
Last weekend, I watched Adolescence, the new Netflix drama about a 13-year-old boy, Jamie, who's arrested for stabbing a female classmate to death. We follow him through intense questioning at the police station and at a youth psychiatric facility. We see the repercussions of the crime at his comprehensive school, and on his parents and elder sister. Adolescence is, without doubt, the best TV drama of the year so far. The performances from Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty and Christine Tremarco are committed, watchful, as if they were real people being spied on through a long lens. And then there's 15-year-old Owen Cooper playing Jamie – a living riposte to all those who say British children can't act. Yet while I applaud the quality of Philip Barantini's drama, and the importance of the issues it explores, I can't help but feel that this is another cultural work that demonises young boys. Jamie is an angry young man, and I don't mean that in the artistic sense: he has been radicalised by online propaganda, become susceptible to the rise of incel culture, has had his view of women tainted by easy-to-access pornography. The boy, like so many 13-year-olds, is also crippled by a lack of self-esteem. The columns I have read this week have been along the lines of 'why every parent should watch Adolescence'; and yes, it does serve as an effective warning to protect and monitor your child. But we need to make something very clear: Jamie is no everyboy. When a hot-button issue such as incel culture spends enough time in the media, people tend to assume it has become the norm. Yet while Andrew Tate, influencer and alleged sex-trafficker (he has denied wrongdoing), has a horrifying global reach, it isn't as if he has sent every boy in Britain hurtling into the manosphere. Nonetheless, when such people get the oxygen of publicity, those who work in the arts start to take notice. This year's series of Chris Lang's ITV drama Unforgotten features a young autistic man called Marty (played by Maximilian Fairley) who has, like Jamie, become susceptible to incel culture. In our theatres, classic plays such as Shakespeare's Richard II and Pinter's The Homecoming are being retooled so that they become meditations on toxic masculinity. While social media must take a lot of the blame for what could best be described as a crisis among our young men, it's clear that the arts and culture could do more to help. This feeds into what Gareth Southgate, former manager of England, said in Tuesday's Dimbleby Lecture: that boys need role models beyond social-media influencers. Southgate is rather brilliant at encouraging positive attitudes in young men – something expertly explored by James Graham in his play Dear England, which shows the England men's squad break down their defences and become touchy-feely in a bid for footballing glory. But I'm not sure about the need for role models. When I was a young boy, I didn't look up to anyone. I thought pretty much every adult I met was an idiot. Yet I managed to make the transition to adulthood without too much of a fuss. I think the actual problem is the constant negativity surrounding young men; and this has been going on for too long. At the root of the issue is the demonisation of the white working-class male, whose fortunes are linked to the decline in British industry and the rise in unemployment. Certain politicians and media commentators have been savage about such sections of the community, snidely metropolitan about the Brexit-voting 'white van man' whose views are startlingly different to their own. Many have, in turn, stepped in to exploit this silent majority, and the more impressionable minds have been curdled by Tate and his online ilk – although their influence is no longer confined to those on society's margins. Simultaneously, the arts haven't been kind to young men. I remember the 2015 Channel 4 drama UKIP: The First 100 Days, which reduced anyone who was male and working-class to a braying beer-swilling lout. In the decade since, TV has become slightly more tolerant of maleness, but it has relentlessly highlighted the problems with masculinity: witness successful shows such as Industry and Peaky Blinders. Leading writers such as Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) always seem to explore the crisis through a patina of machismo. Strong and silent types, we're told, are simply bad. For your average young man, this probably feels depressing and alienating. If the culture around you portrays you as crap, then where do you turn? I think we know the answer. It isn't just a problem on British screens. Look at our bookshelves. There has been a necessary swing towards more diverse voices over the past decade – towards more female writers, and those of non-white origin – but with this comes a danger that the adolescent boy or young man won't be represented: at least not in the deeply personal, subjective first-person genre that has become a hot literary trend. There's also a deeper problem: boys aren't reading. You might think that this is simply an old itch, that they've always struggled to engage with books – but recent data are alarming. In 2005, a survey by the National Literacy Trust showed that the number of boys aged 8-18 who enjoyed reading was 46.1 per cent; by 2024, 19 years on, that was down to 28.2 per cent. Evidently, there are many factors – a decline in literacy standards, a rapid rise in screen time – but I would suggest that we should urgently try to give boys books they actually want to read. Across British culture, from television to cinema, theatre and literature, we need to give young men a break – and some help. Netflix's Adolescence should be a salutary lesson, yes. But let's not pretend that Jamie is the epitome of a modern boy.
