Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions today released the trailer for the critically acclaimed world premiere production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow. With some of the groundbreaking theatrical special effects teased on film for the first time, the show has announced an extension into 2025 at the Phoenix Theatre.
Written by Kate Trefry and with direction by Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin, the production opened to rave reviews at the Phoenix Theatre on December 14, 2023.
The show, currently breaking box office records at Phoenix Theatre, where it is now booked until 16 February, has recently won several awards, including the Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment and Best Set Design, the Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Set Design and Most Promising Newcomer, and the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play.
Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously,...
Written by Kate Trefry and with direction by Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin, the production opened to rave reviews at the Phoenix Theatre on December 14, 2023.
The show, currently breaking box office records at Phoenix Theatre, where it is now booked until 16 February, has recently won several awards, including the Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment and Best Set Design, the Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Set Design and Most Promising Newcomer, and the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play.
Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
Exclusive: The Stranger Things stage show, an unbelievably brilliant new blueprint for theatricality that premieres in London’s West End tonight, will be the first installment in a trilogy exploring the dark underbelly of Hawkins, Indiana.
Breaking Baz can reveal that parts two and three are set to follow the inaugural play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, in two- or three-year intervals, according to insiders associated with the production. The stage sequels will launch in London first.
Meanwhile, there are already plans for Stranger Things: The First Shadow to transfer to Broadway.
None of that’s official yet, of course. Producers and backers will study reviews out on Friday and across the weekend and the box office receipts before green-lighting any further productions.
The Stranger Things play is set in the late 1950s — a time when a young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won...
Breaking Baz can reveal that parts two and three are set to follow the inaugural play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, in two- or three-year intervals, according to insiders associated with the production. The stage sequels will launch in London first.
Meanwhile, there are already plans for Stranger Things: The First Shadow to transfer to Broadway.
None of that’s official yet, of course. Producers and backers will study reviews out on Friday and across the weekend and the box office receipts before green-lighting any further productions.
The Stranger Things play is set in the late 1950s — a time when a young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won...
- 12/14/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a prequel play to the Netflix hit drama Stranger Things, is headed to London’s West End this month. In honor of “Stranger Things” Day, or the day Will Byers went missing in Hawkins back in 1983, Netflix released a new clip previewing Stranger Things: The First Shadow, with key creatives and cast behind the play describing the on-stage plot and special effects.
Matt and Ross Duffer, who both created the Netflix series, collaborated with writer Kate Trefry and screenwriter Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the...
Matt and Ross Duffer, who both created the Netflix series, collaborated with writer Kate Trefry and screenwriter Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the...
- 11/6/2023
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
It might be awhile before we get to see Stranger Things season 5. Production on the fifth and final season of the Netflix juggernaut has been delayed, first by the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) strike for an equitable contract from Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and then again by the Screen Actors Guild’s strike action against AMPTP (seems as though there is one common denominator in these two work stoppages…).
Though the WGA strike has been resolved and Sga seems well on its way to be, there will still be a lot of filming to get through before Stranger Things season 5 can get a Netflix release date. For all we know, the youth of Hawkins, Indiana might be well into their 20s by the time we get to see the ’80s horror/sci-fi saga come to an end.
Thankfully, Stranger Things fans have something else...
Though the WGA strike has been resolved and Sga seems well on its way to be, there will still be a lot of filming to get through before Stranger Things season 5 can get a Netflix release date. For all we know, the youth of Hawkins, Indiana might be well into their 20s by the time we get to see the ’80s horror/sci-fi saga come to an end.
Thankfully, Stranger Things fans have something else...
- 11/6/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Duffer Brothers and ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ Team Tease Henry Creel Origins in Stage Play
Stranger Things: The First Shadow — the stage play based on the hit Netflix series — promises to be a “cinematic” experience that lays the groundwork for the series biggest villain, Henry Creel.
In a new three-minute featurette released Monday for the streamer’s annual “Stranger Things Day” (the annual event marks the day when Will Beyers, in 1983, went missing in Hawkins, Indiana), Stranger Things co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer were joined by the production’s creative team and cast, including director Stephen Daldry, as they teased what fans can expect out of the upcoming live stage show.
