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emergefromthenoise · 8 months

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Art in the times of censorship

You are invited to celebrate the marriage of Leyla and Joel. Dress code in place. Time of the exchange of the vows set. Entertainment will begin shortly after. That's the official version for this gathering. For the Ministry. And Motherland.

What's really happening is: this performance is stage without the licence from the Ministry and players commend your courage and will to participate. The risks are great. Welcome.

A mechanic writing a play - a mirror of his reality. A director of the Ministry of Culture who claims to be a patron of the arts, a benefactor. As long as the art is aligned with what the Ministry says happened. As long as it's art and not the depiction of the real world, because "a mirror is not a painting!". A young woman caught between two men. A celebrated playwright to guide the young mind. Because no one really wants to face the reality or rather relive it for what it is (was) - especially not the ruling regime when the truth is not exactly compatible with the doctrine. Theatre is supposed to be this profound spectacle lifting spirits. It does not raise doubts in the official version of history.

The thing with truth and art? It always finds its way to the surface. Bruised and battered? Maybe. But eventually comes to light...

'A Mirror' is such a careful web, each thread reveals something different, each delivers a gut punch - with finesse and precision, I may add. Layer, after layer, digging deeper - each character searching for... well, something. Artist versus censor. Truths and recollections of events excluding each other. And somewhere between: valuable lessons on how to write a play. How to build characters, arcs, differences between writing comedy and tragedy, character's choices and challenges, what could influence character's change. All excellent points to explore by a playwright. The very same points being picked apart by censors so the play fits the image of a great motherland.

Very Shakespearean (but careful! these books are banned!) - a play within a play exposing truths of a rotten system ('Hamlet'). The tragedy is imminent, the audience knows how the story ends and yet one hopes that this time it will be different, that it will defy the odds, gods and all the chaos between (like one would hope for star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet). A quote from 'Macbeth', completely unmatched with the situation only adds to the drama.

The tension grows and grows throughout the play, until it becomes this heavy knot weighing you down.

It starts small: a little red light at the back of your head as you laugh, a part of the collective ('wedding guests'). It changes hue slightly later: it becomes a chip on your shoulder, but you're still laughing. What danger? The fourth wall doesn't exist. The boundaries are a blur. So it creeps up on you when the grand finale unravels and your heart beats a little too fast. The laughter? A bit forced by then, covering the unease.

Palms sweating as the tragedy peaks right before your eyes. The sense of urgency never leaves you and is fed by the players through 2-hour "ceremony".

Company led by excellent Jonny Lee Miller is playing on the audience's emotions like it's a Stradivarius. Tanya's Mei and Michael's Adem battle their own demons, the reality, lose and find themselves, they shine and burn bright within the tragedy presented onstage.

Sam Holcroft's 'A Mirror' is a whirwind of twists and turns, raising questions about morality, ideals and whether it's better to live on your knees or die on your feet. And how far can one go to silence rebellious voices.

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'A Mirror' by Sam Holcroft. Directed by Jeremy Herrin.

Cast includes: Jonny Lee Miller, Tanya Reynolds, Michael Ward, Aaron Neil, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Miriam Wakeling

Performed in Almeida Theatre London (August- September 2023)

#a mirror #sam holcroft #jeremy herrin #jonny lee miller #tanya reynolds #michael ward #aaron neil #geoffrey streatfeild #miriam wakeling #play #art #theatre #play review #art vs censorship #tragedy #review #new play

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insanityclause · 5 months

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Tom Hiddleston, Jenna Coleman, Sheila Atim and David Tennant are among the stars celebrating London’s stage talent at the 67th Evening Standard Theatre Awards on Sunday.

They will be at the event at Claridge’s joining Tuppence Middleton, Omari Douglas, Layton Williams, Hayley Atwell, Jake Shears and his Cabaret co-star Rebecca Lucy Taylor, AKA Self Esteem, among others, to hand out awards.

The event, hosted by the newspaper’s proprietor Lord Lebedev with the help of Ian McKellen, is presented by Susan Wokoma. The writer and actor, who played Edith in the Enola Holmes films and whose stage work includes appearances at the Bush, the National and the Royal Court, is about to start work on Three Weeks which she will direct and star in.

She said: “Theatre is always a labour of love and London stages have faced their fair share of difficulties in the last few years. So I think it’s paramount we celebrate excellence while we can.”

Among the awards presented on the night are best play, best actor and the Milton Shulman Award for best director which is named after the Standard’s late theatre critic. Other awards include the Natasha Richardson Award for best actress in association with Mithridate and the Charles Wintour Award for most promising playwright — named in honour of the paper’s editor for many years.

Also awarded on the night is the Lebedev Award, which is given to an individual or institution for lifetime achievement or a specific critically-acclaimed piece of work or series as well as two special Editor’s Awards.