Washington Post
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
I saw 11 celebrities on London stages in a week. Here's how they fared.
LONDON — The volume of Hollywood stars currently on the West End can only be described as bingeable. Cate Blanchett is a mercurial diva in 'The Seagull,' while Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell are wry and unlikely lovers in 'Much Ado About Nothing.' Rami Malek is a murderous heir in 'Oedipus,' Brie Larson a vengeful daughter in 'Elektra' and Jonathan Bailey a petulant king in 'Richard II.' Wherefore are so many celebrities scaling the classics in London right now?
Telegraph
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Richard II play: What you need to know about this thrilling Shakespeare revival and how to find your tickets
What is Richard II about? The King believes he has a divine right to rule, but is he really up to the task? That's the compelling question at the heart of this battle for supremacy. However, since this particular Shakespeare isn't staged that often, it's well worth brushing up on a synopsis of Richard II play ahead of your trip to the Bridge Theatre. This is the Bard's loosely historical account of the downfall of the late-14th-century English king Richard II. The story begins towards the end of his reign, when he banishes his cousin Henry Bolingbroke and angers the nobility (including his uncles John of Gaunt and the Duke of York) by seizing land and raiding their coffers to fund his war in Ireland. Bolingbroke leads a rebellion against Richard, dividing the kingdom – and his family. The Duke of York reluctantly sides with Bolingbroke. During a crucial public ceremony, a defeated Richard renounces the crown. However, there is one more twist in this riveting drama. The sleek, modern-dress, fast-paced thriller of a revival at the Bridge Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner, features a charismatic performance from Jonathan Bailey – star of TV series Bridgerton and the Wicked movie. It turns this history play into a drama of the moment: Shakespeare by way of Succession. How to buy tickets for Richard II You can find seats for the London production of Richard II on Telegraph Tickets. Check the site for the latest prices. The cast Richard II is a fantastic role, simultaneously grand, petty, indecisive, self-pitying and philosophical. He has previously been played by John Gielgud, Ian McKellen, David Tennant, Eddie Redmayne, and Ben Whishaw, and now it is the turn of Jonathan Bailey. Bailey is on a career high, playing romantic leading men in period drama Bridgerton and movie-musical Wicked. He also won an Olivier Award for his stage performance in Sondheim musical Company, and starred in West End drama Cock. He's joined by an impressive company for Richard II, including Royce Pierreson as Bolingbroke, Michael Simkins as the Duke of York, and Clive Wood as John of Gaunt – who gets the memorable speech about 'this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.' Richard II is directed by Nicholas Hytner, former artistic director of the National Theatre and now head of the Bridge Theatre. His previous work includes The History Boys, One Man, Two Guvnors, and Guys and Dolls. The details Where is Richard II playing? Richard II runs at the Bridge Theatre, which is in Potters Fields Park, right beside Tower Bridge in south-east London, and within walking distance of London Bridge station. What is the running time of Richard II? The running time of Richard II is 2 hours and 40 minutes, with a 20-minute interval. How long is Richard II running for? Richard II is currently booking to May 10, 2025. What is the minimum age for Richard II? The age recommendation for Richard II is 12+. Does Richard II have accessible tickets? Yes, the show has captioned and audio-described performances scheduled. Find more information on the theatre website. The review 'Jonathan Bailey turns Shakespeare's anti-hero into a coke-snorting pin-up... There's ingenious use of the stage's hidden depths, conjuring boardrooms and intimations of hell pits.' Read the full Telegraph review. FAQs How long is Richard II play? Shakespeare's Richard II is a history play written in five acts. However it's a lightning-fast story, covering just two pivotal years in Richard's life: 1398-1400. The Bridge Theatre production is fast and exciting, packing all of the action into a 2 hour, 40-minute run time, including an interval. Buy tickets now Richard II