According to Matt, the show came about after hearing “Stephen Daldry was interested in doing a play — he’s a director of all these movies and he’s an incredibly accomplished theater director.”
Ross recalled, “We were in the middle of breaking season four with our writers. We started going, ‘Ok, well, there’s...
In a new three-minute featurette released Monday for the streamer’s annual “Stranger Things Day” (the annual event marks the day when Will Beyers, in 1983, went missing in Hawkins, Indiana), Stranger Things co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer were joined by the production’s creative team and cast, including director Stephen Daldry, as they teased what fans can expect out of the upcoming live stage show.
According to Matt, the show came about after hearing “Stephen Daldry was interested in doing a play — he’s a director of all these movies and he’s an incredibly accomplished theater director.”
Ross recalled, “We were in the middle of breaking season four with our writers. We started going, ‘Ok, well, there’s...
- 11/6/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While much time still stands before the conclusion to the Duffer Brothers’ “Stranger Things” Netflix series, with Season 5 awaiting a deal for its actors, the prequel play — “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” — will give audiences a glimpse further into the past and the origins of the Upside Down.
Set in 1959 Hawkins, the play will focus on the arrival of Henry Creel to “a regular town with regular worries.” Teenage Jim Hopper, Bob Newby and Joyce Maldonado also star, as does a younger Dr. Martin Brenner (Patrick Vaill), who began the cruel experiments on Young Henry.
As with any new iteration of “Stranger Things,” there’s a new crucial character — this time, it’s Patty Newby (Ella Karuna Williams). There is also a Principal Newby (Matthew Pigeon), but that figure is of less importance to the plot.
“The main thrust of the story is Patty and her little budding romance with Henry,...
Set in 1959 Hawkins, the play will focus on the arrival of Henry Creel to “a regular town with regular worries.” Teenage Jim Hopper, Bob Newby and Joyce Maldonado also star, as does a younger Dr. Martin Brenner (Patrick Vaill), who began the cruel experiments on Young Henry.
As with any new iteration of “Stranger Things,” there’s a new crucial character — this time, it’s Patty Newby (Ella Karuna Williams). There is also a Principal Newby (Matthew Pigeon), but that figure is of less importance to the plot.
“The main thrust of the story is Patty and her little budding romance with Henry,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” announced its full cast Wednesday ahead of its worldwide opening live on stage at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End.
Playwright Kate Tefry’s stage production will take viewers back to Hawkins, Indiana, in 1959 before the events of “Stranger Things” Season 1 and any inkling of The Upside Down. Directed by Stephen Daldry with codirection from Justin Martin, the theatrical installment premieres Dec. 14.
“With rehearsals now underway, it’s a joy to discover the world of ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ with our ferociously talented cast and watch the alchemy amongst our entire company grow as we together explore this new play,” Daldry and Martin said in a statement. “They’re an extraordinarily gifted group of actors, and we can’t wait to share this origin story with audiences.”
Full cast of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” (Netflix)
Shane Attwooll will portray Chief Hopper,...
Playwright Kate Tefry’s stage production will take viewers back to Hawkins, Indiana, in 1959 before the events of “Stranger Things” Season 1 and any inkling of The Upside Down. Directed by Stephen Daldry with codirection from Justin Martin, the theatrical installment premieres Dec. 14.
“With rehearsals now underway, it’s a joy to discover the world of ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ with our ferociously talented cast and watch the alchemy amongst our entire company grow as we together explore this new play,” Daldry and Martin said in a statement. “They’re an extraordinarily gifted group of actors, and we can’t wait to share this origin story with audiences.”
Full cast of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” (Netflix)
Shane Attwooll will portray Chief Hopper,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
A trailer for the Stranger Things stage play promises fans will not only get to return to The Upside Down soon, but might also get some clues into what’s ahead in season five.
