White Heat is coming soon …

17 Feb

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Paula Milne’s new drama, White Heat, in which Jeremy Northam plays Edward (father of Sam Claflin’s character) now has an approximate broadcast date of week commencing 3 March.

The BBC Press Office have provided an outline for the first episode (don’t worry, no major spoilers):

Episode One, The Past Is A Foreign Country. Charlotte, an attractive woman in her 60s, arrives at a flat in Tufnell Park.

As a young woman she was one of seven students who lived in the flat, where one of them has recently passed away. Charlotte has been made executor of the will and the remaining five are due to arrive to help her sort through the flat.

As Charlotte starts work, old memories are ignited which return us to 1965, where we meet her as a 19-year-old undergraduate embarking on a journey of discovery, love and life.

We also meet the six other students at he moment they move into the Tufnell Park flat. Charlotte, Lilly, Alan, Jay, Orla, Victor and Jack are full of youthful expectation, forging intense friendships and – in some cases – becoming bitter adversaries, in these first months of living together.

It’s the end of the post-war era, Winston Churchill has died and the world is changing rapidly, particularly for the girls with the arrival of the contraceptive pill. Charlotte and art student Lilly find the strength to defy their parents and fight for the futures they want, but Orla from Belfast is weighed down by the duty that she feels towards her impoverished family in Northern Ireland.

For all the flatmates, mutual and unrequited attractions segue into heady and potentially damaging sexual adventures, planting the seeds of future deceptions.

Finding their feet in a world where none of the old values apply is both empowering and daunting and it becomes clear that the decisions they make during these early months together will change the course of their lives. Charlotte finds herself irrevocably drawn to the volatile and charismatic Jack, a rebel angrily seeking a cause.

As we return to 2012 the older Charlotte is joined at the flat by one of the former flatmates. A bitter betrayal clearly took place between them in the past, and as a third flatmate arrives the complex history between them becomes painfully evident.

Cast: Charlotte (present day) played by Juliet Stevenson, Charlotte (1965-1990) played by Claire Foy, Jack played by Sam Claflin, Lily played by MyAnna Buring, Jay played by Reece Ritchie, Alan played by Lee Ingleby, Victor played by David Gyasi and Orla played by Jessica Gunning.

The first episode recently screened at the BFI to a very positive reception, the BBC tell me.

Here’s Paula Milne to introduce the series:

Interview with Paula Milne the writer of White …, posted with vodpod

And an interview with Sam Claflin, featuring a scene with Jeremy Northam (contains strong language).

Interview with Sam Claflin who plays Jack in Wh…, posted with vodpod

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Hay Fever, first impressions

17 Feb

How to put this … Hay Fever has started its run, except that it hasn’t because opening night is still to come and what people are currently seeing are ‘previews’. So it hasn’t started yet, but actually it has! No, I don’t understand that either and anyway, official opening night is upon us so we can soon say it’s running without confusion!

Press reviews are embargoed until 27 February, so we have yet to see what might be thought of as ‘proper’ critiques. However, Twitter has been bouncing with positivity from the ordinary person in the street, with one person describing Jeremy as a ‘non-transatlantic Cary Grant’ and another as ‘utterly charming’. If, like me, you’ve yet to see the play, here are some production images to whet your appetite (click on images to enlarge):

Tickets are available here, and do check out the last minute discount ticketers because there are some bargains to be had (I’ve heard rumours of £10 tickets!).

If you’ve seen Hay Fever already, we’d love to hear from you!

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Jeremy Northam on ‘Hay Fever’

25 Jan

Lindsay Duncan and Jeremy Northam who are performing in Hay Fever

Jeremy Northam and co-star Lindsay Duncan (Richard Greatham and Judith Bliss respectively) are interviewed in today’s Daily Telegraph about their roles in Hay Fever (due to open 10 February at the Noel Coward Theatre).

Clearly, he and Lindsay are getting along famously and enjoying their rehearsals, but as you would expect from such excellent and experienced actors, they’re also taking it very seriously amongst the laughs:

JN: We’re at that awkward stage of rehearsals where we’re past the initial phase – we’ve got a handle on the parts, but we know there’s more to it than that.

LD: Even though Hay Fever has touches of farce, the golden rule is that whatever truth you’re playing you must play it for all you’re worth. When you read the play, it’s obviously funny but you do have to be specific – that’s the sticky stage we’ve reached, trying to get a sense of what those specifics are.

Jeremy explains why he took the role:

I haven’t properly done a West End run for 20 years. I’ve done a good deal of filming over the last 15 to 20 years – and the most overused word in the film business is “ensemble”, but this is a real company show. One of the reasons I wanted to do this is to have that authentic experience again where everyone is keeping the ball in the air. This is probably going to be as much fun as it’s possible to have on stage – we’ve got a phenomenal cast, the best director [Howard Davies] in the business. If we can’t have fun doing this, there’s something wrong with us.

And if we can’t have fun watching, then there’s something wrong with us too! Read the full interview here.

Those of you still hesitating about when to go and see Hay Fever might like to note that during the previews (up to March 1, Monday – Thursday performances), top price tickets (usually £53.50) are £29.50. They can be bought here.

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