Michael Grandage Archives - North West End UK

18Nov

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

The Lemon Table – HOME, Manchester

Have you ever been to a concert or to the theatre and had the overwhelming urge to tap the person in front of you on the shoulder to ask them if they could possibly stop talking, or put their phone away, or just cough more quietly? I know I certainly have! And that is where this play opens, with a concert goer doing just that. What follows is an exploration of the behaviour of a man who just wants to be able to enjoy the creativity and brilliance of an orchestra, its soloists and its conductor in peace. He clearly appreciates the performing arts and values being at live events, which is something that I’m quite sure we can all relate to in the new post-pandemic world; but he is also frustrated by the discourteous behaviour of his fellow audience members. However, as the scene unfolds, w...

27Oct

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Lemon Table – Crucible Theatre

The Lemon Tree is presented by Wiltshire Creative, Malvern Theatres, Sheffield Theatres and Home, in association with MGC. It is two short stories penned by Julian Barnes, co-directed by Michael Grandage and Titus Halder and performed by the actor Ian McDiarmid. Lighting designer Paule Constable, Associate lighting designer Ryan Day and Sound Designer by Ella Wahlstrom make up the creative team. Barnes’ 2005 book of Short Stories are first person accounts on the reality of ageing. The two chosen stories in the Lemon Table are told through the eyes of Jeffrey in ‘Vigilance’ and the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius as he draws to the end of his life, in the second – ‘Silence’. Both these dramatizations are depicted back to back over a 65 minute period by McDiarmid with the ease of a masterc...

Ian McDiarmid in the World Premiere of Julian Barnes’ The Lemon Table

11Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Ian McDiarmid in the World Premiere of Julian Barnes’ The Lemon Table

Wiltshire Creative, Malvern Theatres, Sheffield Theatres and HOME in association with MGC today announce Ian McDiarmid in the world première of Julian Barnes’ The Lemon Table, directed by MGC’s Artistic Director Michael Grandage. The production, which McDiarmid has adapted for performance, opens at Salisbury Playhouse part of Wiltshire Creative on 15th October, with a preview on 14th October, before touring to Sheffield Theatres; Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford; HOME Manchester and Malvern Theatres. In The Lemon Table, Julian Barnes brings his unsentimental, wryly comic, perspective to the complicated business of ageing, with its attendant, and often bizarrely, fluctuating emotions. Olivier and Tony Award-winning Ian McDiarmid and Michael Grandage have collaborated to bring The Lemo...

1Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Red – The Shows Must Go On

A pretentious artist and his naïve assistant work away in a 1950’s New York studio. John Logan’s Tony award winning piece may not sound like the most exciting subject, but don’t let that deter you. It’s a deep-dive into the creative mind with thrilling performances. The play spans two whole years of an intense working relationship. Mark Rothko (Alfred Molina) is a celebrated artist who has been commissioned to create art for display at the new Four Seasons restaurant. He is assisted by “over-eager under-graduate" Ken (Alfred Enoch). Questioning opinions and confronting each other's weaknesses makes for an uneasy partnership but a riveting play. Enoch is charming as the assistant. The quirkiness of his movement and emotional openness are played expertly by someone in his Wes...