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Dateline:
12th January, 2003
Natural Nylon Folds
Natural Nylon, the production company formed by Ewan McGregor, Jude
Law and Sadie Frost, has closed. In the autumn McGregor resigned because
of filming commitments and now husband and wife team Law and Frost have
decided to call it a day. They say that work and family commitments
make it impossible for them to continue with the company.
The company also aimed to make film versions of its stage productions,
but no films were ever made.
Natural Nylon only produced one play during its short life: Dr Faustus,
a co-production with the Young Vic, which starred Law and had a sell-out
run last spring. Other productions were promised, including a new version
of Chekhov's The Three Sisters by Christopher Hampton.
The company's backer, the Ambassador Theatre Group, hopes to continue
the development of Hampton's Chekhov translation and is currently in
discussions with Law about his playing Hamlet in London. A spokesperson
for ATG said that they hope to have a continuing relationship with the
individual actors.
Another "Greatest
Show"
London Mayor Ken Livingstone is to re-launch his "Greatest Show
on Earth" initiative, whcih offers discount tickets for shows in
London theatres. Full details of the new programme will be made public
on 15th January.
The original "Greatest Show on Earth", hailed as a great
success at the time, was launched after the events of 11th September,
2001, in an attempt to help theatres through the fall in tourism as
a result of the World Trade Centre attack.
Death of Roy Jenkins
Former Home Secretary and founder member of the Social Democrat Party
(SDP). Roy Jenkins, died on 5th January. He will be remembered by the
theatre world as the man who ended the censorship of the Lord Chamberlain's
Office, which was first introduced in 1843, when the Theatres Act required
the Lord Chamberlain to approve all plays before they could be produced.
RSC Jacobean Season
Extends
The Royal Shakespeare Company's Jacobean season at the Gielgud Theatre
is to extend until 22nd March. It will eb followed into the theatre
by the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black's Tell Me on
a Sunday, which opens on 8th April.
Henry VI
in Prison
The London Shakespeare Workout is to present The Wax King: Shakespeare's
Henry VI Part III in Pentonville Prison. The production, performed
by a cast of professional actors and inmates of the prison, is on 10th
and 11th February and tickets are free. However, as members of the audience
must be security-cleared, applications for tickets must be made by 6th
February. In addition, audience members must arrive by 6.35 for a 7.00pm
start and have appropriate identification (passport or driver's licence).
No one under the age of eighteen will be admitted.
RSC actress Lynn Farleigh will play Magaret of Anjou.
Tickets can be obtained by phoning 020 7793 9755 or e-mailing londonswo@hotmail.com
Nunn's Last NT Production
The full casting has been announed for Trevor Nunn's last production
at the National Theatre, Love's Labour's Lost. Joining Joseph
Fiennes (Berowne) will be Olivia Williams (Princess of France), Simon
Day (The King of Navarre), Kate Fleetwood (Rosaline), John Barrowman
(Dumaine), Jane Fowler (Maria), Richard Henders (Costard), Akiya Henry
(Moth), Annette McLaughlin (Jaquenetta), Martin Marquez (Armado), Tam
Mutu (Longaville), Robin Soans (Holofernes), Mary Stockley (Katharine)
and Philip Voss (Boyet).
No More, Says Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis will not continue film work, in spite of the success
of Scosese's The Gangs of New York in which he plays Bill the
Butcher. "I have no plans to work on a film any time soon. I've
managed to avoid it for the past five years," he says, explaining
how he finds the whole thing unsatisfying.
"There's always a general sense of having fallen short,"
he went on. "It's just 'is that all it was? I thought it was bigger
than that'."
Scaramouche to Travel
the World
Pete Postlethwaite is tour his one-man show Scaramouche Jones
internationally later this year, according to a report in The Stage.
Although no details have yet been released, it is expected that the
US and Canada will be among the countries visited.
Taylforth
to Make Theatrical Debut
EastEnders star Gillian Taylforth is to join Gary Mavers and
Julie Buckfield in a national tour of Richard Stockwell's psychological
thriller Bad Blood. It opens at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, on
28th January, and then goes on to Bromley, Milton Keynes, Woking, York,
Brighton, Barnstaple, Bradford, Stoke and Richmond. Other dates will
be announced later.
Single Sex Shows
at the Globe
Four of the five productions in the Globe's summer season (see our December
news story) will be single sex shows, it has been announced. Richard
II and Marlowe's Edward II will be all male and Richard
III and The Taming of the Shrew will be all female. All four
will be "original practices productions", which means that
all costumes and sets, music and dance will be as they might have been
in 1603.
The final production of the season (Dido, Queen of Carthage) will be
a "modern" production and will featrure both male and female
actors).
Bond Attacks Congestion
Charging
Actress Samantha Bond, restaurant workers and Smithfield market traders
are to mount a legal challenge to the £5 congestion charge introduced
by mayor Ken Livingstone. The £5 daily charge for bring a car
into central London, comes into effect on 17th February.
The protestors argue that their human rights have been breached because
there has not been a proper consultation with people whose livelihood
is dependent on driving in central London. They will, they say, refuse
to pay the charge.
Congestion charging was introduced earlier last year in Durham where
a £2 fee is levied on anyone wishing to drive along a very narrow
street in the city. Barriers were installed, preventing access without
payment.
Theatre in Wales Awards
The Theatre in Wales website
has announced its Welsh Theatre Awards for work done in 2002. The winners
are:
- Best Production (English) - One Flew over the Cuckoos
Nest - Torch Theatre, Directed by Peter Doran
- Best Production (Welsh) - Ta Ra Teresa - Theatr Gwynedd,
Directed by Ian Rowlands
- Best New Writing - Franco's Bastard - written by Dic
Edwards, presented by Sgript Cymru
- Best Performer - Catrin Rees for her performances in Theatr
Clwyd's Flora's War and To Kill a Mockingbird
Best Design - Sean Crowley for One Flew over the Cuckoos
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