Tom Cruise... on stage? Seriously?

Yes it is true the top grossing actor for the 90s wants to start a stage career but not just anywhere, he wants to start on the West End stage. Reports from websites such as aceshowbiz.com say that Cruise was inspired by his wifes run in 'All my Sons' on Broadway in 2008. He believes that the West End would  be the best place for him to start a stage career and in most circumstances a huge film star like Cruise would fill me with excitement but there are a couple of things in this situation that could scupper his plans. I am going to do the negatives first, which are minimal but still I think they need to be said.

Inexperience. The last time that Cruise trod the boards was when he began getting into drama in High School, true according to sources the play he performed in was widely accepted as a critical and artistic success, that was 29 years ago now. Thats a third of his life that is dedicated to the form that is screen acting, something that is a true art form that takes time to hone but so does stage acting and he hasn't done it in so long it just makes me worry his inexperience will shine through.

Focus. Cruise, as LibraryGirl was quick to point out, can be incredibly unfocused when his fans start screaming, sighing and generally fauning over him. Pick absolutely any time he has appeared anywhere and the women scream and sigh and he laps it up like a cat who has got the cream. He'll go to talk and they will scream more so he just laughs and smiles, sending them into more of a tizzy. Some would say it is self serving and arrogant of him to encourage this behaviour and then you would have to question whether it would make him break character on the stage. When I saw Guys and Dolls with Ewan Macgregor a huge sigh of affection went up from many of the female fans in the theatre but he just worked through it without acknowledging it. Would Cruise be able to do the same? Or would his ego take over?

Positives.

Ability. Now I think it is unfair to say that Tom Cruise cannot act, he is definately a great Matinee idol who can provoke great emotion and portray certain characters well. His work in Rain Man leaps to mind as a great example of good acting that required some very subtle emotive scenes as well as those that are very intense. Even his work in Jerry Maguire shows his range of skills. The biggest issue for me is that he will need to project these emotions physically and vocally across a large auditorium which may prove a very large challenge for him.

Dedication. Tom Cruise is known for his dedication to his work and very hard work ethic. I believe that even though he has zero experience on the professional stage if you told him he had six weeks to rehearse a play and then put it on he would work day and night. The man obviously loves his job and has a need to make his work good, he doesn't give it half the effort it is always 100% with him. Cruise is also not averse to taking risks, he performs some of his own stunts in films he stars in, his cameo in Tropic Thunder stole the film and sent himself up and this move onto the stage is just as big a risk for him.

Box Office Appeal. Imagine not just a big name in film like Spacey, or Goldblum or even Branagh but perhaps the biggest name (bar Will Smith) of the past 20 years appearing on the West End stage. My eyes just light up with pound signs. It would pretty much sell out instantly in my opinion as fans will descend on London to see their hero up close and dare I say a lot of people will go for the potential car crash that Cruise may provide. In a world and society where the almighty pound rules we must accept that what sells is in and what doesn't is out and Tom Cruise will easily sell 400 seats a night in this writers opinion.

So would I like to see Tom Cruise up and close? Yes I would, I really enjoyed his work in Interview with a Vampire, Rain Man and Jerry Maguire. I think it would be interesting to see whether he could do it too. My only hope is that IF this dream of his comes to some sort of fruition it is either under the Bridge programme at the Old Vic or in conjunction with the Donmar Warehouse who both seem able to get the best work from these film actors. Some people out there will probably be upset that yet another American actor will take another potential acting job from an English performer but this in my opinion could be good, and once Cruise does it we may find more of Hollywoods actors stretching their performing muscles and learning how much working in the theatres can improve their onscreen acting. It could usher in a whole new era of actors on stage and stage actors on screen... it could but it probably wouldn't.

The only question now is who is going to pony up the money for this project? Which producer is going to have the right price for both Cruise and Equity? I cannot wait to see.

