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Harry Meacher
Harry Meacher is a British actor, director and playwright. Biography Harry Meacher grew up in Hainault, near Chigwell, Essex. In his teens he worked with Joan Littlewood in Stratford and with James Cooper in Ilford. He won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, then performed at the Royal Court Theatre, in London's West End and at many leading regional venues. At the National Theatre he worked under Laurence Olivier, and later played Martin Dysart there during the run of the original production of '' Equus'' directed by John Dexter. One of his early appearances as a leading actor was seen by Alec Guinness, who said to him afterwards, "You were very good. ''The Times'' said so. I read their review. And I know you did—because you were playing the review, rather than the part! Promise me you will stop reading reviews." Meacher stopped reading drama criticism. Roles in Shakespeare included Pistol to Frank Middlemass's Falstaff, and Exton to Ian McKellen's Ric ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hainault, London
Hainault (, ) is a large suburban housing estate in north-eastern Greater London in the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross. Most of the housing in Hainault was built by the London County Council between 1947 and 1953. Originally spanning the parishes of Chigwell, Dagenham and Ilford, in 1965 the area was combined in a single London borough and became part of Greater London. It is adjacent to the Metropolitan Green Belt, bordered on the east by Hainault Forest Country Park and to the north by open land and the boundary with the Epping Forest District of Essex. For postal addresses, it is split between the Chigwell and Ilford post towns and it is within the London 020 telephone area code. The area is served by London Underground's Central Line. History Toponymy The name Hainault was recorded as 'Henehout' in 1221 and 'Hyneholt' in 1239. It is Old English and means 'wood belonging to a religious community', referring to the ownership of Hainault ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Scarlet Pimpernel (TV Series)
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is a series of television drama programmes loosely based on Baroness Emmuska Orczy's series of novels, set during the French Revolution. It stars Richard E. Grant as Sir Percy Blakeney, and his alter ego, the eponymous hero. The first series also starred Elizabeth McGovern as his wife Marguerite and Martin Shaw as the Pimpernel's archrival, Paul Chauvelin. Robespierre was played by Ronan Vibert. It was filmed in the Czech Republic and scored by a Czech composer, Michal Pavlíček. Cast * Stuart Fox as Monsieur Jouvin * Sarah Berger as Madame Jouvin * Dalibor Sipek as The Dauphin * Suzanne Bertish as La Touraine * Jonathan Coy as Prince of Wales * Richard E Grant as Sir Percy Blakeney * Elizabeth McGovern as Lady Marguerite Blakeney * Anthony Green as Sir Andrew Foulkes * Beth Goddard as Lady Suzanne Foulkes * Jerome Willis as Baron Valdemar * Martin Shaw as Chauvelin * Ron Donachie as Mazarini * Gerard Murphy as Planchet * Ronan Vibert as Robe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Merchant Of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best known for the character Shylock and his famous demand for a " pound of flesh" in retribution. The play contains two famous speeches, that of Shylock, "Hath not a Jew eyes?" on the subject of humanity, and that of Portia on " the quality of mercy". Debate exists on whether the play is anti-Semitic, with Shylock's insistence on his legal right to the pound of flesh being in opposition to Shylock's seemingly universal plea for the rights of all people suffering discrimination. Characters * Antonio – a prominent merchant of Venice in a melancholic mood. * Bassanio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ivanov (play)
''Ivanov'' (russian: Иванов: драма в четырёх действиях, italic=yes (Ivanov: drama in four acts); also translated as "Ivanoff") is a four-act drama by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. ''Ivanov'' was first performed in 1887, when Fiodor Korsh, owner of the Korsh Theatre in Moscow, commissioned Chekhov to write a comedy. Chekhov, however, responded with a four-act drama, which he wrote in ten days. The first performance was not a success and the production disgusted Chekhov himself. In a letter to his brother, he wrote that he "did not recognise his first remarks as my own" and that the actors "do not know their parts and talk nonsense". Irritated by this failure, Chekhov made alterations to the play. Consequently, the final version is different from that first performance. After this revision, it was accepted to be performed in St. Petersburg in 1889. Chekhov's revised version was a success and offered a foretaste of the style and themes of his subse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard III (play)