The minute-long trailer for Stranger Things: The First Shadow was posted to the show’s social media Wednesday, and featured a series of clips presented on a static-y analog TV. “The beginning of the Stranger Things story might hold the key to what is next…” the trailer teases. Beyond images of the popular Netflix series’ cast and scenes from seasons past, eight buttons, a clock with spiders spilling out and a red-lit stage are also featured.
The trailer marks the second look at the show — expected to open later this year on the West End at the Phoenix Theatre — following a shorter, but just as cryptic, teaser in March. The show was initially announced in July 2022, with Trefry,...
The minute-long trailer for Stranger Things: The First Shadow was posted to the show’s social media Wednesday, and featured a series of clips presented on a static-y analog TV. “The beginning of the Stranger Things story might hold the key to what is next…” the trailer teases. Beyond images of the popular Netflix series’ cast and scenes from seasons past, eight buttons, a clock with spiders spilling out and a red-lit stage are also featured.
The trailer marks the second look at the show — expected to open later this year on the West End at the Phoenix Theatre — following a shorter, but just as cryptic, teaser in March. The show was initially announced in July 2022, with Trefry,...
- 7/5/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Henry Creel's dark past is coming to light in the Duffer Brothers' forthcoming "Stranger Things" stage play, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow." The prequel, set in 1959 Hawkins, premieres in London's West End later this year and will take a deep dive into Vecna's chilling origin story. Like Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will seeing their D&d nightmares realized, the theatrical production promises to take fans right back to the beginning of Hawkins's deepest and most terrifying secrets - and then some.
On July 5, the show's official social media accounts posted a preview clip for the play, teasing that the "Stranger Things" origin story just "might hold the key to what comes next," too.
#StrangerThingsOnStage will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and it might hold the key to what comes next...
On July 5, the show's official social media accounts posted a preview clip for the play, teasing that the "Stranger Things" origin story just "might hold the key to what comes next," too.
#StrangerThingsOnStage will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and it might hold the key to what comes next...
- 7/5/2023
- by Chanel Vargas
- Popsugar.com
The Duffer Brothers are leaving Easter eggs for the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” in suitably strange places, like the upcoming stage play “The First Shadow.”
The teaser for the upcoming West End production hints that “the beginning of the ‘Stranger Things’ story might hold the key to what comes next.” A series of clips from the first season of the hit Netflix series, including Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) being experimented on, are also part of the teaser footage.
The official synopsis reads for the stage play reads: “Hawkins, 1959, a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy … and the shadows...
The teaser for the upcoming West End production hints that “the beginning of the ‘Stranger Things’ story might hold the key to what comes next.” A series of clips from the first season of the hit Netflix series, including Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) being experimented on, are also part of the teaser footage.
The official synopsis reads for the stage play reads: “Hawkins, 1959, a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy … and the shadows...
- 7/5/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
A very cool teaser trailer for the upcoming Stranger Things stage adaptation The First Shadow doesn’t give away much by way of plot details, but we do see some clips of the TV series’ early episodes only to watch the screen shatter and a mysterious red, glowing orb appear on the stage of an otherwise empty theater.
Then, slowly appearing, are the words: “The beginning of the Stranger Things Story Might Hold The Key To What Comes Next”.
That empty West End theater won’t stay that way for long: The First Shadow, revealed by Deadline last summer, will begin performances Nov. 17 at London’s Phoenix Theatre, and judging by the Phoenix’s ticket site, performances are already sold out through mid-December.
Based on an original story by series creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, The First Shadow will be directed by...
Then, slowly appearing, are the words: “The beginning of the Stranger Things Story Might Hold The Key To What Comes Next”.
That empty West End theater won’t stay that way for long: The First Shadow, revealed by Deadline last summer, will begin performances Nov. 17 at London’s Phoenix Theatre, and judging by the Phoenix’s ticket site, performances are already sold out through mid-December.
Based on an original story by series creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, The First Shadow will be directed by...
- 7/5/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Stranger Things has spawned a stage play. Kate Trefry, a writer and co-executive producer on the critically acclaimed, award-winning Netflix series, wrote Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which will launch in London’s West End’s Phoenix Theatre later this year.
The play’s based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Kate Trefry, and is rooted in the world and mythology of the series. Netflix offered this description of Stranger Things: The First Shadow:
“Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.