Among those in the running are Paul Mescal, shortlisted for best actor for his role in A Streetcar Named Desire, with his co-stars Anjana Vasan and Patsy Ferran up for best actress. Mescal is up against Andrew Scott, who won in 2019 and is shortlisted for Vanya, as well as Paapa Essiedu for The Effect, and Mark Gatiss for The Motive and the Cue. The shortlist for best actress is completed by Rachael Stirling for Private Lives and Sophie Okonedo for Medea.

Also in the running is Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard. She is nominated for best musical performance along with Charlie Stemp in Crazy For You, Kyle Ramar Freeman in A Strange Loop and Marisha Wallace in Guys & Dolls.

James Graham’s Dear England is shortlisted for best play alongside Jack Thorne’s The Motive and the Cue, Sam Holcroft’s A Mirror and Ryan Calais Cameron’s Retrogade.

Previous winners at the awards, which were first presented in 1955, include Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Laurence Olivier, Benedict Cumberbatch, Gillian Anderson and Glenn Close.

#tom hiddleston #evening standard theatre awards #presenter #event

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weclassybouquetfun · 1 year

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Thank goodness for Taron Egerton (and John) because how else would ever know what's going on with Edward Holcroft. This long absence - has he fallen into the sea? Got lost in the forest? We'd never know if it weren't for these random IG stories of Taron (and John) of Ed.

Where is Edward now? Who knows. What is known is that he won't be seen in FX's adaptation of NEVER LET ME GO because the project has been scrapped. So yes, another Holcroft Hiatus is in the offing.

I must admit I didn't really belive that Ed Holcroft account was legit but I was wrong.

Another missing KINGSMAN star is Colin Firth. Colin has been busy in the past couple of years with back-to-back projects (MOTHERING SUNDAY, EMPIRE OF LIGHT, THE STAIRCASE) and he even pops up in the romantic-comedy RYE LANE (currently in theaters in the UK, streaming on Hulu in the U.S). But he has nothing currently lined up according to IMDB - even the action-comedy NEW YORK WILL EAT YOU that he was attached to in 2020 is not listed.

-Now someone who will not stop working is Taron Egerton and I, for one, am happy for that.

He can currently be seen in the excellent AppleTV+'s film TETRIS produced by Matthew Vaughn's MARV Films.

Taron and costar Nikita Efremov are so great.

Taron has CARRY ON in post-production and is doing a three-peater with AppleTV+ by reteaming with the streamer and his BLACK BIRD creator Dennis Lehane for FIREBUG (which Egerton will also serve as executive producer).

What is it about?: "Written by Lehane and inspired by true events, Firebug will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator (played by Rocketman star Egerton) as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists."

Taron has donned his producer hat by acquiring the screen rights to Josh Silver's debut novel, the LGBTQ+ psychological thriller, "HappyHead". So far he has no plans to act in the project.

When Taron isn't working he's gassing people up, like his ROCKETMAN costar Kit Connor .

KINGSMAN ROLL CALL

-Mark Strong is another one who doesn't rest on his laurels. He can be currently seen on Netflix's MURDER MYSTERY 2 starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

He also has 8 projects in various stages of production including the upcoming HBO Max series DUNE: THE SISTHERHOOD. But with the constant changes at WB/Disco(very) and the series director and one of the leads, Shirley Henderson, exiting the project, who Is to say that the series will ever happen.

Taron and Mark at a BAFTA party.

-Another KINGSMAN alum with 8 projects in various stages of production is Samuel L. Jackson. One of them being the upcoming DISNEY+ series SECRET INVASION.

He also has the Matthew Vaughn directed ARGYLLE starring Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell and DAMAGED starring the always intriguing Vincent Cassel

-Not a BAFTA party but Vanity Fair Oscar party, Sofia Boutella bumped into her former boss Madonna and her fellow former back-up dancers to Madge.

Boutella can be currently seen in Steven Knight's ROGUE HEROES and she will be in Zack Snyder's upcoming REBEL MOON.

-Sophia Cookson was recently seen in ITV's mini- THE CONFESSIONS of FRANNIE LANGTON and will be seen soon in Lee Tamahori's (ONCE WERE WARRIORS), EMPEROR in the lead role. The film also stars Adrien Brody and Bill Skarsgård. She also has STOCKHOLM BLOODBATH coming up.

Set pictures of Sophie and her little one.

Sophie's partner Stephen Campbell-Moore shares a daughter with ex-wife Claire Foy.

#kingsman #taron egerton #mark strong #edward holcroft #colin firth #sophie cookson #sofia boutella #samuel l jackson #vincent cassel #kit connor #tetris #secret invasion #ed holcroft

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uhlikzsuzsanna · 5 months