Category: theatre

A Brit a Day [#1141]

Today’s choices were inspired by this picture I recently found by Edward Steichen of dancer Isadora Duncan.

We consider Ms. Duncan an honorary Brit because she had children with legendary set designer Gordon Craig.

He looks very tame here, but Gordon Craig was a visionary who was way before his time, working in a medium that was far from being able to realize his designs. My god, the things these people did before we had modern lighting and contemporary theatre technology.

A Brit a Day [#1029]

This picture is my wallpaper.  That’s Tom Hiddleston playing Lvov in Chekhov’s ‘Ivanov’–Tom is the tall one in wire-rims–and he is a lovely edition to an equally breathtaking set.  I mean it, I’ve been staring at this picture with so much professional envy, and not just because Tom is in it.  That play of light on surfaces, interaction of bodies and space, it’s every set designer’s dream.  And even if you are lucky enough to bring all of that together, you have no idea how hard it is to get a good photograph of it.

A Brit a Day [#990]

Jeremy Irons is in the Monday slot today because, with the advent of the new year, my hopes are renewed that ‘The Hollow Crown’ might actually air in the US in 2013.  PBS’s ‘Great Performances’ has the 4 episodes listed in its current season as ‘TBD.’  Whatever that means.  The dream of actual high quality Shakespeare being televised in America begins to become reality as some PBS stations are scheduling episodes of ‘Shakespeare Uncovered’ beginning this Friday, including the one hosted by Jeremy Irons on the Henries IV and V. [But so far not MY PBS station of course.  Of course.]

A Brit a Day [#843]

Matt Smith, uncharacteristically restrained.

Looking at this wonderful headshot, it’s hard for me to process that I have pictures of him [from a theatrical production] wearing women’s undergarments.

A Brit a Day [#816]

…and we’re back!

It has been a memorable week: All of the color and whimsy of Anime Expo interwoven with fleeting glimpses of the X Games…a day at LACMA with my daughter…but the most vivid memory is that of seeing ‘War Horse’ on stage.  It was just as amazing as you would imagine a production with life-size anatomical puppets of horses to be.  And given all that, it is probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I would love to see Henry Ian Cusick in WWI officer’s attire [a look that certainly works for every man I’ve ever seen in it].  I have read a fantastic, sweeping fan-fic that put most of the characters from LOST in the trenches, but as of today, this is as close as I can get with a picture.  We do love our RoyalScot!Des, though.

A Brit a Day [#815]

My friend Mianne found this lovely photo of Henry Ian Cusick as Cassio in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2000 production of ‘Othello’.  Yes, I know you can’t really see his face, but who’s going to complain about seeing a man in vintage uniform from this angle?

Ok, bye, I’m off to Anime Expo in LA with my daughter.  See you next week!

A Brit a Day [#654]

Matt Smith played the troubled son in this production of ‘That Face’ [with Lindsay Duncan, right].  I think he came off looking remarkably like Juliet Stevenson.