Brought to...
The play’s based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Kate Trefry, and is rooted in the world and mythology of the series. Netflix offered this description of Stranger Things: The First Shadow:
“Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.
Brought to...
- 3/1/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
“Stranger Things” is coming to London’s West End.
Netflix announced on Tuesday that “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a stage play spinoff of the wildly popular series, will world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre later this year.
The play, which is “rooted in the mythology” of the Netflix show, was written by “Stranger Things” writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Trefry. The production will be helmed by Tony-winning director Stephen Daldry, with co-direction from Justin Martin.
“Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of...
Netflix announced on Tuesday that “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a stage play spinoff of the wildly popular series, will world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre later this year.
The play, which is “rooted in the mythology” of the Netflix show, was written by “Stranger Things” writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry from an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Trefry. The production will be helmed by Tony-winning director Stephen Daldry, with co-direction from Justin Martin.
“Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of...
- 3/1/2023
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
The world of Stranger Things is expanding — to London’s West End.
A play based on the Netflix hit is set to make its debut at London’s Phoenix Theatre late in the year. It’s called Stranger Things: The First Shadow and written by Kate Trefry, a writer and co-executive producer on the series, from an original story by Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, Jack Thorne (Enola Holmes) and Trefry.
Emmy, Tony and BAFTA winner Stephen Daldry (The Crown, Billy Elliot) will direct, with co-direction by Justin Martin. Netflix, making its first foray into live theater, and Sonia Friedman Productions are mounting the play, with series executive producer Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps serving as associate producer. The formal announcement comes a day after a cryptic teaser released on social media Tuesday. No casting has been announced yet.
“We are beyond excited about Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
A play based on the Netflix hit is set to make its debut at London’s Phoenix Theatre late in the year. It’s called Stranger Things: The First Shadow and written by Kate Trefry, a writer and co-executive producer on the series, from an original story by Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, Jack Thorne (Enola Holmes) and Trefry.
Emmy, Tony and BAFTA winner Stephen Daldry (The Crown, Billy Elliot) will direct, with co-direction by Justin Martin. Netflix, making its first foray into live theater, and Sonia Friedman Productions are mounting the play, with series executive producer Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps serving as associate producer. The formal announcement comes a day after a cryptic teaser released on social media Tuesday. No casting has been announced yet.
“We are beyond excited about Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
- 3/1/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Update, with new start date The new, one-play version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will begin performances four days earlier than previously announced, with the start now set for Friday, Nov. 12, at Broadway’s Lyric Theatre. No reason for the move was detailed in the announcement today.
Previous, June 28 A new version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is returning to North American stages as a one-show experience.
The world premiere theatrical event will take place November 16 at Broadway’s Lyric Theatre in New York. The show will debut at the Curran in San Francisco on January 11. The Canadian premiere will begin performances in May at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto. Cursed Child was previously a two-part event.
“Collaborating on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been one of the great joys of my professional life,” author J.K. Rowling said. “While no one would wish...
Previous, June 28 A new version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is returning to North American stages as a one-show experience.
The world premiere theatrical event will take place November 16 at Broadway’s Lyric Theatre in New York. The show will debut at the Curran in San Francisco on January 11. The Canadian premiere will begin performances in May at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto. Cursed Child was previously a two-part event.
“Collaborating on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been one of the great joys of my professional life,” author J.K. Rowling said. “While no one would wish...
- 7/12/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Remember in November how everyone got super mad at the pollsters for overestimating Democrats’ standing for the second straight election? Well, there are two pretty big runoff elections in Georgia on Tuesday that will decide which party controls the U.S. Senate, and guess what? The polls once again give Democrats a slight edge.
As things stand now, most polls have the runoffs between Jon Ossof and Sen. David Perdue and Rev. Raphael Warnock and Sen. Kelly Loeffler as virtual tossups, with Democrats Ossof and Warnock holding slim leads. As of January 5th,...