''Richard III'' is a play by William Shakespeare. It was probably written c. 1592–1594. It is labelled a history in the First Folio, and is usually considered one, but it is sometimes called a tragedy, as in the quarto edition. ''Richard III'' concludes Shakespeare's first tetralogy (also containing ''Henry VI, Part 1'', ''Henry VI, Part 2'', and ''Henry VI, Part 3'') and depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England. It is the second longest play in the Shakespearean canon and is the longest of the First Folio, whose version of ''Hamlet'', otherwise the longest, is shorter than its quarto counterpart. The play is often abridged for brevity, and peripheral characters removed. In such cases, extra lines are often invented or added from elsewhere to establish the nature of the characters' relationships. A further reason for abridgment is that Shakespeare assumed his audiences' familiarity with his ''Henry VI'' plays, frequentl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Othello
''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyprus, a possession of the Venetian Republic since 1489. The port city of Famagusta finally fell to the Ottomans in 1571 after a protracted siege. The story revolves around two characters, Othello and Iago. Othello is a Moorish military commander who was serving as a general of the Venetian army in defence of Cyprus against invasion by Ottoman Turks. He has recently married Desdemona, a beautiful and wealthy Venetian lady much younger than himself, against the wishes of her father. Iago is Othello's malevolent ensign, who maliciously stokes his master's jealousy until the usually stoic Moor kills his beloved wife in a fit of blind rage. Due to its enduring themes of passion, jealousy, and race, ''Othello'' is still topical and popular and is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, ''Macbeth'' most clearly reflects his relationship with King James, patron of Shakespeare's acting company. It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy. A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. Forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane and a proscribed crux of political machinations. The first known performance of any version of Shakespeare's play was on Saint Stephen's Day in 1606. The three extant publications from which modern editors derive their texts are the 1608 quarto (Q1) and the 1619 quarto (Q2, unofficial and based on Q1) and the 1623 First Folio. The quarto versions differ significantly from the folio version. The play was often revised after the English Restoration for audiences who disliked its dark and depressing tone, but since the 19th century Shakespeare's original play has been regarded as one of his supreme achievements. Both the title role and the supporting roles have been coveted by accomplished actors, and the play has been widely adapted. In his ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Time Out (company)
Time Out Group is a global media and entertainment company. Its digital and physical presence comprises websites, mobile editions, magazines, live events and markets. Time Out covers events, entertainment and culture in cities around the world. Time Out was established in 1968, by founder Tony Elliott and has developed into a global platform across 315 cities and in 58 countries. Time Out Market was launched in 2014 in Lisbon. History The original '' Time Out'' magazine was first published in 1968 by Tony Elliott with Bob Harris as co-editor, and has since developed into a global platform across 315 cities and 58 countries. The magazine was a one-sheet pamphlet with listings for London. It started as a counter-culture publication that had an alternative viewpoint on issues such as gay rights, racial equality, and police harassment. Early issues had a print run of around 5,000 and evolved to a weekly circulation of 110,000. One of the editors in the 1970s was Roger Hutchinson. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uncle Vanya
''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski. The play portrays the visit of an elderly professor and his glamorous, much younger second wife, Yelena, to the rural estate that supports their urban lifestyle. Two friends—Vanya, brother of the professor's late first wife, who has long managed the estate, and Astrov, the local doctor—both fall under Yelena's spell, while bemoaning the ''ennui'' of their provincial existence. Sonya, the professor's daughter by his first wife, who has worked with Vanya to keep the estate going, suffers from her unrequited feelings for Astrov. Matters are brought to a crisis when the professor announces his intention to sell the estate, Vanya and Sonya's home, with a view to investing the proceeds to achieve a higher inco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judi Bowker
Judi Bowker (born 6 April 1954) is an English film and television actress. Biography Bowker was born in Shawford, Hampshire, England, the daughter of Alfred J. Bowker and Ann Fairweather, who had married in 1947. The family moved to the British colony of Northern Rhodesia when Bowker was two, and lived there for eight years. She had many interests, including painting and riding. However, she was most interested in acting, and began to pursue her acting career after the family returned to England. Bowker first came to international attention as the star of ''The Adventures of Black Beauty'' (1972), a television series which was a continuation of the book. In an interview, Bowker stated that her experience in riding horses was probably the key to her being cast in the role. She also recalled how some of the ''Black Beauty'' episodes were set in springtime, but filmed in winter, so that sometimes she had to wear summer outfits in cold weather. Also in 1972 Bowker starred as Saint ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
