Latest news with #JohnLithgow
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
What to See in London Theaters This Summer
The London stage is, as ever, bustling with an array of shows to satisfy all tastes. Starry plays and revivals jostle with high-profile musicals, both new and revivals, new drama and children's theater. Here's a guide to some of the enticements of the coming months, presented with an awareness that just as London contains multitudes, so, too, does its theater. Shows With Star Power Rosamund Pike has made her name onscreen in films like 'Gone Girl' and 'Saltburn' and returns to the stage to head the new play from the team behind the London and Broadway hit 'Prima Facie.' Like that play, Suzie Miller's 'Inter Alia' is set in the legal profession, with Pike as a prominent London judge, though unlike its solo-performer predecessor, 'Inter Alia' features a supporting cast, led by Jamie Glover. The show is just one of several National Theater titles vying for playgoers' attentions this summer: Others include the return of Michael Sheen in 'Nye' and the West End transfer of Beth Steel's 'Till the Stars Come Down.' Runs July 10 through Sept. 13 at the National Theater. The accolades have been pouring in for the onetime director Mark Rosenblatt's Olivier Award-winning debut play, which recalls an episode in the career of the author Roald Dahl. John Lithgow is in career-best form as Dahl, who has written a book review that is widely seen as antisemitic and refuses to reign in his language. Aya Cash and Elliot Levey do standout work playing his publishers; Nicholas Hytner is the characteristically adroit director. Buying tickets The box office is often the best port of call, if you want to avoid online fees or get 'rush' seats that are sometimes available shortly before curtain up. Various websites, including sell tickets alongside reviews and features. Drinks Reusable Sippy Cups may be the norm on Broadway, but they are rare outside the United States. 'Interval drinks,' as intermission beverages are known in Britain, are often served in actual glasses that can sometimes be taken into the auditorium and which can be ordered before the performance to avoid a crush at the bar in the break. Programs The pleasures of a free Playbill don't exist in London, where programs — not Playbills, which is an American brand — must be purchased. Some theaters have gone paperless and make program information available only by scanning a QR code or looking online. Refunds and exchanges These policies vary venue to venue, and sometimes show to show. Some theaters will issue a credit that can be used for other productions under the same roof, but London is stricter than New York about offering money back if a star is absent. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ralph Fiennes Was Asked To Give Harry Potter's New Voldemort Advice, And I Didn't Expect A Funny Lesson About Robes And Tights
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. At the moment, Ralph Fiennes is getting ready to play President Snow, a key Hunger Games character in Sunrise on the Reaping, who was originated on screen by Donald Sutherland. However, he's also in Sutherland's place with a different franchise, as we begin to wonder who will play Voldemort in HBO's Harry Potter series. So, with that in mind, the original Dark Lord gave some silly yet sensible advice to the actor who will eventually take over the role. Now, while the main Harry Potter trio has been cast alongside key Hogwarts faculty, like Dumbledore, who John Lithgow will play, we haven't heard anything about Voldemort. That makes sense, because we don't actually see He Who Must Not Be Named in his full form until Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. So, odds are, it'll be a while before he's cast. However, Ralph Fiennes is already giving advice to the actor who will take on the role, as he told ET: My advice is make sure you can handle the long flowing robes and don't trip over them. Practice your long, flowing, robe walk. Again, while sort of a funny response, it's 100% practical. The Conclave actor's signature look as Voldemort was a long, billowing black robe. I imagine it can be difficult to look effortlessly menacing while trying to walk, and I would assume it's an especially hard costume to fight in. So, practicing his walk in the robes makes sense. Considering the Harry Potter movies are some of Fiennes' best films, it's safe to say he nailed the robe walk, and he was truly terrifying as Voldemort, flowing robes and all. So, whoever lands the role should heed his advice, and maybe learn from this next story about tights, too: Initially, I wore tights that were one piece. So they had a gusset which then kept getting lower and lower through the shooting day and became uncomfortable. So, then I said, 'I want to have individual tights like a garter belt.' So, I enjoyed teasing the stunt guys by lifting up my robes and showing them my garter belt. Max: Save Up To $41 On Annual PlansHBO Max has a wonderful offering of movies and shows that will make you want to keep it for a full month, take it from me, someone who pays for this service annually. And prepaying for a full year is a great deal too, because you actually save money. Right now, while monthly plans start at $9.99 per month, you can save 16% by paying for all 12 months at once. View Deal Listen, if it works, it works, and comfort and function are always key. I'd imagine it'd be hard to move period with tights that were constantly riding down. And I assume it would up the probability of tripping over those robes The Grand Budapest Hotel actor was talking about. So, he found a solution, and it seems like it might be a wardrobe tip the new Voldemort should take, too. So, to any actors who might want to play this iconic role and follow in the footsteps of Fiennes, I hope you're listening. Now, as we inch closer to the Harry Potter series, and eventually the introduction of its biggest villain, I hope we get some more sage and silly advice from Fiennes about how to play him. However, for now, this will have to do, and you can go back and watch his brilliant performance as Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies by streaming them with an HBO Max subscription.
