Stephen Fry Archives - North West End UK

Making History by Stephen Fry – St Ninian’s Hall

14Aug

By Euan HuthNo Comments

Scotland

Making History by Stephen Fry – St Ninian’s Hall

I feel like everyone has had the hypothetical debate, if you could go back in time what would you change? Some people would give advice to their younger selves, or they’d stop the JFK assassination. And someone always says, “I’d go back and kill baby Hitler”. Making History, originally a novel by Stephen Fry and adapted to the stage by Colin Mcpherson, tries to tackle this moral debate. The set is a wall of famous historical faces, Mary Queen of Scots, Marie Curie, Nelson Mandela, and centre stage, is Adolf Hitler. I enjoyed how the set was used, having the portraits serve as hidey-holes for props, or concealing larger set pieces within them. And simply having this huge wall of famous faces instantly has you thinking about all the major players in history, so before the show even starts yo...

The Picture of Dorian Gray – The Barn Theatre

16Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Picture of Dorian Gray – The Barn Theatre

Oscar Wilde’s intoxicating Faustian tale of beauty, love and mortality is given a fresh and modern day treatment in Henry Filloux-Bennett’s adroit script. There have been many versions of Wilde’s dark morality tale and this particular digital adaptation using both video and film techniques alongside conventional theatre firmly places it in the world of social media and the power of the influencer where self- image and self- promotion rule the day. Wilde’s basic question is how far would a person go to achieve success and maintain personal youth, beauty and fame? As Wilde quoted “behind every exquisite thing that existed there was something tragic” and in every sense of the word the play mirrors his exact assumption. We are in dark unforgiving territory and Bennett’s clever script ...

22Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

OFFIES 2021

We were delighted to be able to attend this year’s Off West End Awards which were hosted online by Geoffrey Brown, Director of Off West End with a number of special guests in attendance. The awards began with an introduction by Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, welcoming everyone and joining in our hope that theatres can re-open soon. Special guests included Judi Dench, Linda Marlowe, Su Pollard, Michelle Terry, Sharon D Clarke, Samuel West, Sonia Friedman, Brian Blessed, Stephen Fry and Louise Jameson, all sending messages of congratulations and encouragement. Using the fringe streaming platform Scenesaver ( www.scenesaver.co.uk ), we were treated to a reminder of the diversity of shows that have been available to watch this year, in spite of the challenging environment. B...

All-star cast for The Picture of Dorian Gray at Bolton Octagon

21Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

All-star cast for The Picture of Dorian Gray at Bolton Octagon

Russell Tovey, Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley head an all-star cast for a digital production of The Picture of Dorian Gray at Bolton Octagon. They’ve joined forces with Barn Theatre in Cirencester, the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich will co-produce The Picture of Dorian Gray with Theatr Clwyd in Mold and the Oxford Playhouse in Oxfordshire to offer the production as co-producers. Fionn Whitehead is in the title role, are Alfred Enoch as Harry Wooton, Lumley as Lady Narborough, Emma McDonald as Sibyl Vane and Tovey as Basil Hallward with Fry as the Interviewer. From the creative team behind the critically acclaimed What a Carve Up!, the belov...

Philharmonia Sessions: Beethoven’s Prometheus – Battersea Arts Centre

6Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Philharmonia Sessions: Beethoven’s Prometheus – Battersea Arts Centre

Presented in the month of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra playing Beethoven's famous ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. In this version, each symphonic movement is punctuated by Stephen Fry explaining the part of the story about to be told, aided by animation by Hillary Leben and a script by Gerard McBurney. Beethoven wrote his hugely popular ballet score in 1801, in just 11 days and, as Fry tells us, the version of the ancient Greek creation story he used is not the most widely established one about Prometheus giving man fire. In this version Prometheus creates man with fire from Mount Olympus and then calls on Apollo, god of music and dance, the Muses, and a host of other deities to teach his Creatures what it is to ex...

Lee Mack to step into the role of narrator to replace Stephen Fry in The Understudy

4Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Lee Mack to step into the role of narrator to replace Stephen Fry in The Understudy

Everyone needs an understudy, right? Stepping into the role of narrator, replacing Stephen Fry, is BAFTA and British Comedy Award winning legend Lee Mack. The full cast of The Understudy, now includes Matthew Horne, Emily Atack, James Norton, Mina Anwar, Natalie Casey, Adelayo Adedayo, Lucy Briggs-Owen, Sasha Frost, Marie Lawrence, James McNicholas, Lizzie Muncey and Jake Ferretti. Stephen Fry comments: “Circumstances have forced me to be in the US from December 4th to late January which means, despite my highest hopes and confident promises, I won’t be able to be a part of The Understudy this year, as so fervently hoped. I am very, very sorry to let you down at the last minute. I am cheering you on from the side-lines.” A perfect pre-Christmas treat for theatre lovers, this exclusiv...