Player Kings review – Ian McKellen’s richly complex Falstaff is magnetic
Noel Coward theatre, London
Mutating from head criminal in a gothic thriller to slippery music hall entertainer, showman McKellen has centripetal force in Robert Icke’s slick, modern dress production
It is a wonder that among Ian McKellen’s great, long roster of Shakespearean roles, he has not taken on the corpulent comic antihero of the Henry IV dramas before now. He makes a radically moving Falstaff in Robert Icke’s handsome production of the two joined-up history plays, turning Shakespeare’s embodiment of rude life – the carnal and carnivalesque – inside out.
In 1950, Kenneth Tynan wrote that Ralph Richardson’s turn as Falstaff was not comic because “it was too rich and many-sided to be crammed into a single word.” McKellen’s is a richly complex portrayal too. His Falstaff is tragic almost from the start, all colour drained from his cheeks. He is not so much carnivaleque as carnival grotesque and a wheeler-dealer, wheezing and snorting, adenoidal and dyspeptic – a pub drunk and in soiled shirt and braces.
Continue reading...Date: |
Filter
-
Nintendo Switch 2 Might Be Using Magnetic Joy-Con Controllers - Report
The Nintendo Switch successor is reportedly using magnetic Joy-Con controllers, and the Joy-Con controllers currently used with the Switch might not be backwards compatible with it.. According to a report from Spanish outlet Vandal (translated by ...GameSpot - Tech -
The complexities of racing an oval: it's more than just turning left
"Go fast, turn left." The cliche is well known among NASCAR crowds, and Alanis King speaks to the series' best to explain the nuances of stock car's oval racing.ESPN - Sports -
The AI ecosystem is complex and dynamic: Its regulation should acknowledge that
We cannot presume that existing regulatory efforts looking backwards are either sufficient or a substitute for this bigger and more complex endeavor, which necessarily must be forward-looking, for a future that is inherently uncertain.The Hill - Politics -
Like father, like son? The complex factors that shape a parent’s influence on their child
Scientific studies cannot agree on the relative importance of genes and environment on how we turn out as adults. The eternal mystery of how much we are shaped by our parents – or how much we shape our children – was stirred again last week with ...The Guardian - World -
Asian Americans on TikTok are calling out a 'SoCal Asian' superiority complex
Asian American TikTok users have weighed in on a question posed on a recent podcast: Do “SoCal Asians” have a superiority complex?NBC News - Top stories - Tiktok -
Employee stock purchase plans offer 'free money' — but also carry complexity and risk, experts say
If you work for a publicly traded company, you may have access to discounted company shares via an employee stock purchase plan, or ESPP. Here's what to know.CNBC - Business -
Review Roundup For Stellar Blade
Developer Shift Up's Stellar Blade is right around the corner, introducing itself as a character-action game in a sci-fi story starring Eve, a human arriving in a futuristic depiction of Earth filled with all sorts of monsters to take down. If you ...GameSpot - Tech -
Sand Land Review
Sand Land's fantastic vehicular combat and adherence to the source material are let down by bland and repetitive stealth, melee combat, and mission design.GameSpot - Tech -
‘Challengers’ Review: Game, Set, Love Matches
Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist play friends, lovers and foes on and off the tennis court in Luca Guadagnino’s latest.The New York Times - Top stories -
Buckingham Palace strikes positive tone
The King's medical team are "sufficiently pleased" with his progress after he was diagnosed with cancer in February.BBC News - Top stories
More from The Guardian
-
Blinken urges Hamas to accept ‘extraordinarily generous’ Israeli ceasefire deal
US secretary of state says Hamas is the ‘only thing standing between people of Gaza and ceasefire’. The US secretary of state has said that “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire” is Hamas, ahead of what are seen as ...The Guardian - World - Israel -
Pro-Palestine protesters at Columbia ignore ultimatum to clear encampment
University begins suspensions early on Monday evening ‘to ensure safety on campus’ after talks to reach compromise fail. Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian protesters ignored an ultimatum on Monday to abandon their encampment or risk ...The Guardian - World -
Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare to stand down after poor election result
Leader says ‘it’s not been easy’ as he stands aside five years after controversially realigning the country with China . The Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has announced he will not stand as a candidate when lawmakers vote this ...The Guardian - World -
Kristi Noem’s story of killing her dog points to class two misdemeanor
South Dakota governor’s account of family dog Cricket killing neighbor’s chickens may be an offence, according to state law. Kristi Noem, the South Dakota governor and Republican vice-presidential hopeful, may have committed a class two ...The Guardian - World -
Mining firm BHP offers $25.7bn settlement for Brazil dam disaster
Australian company and its partner Vale unleashed largest spill of mining waste in history. The mining company BHP has said it hopes to secure a $25.7bn (£20bn) settlement over the 2015 Samarco disaster, when the collapse of a dam left at least 19 ...The Guardian - World - Brazil