Geek Tyrant
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
DEXTER's Trinity Killer Spin-Off Gets Major Update From Franchise Showrunner — GeekTyrant
It looks like the most terrifying villain in the Dexter franchise still has more blood to spill, at least narratively. The long-teased spin-off series focused on the Trinity Killer just got a noteworthy update from Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips, and while the project hasn't gotten the official go-ahead yet, it's much further along than we expected. During a panel at CCXP Mexico (via Reddit user TheSystolicGem), Phillips revealed: 'All ten episodes of the Trinity Killer have been written.' So, the show is ready to roll, but the show hasn't been greenlit for production just yet. The holdup may have less to do with the show's content and more to do with strategy. Showtime is already juggling multiple Dexter-related projects, including Dexter: Original Sin , a prequel series diving into young Dexter's 1990s origins, and Dexter: Resurrection , which will see Michael C. Hall return in some form. Phillips and his team might be waiting to see how Resurrection performs before launching another full-fledged series. That could be why Trinity's fate is still in limbo. The Trinity Killer, played masterfully by John Lithgow in Season 4, remains the franchise's most memorable antagonist and arguably its most psychologically layered. Lithgow is expected to return in some form, likely as a narrator or in brief flashbacks. The spin-off would explore the killer's earlier life and twisted methods long before Dexter ever crossed his path. Given that Arthur Mitchell, Trinity's real name, was active for decades, there's room to span multiple timelines, family secrets, and possibly new victims. Dexter Season 4 dropped some major breadcrumbs, including the existence of a secret daughter Trinity fathered outside of his seemingly perfect suburban life. Her origins, and her mother's identity, were never explored. With Lithgow confirmed to cameo in Resurrection , his presence might help build the momentum needed to push the Trinity project forward. If Resurrection hits the numbers Showtime hopes for, then Trinity's past has a good chance of slicing into the present lineup.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
HBO's ‘Harry Potter' Casts 9 More Roles, Including Draco Malfoy
HBO has cast several more key roles its Harry Potter TV series — including the Malfoys and the Dursleys. The TV adaptation of J.K. Rowling's fantasy series has announced nine actors playing key roles for its first season tackling Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. More from The Hollywood Reporter Trump's Trade War Will Loom Large Over the Banff World Media Fest 'Maxton Hall: The World Between Us' Renewed for Season 3 at Prime Video Stephen Curry, Nicola Coughlan, Patton Oswalt Lead All-Star Voice Cast of Sony's 'GOAT' The cast includes (from left to right in the photo below) Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge. In keeping with the show's commitment to have its characters closer to the ages in the books, the actors playing Harry's muggle aunt and uncle look a bit younger — at least, when out of character — than the Vernon and Petunia in the Warner Bros. films (who were played by Richard Griffiths and Fiona Shaw). In the books, the duo are in their mid-thirties when the story begins with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The nine join many previously announced castmembers, which include Emmy winner John Lithgow (Conclave) as Hogwarts' wise and warm Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Oscar nominee Janet McTeer (Ozark) as stern Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu (Black Mirror) will take on the role of the sneering Potions Professor Severus Snape, Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) will play the lumbering Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid. In addition, stage actor Luke Thallon will play Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Quirinus Quirrel and Paul Whitehouse (Harry & Paul) has been cast as the curmudgeonly caretaker Argus Filch. They join the previously announced kids' cast: Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton is Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout is the new Ron Weasley. HBO's plan is to adapt each of Rowling's seven novels into a season of television. HBO has also rereleased a statement about the adaptation and its place in the Harry Potter universe: 'The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling and will feature an exciting and talented cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have adored for over 25 years. Exploring every corner of the wizarding world, each season will bring Harry Potter and its incredible adventures to new and existing audiences and will stream exclusively on Max where it's available globally, including upcoming markets such as Turkey, the U.K., Germany and Italy, among others. The original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch around the world.' Francesca Gardiner is showrunner and executive producer, and Mark Mylod is the director of multiple episodes and executive producer. The series is executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
News.com.au
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Nick Frost on How To Train Your Dragon, Harry Potter reboot and his special link to Robbie Coltrane
Less than a month out from the start of filming for the rebooted Harry Potter series and new Hagrid Nick Frost says he's already impressed the people he most wanted to impress. The UK actor, currently starring in the live action remake of How To Train Your Dragon, is taking the role over from the late Robbie Coltrane, who played the part of the kindly bearded giant in the eight Harry Potter films that were released between 2001 and 2011. Though he never met him in person, Frost says he was a huge fan of Coltrane growing up in the 1970s and 1980s – and apparently the feeling was mutual. 'I loved the fact he was massive and angry and that's how he began, as a kind of people's poet in a way,' says Frost over Zoom call from London. 'And I love that working-class element he brought to everything he did. I had never met him, but my best friend Danny knows his family very well. 'And apparently his kids phoned my mate Danny to say 'We are so happy that Nick got the role of Hagrid and that Dad was a really big fan of his'. So that to me kind of closes a book in terms of 'my job is done' because I feel like they're the only people I had to really impress.' Frost joins established actors including John Lithgow (Professor Dumbledore), Janet McTeer (Professor McGonagall) and Johnny Flynn (Lucius Malfoy) in the hugely anticipated Max series – as well newcomers Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Staunton and Alastair Stout, who play Harry, Hermione and Ron – and he says he's 'excited' to finally get started. 'We're like a month out from shooting and – being a fan and being a massive fan of fantasy – getting to go into a place where they are designing wands and the Sorting Hat and here's some owls, it's like 'this is amazing',' he says. 'It's just not lost on me and every time I go in and see a tiny bit more development being done and it's just amazing.' With last year's role voicing a droid in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, his current role as Gobber in How To Train Your Dragon and Harry Potter to come, Frost says 'there's not a theme park alive that I couldn't just bowl on into free of charge'. Frost says he based his role of Gobber, voiced by Scottish comedian Craig Ferguson in the three hit animated films, on hardman British actor Ray Winstone – not that he knows it. 'I haven't told Ray that,' he says with a laugh. 'I'll let him see the film first and see if he likes it. If he likes it, I'll say, 'I based it on you, Ray'.' Playing the one-legged, one-armed trainer of dragon-fighters also involved a touch of method acting for Frost. He was just about to go in for surgery on his bad knee, but director Dean De Blois told him to hold off until shooting had wrapped so he could hobble around for real on his peg leg. 'The arm was great,' Frost adds. 'Every day they they'd knock on the trailer and there'd be an array of five different hands and they're like 'well, what do you fancy for the day?' There was a beer mug and a massive axe or a stone lump or a hammer and it was great getting to pick what I wanted each day.'