As things stand now, most polls have the runoffs between Jon Ossof and Sen. David Perdue and Rev. Raphael Warnock and Sen. Kelly Loeffler as virtual tossups, with Democrats Ossof and Warnock holding slim leads. As of January 5th,...
- 1/5/2021
- by Ryan Bort
- Rollingstone.com
As 2020 election results roll in, control of the Senate remains in the balance — and everything may all come down to Georgia.
The math is not complicated. In the current Senate, Republicans hold a three-seat advantage, 53-47. If Biden wins the presidency, as appears increasingly likely, Vice President Kamala Harris would sit as the Senate’s tie-breaker, and Democrats would need a net gain of three seats to control the chamber. (If Trump wins, Democrats would need to net four seats.)
With projected Senate wins in Arizona and Colorado, and a loss in Alabama,...
The math is not complicated. In the current Senate, Republicans hold a three-seat advantage, 53-47. If Biden wins the presidency, as appears increasingly likely, Vice President Kamala Harris would sit as the Senate’s tie-breaker, and Democrats would need a net gain of three seats to control the chamber. (If Trump wins, Democrats would need to net four seats.)
With projected Senate wins in Arizona and Colorado, and a loss in Alabama,...
- 11/10/2020
- by Tim Dickinson
- Rollingstone.com
For Democrats determined to solve America’s biggest problems, dislodging Donald Trump is only part of the challenge on Election Day. To advance legislation targeting climate change, pandemic relief, voting rights, higher taxes on corporations and the rich, and to begin the work of rebalancing the federal courts, Democrats need to flip the Senate.
Republicans currently hold a three-seat advantage, 53-47, and the GOP is likely to pick up one seat in 2020, unless lonely deep-south Democrat Sen. Doug Jones can turn back a crimson tide in Alabama. That means that...
Republicans currently hold a three-seat advantage, 53-47, and the GOP is likely to pick up one seat in 2020, unless lonely deep-south Democrat Sen. Doug Jones can turn back a crimson tide in Alabama. That means that...
- 11/2/2020
- by Tim Dickinson
- Rollingstone.com
A Supreme Court seat has opened in an election year, and you’ll never guess who is strongly in favor of filling it — all of the people who were against it last time. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues would like to fill the vacancy created by Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, despite the fact that they spent the better part of 2016 vehemently opposing the idea of having a Supreme Court fight so close to ballot-casting time. (For reference, Antonin Scalia’s unexpected death was 269 days before...
- 9/21/2020
- by Tessa Stuart
- Rollingstone.com
When set designer Christine Jones won a Tony for her work on “American Idiot,” she felt “there couldn’t be anything better career-wise.” Then along came “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two,” the biggest franchise title and most expensive play ever produced on Broadway, fresh from its enormously successful run in London.
And when Jones, who’s now Tony-nominated again, describes the show as “a huge undertaking,” she’s not exaggerating. Together, the two parts are more than five hours long, “with tons of locations and lots of spectacular magical moments and transformations,” she says. “But [there are] also many more personal and smaller scenes, so we needed it to be epic and also incredibly intimate. It was a very tall order.”
Other challenges included staging the monster production in the newly renovated Lyric Theatre, which reduced its massive seating capacity from 1,900 to about 1,500. “The material is so beloved by fans,...
And when Jones, who’s now Tony-nominated again, describes the show as “a huge undertaking,” she’s not exaggerating. Together, the two parts are more than five hours long, “with tons of locations and lots of spectacular magical moments and transformations,” she says. “But [there are] also many more personal and smaller scenes, so we needed it to be epic and also incredibly intimate. It was a very tall order.”
Other challenges included staging the monster production in the newly renovated Lyric Theatre, which reduced its massive seating capacity from 1,900 to about 1,500. “The material is so beloved by fans,...
