After taking a short break due to illness, Scarlett Johansson returned to the stage to perform as Maggie in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. To her surprise, Meryl Streep was seated in the front row, alongside Jessica Lange, Anna Wintour, and Kelly Reilly. It’s not uncommon to spot well-known actors, writers, and directors in the audience at plays in New York, but Meryl seems to make frequent appearances. One thing I appreciate about her is that she doesn’t draw too much attention to herself during intermissions, and it’s always a joy to see her laugh at something funny during the show.
Scarlett’s portrayal of Maggie in the Tennessee Williams play had the audience amused, especially when she referred to some off-stage children as ‘no-neck monsters’. Meryl was also captivated by the confrontations between Scarlett and Benjamin Walker, who played her husband, as well as the interactions between Walker’s character and Big Daddy, portrayed by Ciaran Hinds. The play is still being refined before its opening to critics over the upcoming weekend and early next week. Maggie’s character is a great role, and even as a child, the writer couldn’t comprehend why Paul Newman’s character, Brick, didn’t desire her in the film adaptation with Elizabeth Taylor.
The 1958 movie “A Cat On A Tin Roof,” starring Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor, is a classic that many people are familiar with. However, the play’s director, Rob Ashford, notes that there are no happy endings for the two main characters, Maggie and Brick. Scarlett Johansson portrays Maggie, while Benjamin Walker plays Brick. Both actors are good-looking, and it’s easy to see why Maggie is so desperate for Brick to stop drinking and spend time with her. Unfortunately, Maggie knows that this is unlikely to happen. Interestingly, Walker is married to Meryl Streep’s daughter, Mamie Gummer, who was present at the Tuesday night performance along with her father, Don Gummer, and other family and friends. In other news, Judi Dench, who starred in the billion-dollar-grossing Bond film “Skyfall,” will appear in a new play called “Peter And Alice,” written by John Logan (who also worked on “Skyfall”). Michael Grandage will direct Dench, who is excited to be part of a company and ready to take on a new challenge.
Dame Judi Dench, best known for her role in Skyfall, is set to star in a play based on the life of Alice Liddell Hargreaves, who served as an inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland. The play will explore a fictional conversation between Alice and Peter Llewelyn Davies, who inspired J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Olly Alexander and Ruby Bentall will be playing the roles of Peter and Alice, respectively. Grandage, the producer, revealed that the story would focus on how the two characters dealt with public adoration and what part of their childhood remained within them. Meanwhile, Sam Mendes, the director of Skyfall, is in talks with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson about directing the upcoming Bond 24 movie. The producers offered to delay the start date of the movie until 2014 to accommodate Mendes’ schedule.
Sam Mendes, the director of the successful film Skyfall starring Daniel Craig, is reportedly in talks to direct the upcoming Bond 24 movie. This project is particularly appealing to him since he can focus this year on directing the musical Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, which is currently in pre-production. The cast of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory includes Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, Nigel Planer and Myra Sands as Grandpa Joe and Grandma Georgina, and Jack Shalloo and Alex Clatworthy as Charlie’s parents. Additionally, Jasna Ivir will play Mrs Gloop, and Paul J. Medford will play Mr Beauregarde. The Oompa Loompas will be played by a group of highly skilled dancers selected by Mendes and choreographer Peter Darling. Previews for Charlie And The Chocolate Factory begin on May 18 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, with opening night scheduled for June 25. By scheduling Bond 24 for next year, producers have more time to find talented actors to star alongside Daniel Craig and Ralph Fiennes.