- 6/1/2018
- by Iain Blair
- Variety Film + TV
A startling portrait of girls at risk, with a magnificent performance by gonna-be-a-star Letitia Wright. Lovely, moving, utterly unsentimental. I’m “biast” (pro): desperate for movies about girls and women
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
When she turns 18 in nine months, Jamie Harrison will be thrown out of the London group home for troubled kids she’s been living in for years: she will be presumed to be capable to taking care of herself. It terrifies her, which isn’t surprising. Nor is it surprising that she has a very difficult time accepting the helping hand that comes in the form of a new social worker in the house, Kate Linton. When Kate, who has been desperate to make a connection with the girl, discovers Jamie’s not-so-secret talent — she’s an amazing singer, with a taste for Etta James...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
When she turns 18 in nine months, Jamie Harrison will be thrown out of the London group home for troubled kids she’s been living in for years: she will be presumed to be capable to taking care of herself. It terrifies her, which isn’t surprising. Nor is it surprising that she has a very difficult time accepting the helping hand that comes in the form of a new social worker in the house, Kate Linton. When Kate, who has been desperate to make a connection with the girl, discovers Jamie’s not-so-secret talent — she’s an amazing singer, with a taste for Etta James...
- 9/29/2016
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Can a Song Save Your Life?: Caton-Jones’ Modest Return to Filmmaking
Scottish film director Michael Caton-Jones had a very prolific filmography in the 1990s thanks to films like Memphis Belle (1990), Rob Roy (1995), and The Jackal (1997). It’s been nearly a decade since he’s tackled a feature film, following the dismally received Basic Instinct 2 in 2006. He’s returned to the UK for Urban Hymn, a modest character study set against the 2011 North London riots. Emotionally effective and featuring a trio of genuinely unfussy performances, the familiar trajectory too often settles for superficial examinations of its characters, hobbling them of the necessary interiority to make them more than one-dimensional archetypes. Despite this, those appreciative of feel-good narratives should take note considering the effortless dynamic of its leading actors.
Jamie (Laetitia Wright) and Leanne (Isabelle Laughland) are two disenfranchised young women in their late teens, orphans with violent histories...
Scottish film director Michael Caton-Jones had a very prolific filmography in the 1990s thanks to films like Memphis Belle (1990), Rob Roy (1995), and The Jackal (1997). It’s been nearly a decade since he’s tackled a feature film, following the dismally received Basic Instinct 2 in 2006. He’s returned to the UK for Urban Hymn, a modest character study set against the 2011 North London riots. Emotionally effective and featuring a trio of genuinely unfussy performances, the familiar trajectory too often settles for superficial examinations of its characters, hobbling them of the necessary interiority to make them more than one-dimensional archetypes. Despite this, those appreciative of feel-good narratives should take note considering the effortless dynamic of its leading actors.
Jamie (Laetitia Wright) and Leanne (Isabelle Laughland) are two disenfranchised young women in their late teens, orphans with violent histories...
- 9/12/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Sam Mendes on making Bond, coming home and turning Charlie And The Chocolate Factory into a musical
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has taken five years to become a stage musical, for reasons logistical – Sam Mendes, the director, was out for three of them doing Skyfall – and practical: the book is a tricky one to adapt. There are the kids; the old folks in bed; the pyrotechnics of the chocolate factory. There is the ambiguous character of Willy Wonka himself. And there is the question that hangs over the entire production: what on earth to do about the Oompa-Loompas. "It's big," Mendes says of the task before him. "Christ, it's so big."
We are in a rehearsal space in south London, where the company is going through its paces before moving to Drury Lane. Anticipation for the show is feverish, thanks to the success of Matilda, another Dahl adaptation, and Mendes's post-Bond nuclear glow.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has taken five years to become a stage musical, for reasons logistical – Sam Mendes, the director, was out for three of them doing Skyfall – and practical: the book is a tricky one to adapt. There are the kids; the old folks in bed; the pyrotechnics of the chocolate factory. There is the ambiguous character of Willy Wonka himself. And there is the question that hangs over the entire production: what on earth to do about the Oompa-Loompas. "It's big," Mendes says of the task before him. "Christ, it's so big."
We are in a rehearsal space in south London, where the company is going through its paces before moving to Drury Lane. Anticipation for the show is feverish, thanks to the success of Matilda, another Dahl adaptation, and Mendes's post-Bond nuclear glow.
- 4/19/2013
- by Emma Brockes
- The Guardian - Film News
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