Xtofer

Review: Eric Morecambe Unseen The Lost Diaries, Jokes and Photographs

Following the wonderful performance by Bob Golding in 'Morecambe' I was inspired to read more about Eric Morecambe and this book leapt out at me from the library shelves. This book takes a look at the many chapters of Eric Morecambe' life briefly touching on all the major events in his life and the relationships, however the main attraction is the rare photos ranging from early pictures of his as Eric Bartholemew before his relationship with Ernie Wise to pictures of him at home with his family. Putting these photos alongside the text about his life gives a better insight into a man born to perform but dedicated to his family. All the stories you already know about Morecambe and Wise are here, there are some more personal stories interweaved though. The biographical part of this book is very well written and was an interesting look at the life of this comedy giant which I really enjoyed reading. The second half of the book looks at Eric's material from his unfinished stories to the diaries he kept from 67, 68 and 69. His diaries are a fascinating look at the end of the Variety Theatre circuit which was dying by the end of the 60s but still Morecambe and Wise toured them packing in crowds with their box office smashing act. My favourite section has to be the one liners however, Morecambe was a man of great wit and excellent delivery and even reading them written down you can imagine his mannerisms and how he would say it and they made me laugh out loud. Here are a few of those great one liners:

'My eyes are no good anymore - I've got my wife to prove it'

'They say bread cast upon the water comes back to you a hundred fold. Fine! But what am I going to do with a hundred wet loaves?'

'Out of bounds - a tired Kangaroo'

and my favourite ...

'Agent - A man who's annoyed because you get 90% of his salary'

This book is full of so much to make you smile and Eric Morecambes own smile is on nearly every page. A fitting book for those who grew up watching Morecambe and Wise and also perfect for anyone interested in why those two still capture the British publics imagination even today. I would reccomend this book to anyone. To purchase it please click here.

Will Gompertz on Rhyming Couplets

Will Gompertz of the BBC has done a new blog post on the rhyming couplet style of 'La Bete' by David Hirson. 'La Bete' is the transatlantic piece starring David Hyde Pearce and Joanna Lumley that is playing here on the West End until moving to Broadway. Gompertz's opinion on rhyming couplet plays is something I have some agreement with and his style in this blog is just genius. To read it please click here.

News from the Four Corners of the Earth: Monday the 26th July 2010

Moviestar Cameron Diaz has announced that she would never tread the boards despite the vast amount of movie actors who have gained accolades, respect and legitimacy for performing in the theatre. Her reason is she believes she would be far too scared and nervous to be able to handle the stresses of performing. Well normally I would say 'What a shame' but I think its probably all for the best considering I cannot remember a single memorable performance from her. For more info on this story please go to the Daily Telegraph website here.

The co-founder of Stage Electrics Maurice Marshal MBE has passed away at the age of 76. Maurice Marshal trained many of the top theatre technicians in the country through his apprentice courses at the Northcott Theatre Exeter. For his obituary from the Exeter Express and Echo click here.

In Wales a new production called The Beach will be performed from tomorrow until Sunday at Prestatyn. Performed on the Beach this production is essentially an interactive game for 36 audience members, designed by games and play designers Hide&Seek which looks at what has happened to Wales' lost generation. For more info please follow the link to the wonderful WalesOnline website here.

Regular TFMH readers will know I hate it when Theatres close but here is some good news regarding The Picturedrome in Gloucester which has just been given support from the council to run and has a great team behind it. To read more on this great news please click here.

Another wonderful story is the re-opening of Scarboroughs open air Theatre this summer season as reported on the BBC website here.

As part of their articles on Working Life the Guardian wrote about the Theatre Director Ivan Cutting. Its a very good read about the life of a theatre director/artistic director of a medium sized theatre company. To read it please click here.

www.broadwayworld.com has announced that they are launching their own fan choice awards for the theatre. Ballots will open in August and the awards will happen in December. Whether this will make much of a splash in the theatre world, I cannot say but it is good to see awards voted for by the paying public who at the moment are paying through the nose for theatre tickets. Allowing them to reward their favourite performers will hopefully mean that more populist pieces and performers will get the recognition that many snobs in the industry deny them. Hopefully this will eventually become a very prestigious event in the vein of the Oliviers and Evening Standard Awards. For more info please click here.

Xtofer

Curtains!!! Project: John Earl article on Frank Matcham at the Frank Matcham Society

The Curtains!!! book had several writers contributing to it and one of these was John Earl who is an expert on the subject of Theatre Architect Frank Matcham. After the release of the Curtains!!! book Earl joined the society for Frank Matcham which aims to raise the profile of the mans great work and to protect and preserve those venues designed by Matcham that are still standing. It was on the society's website, which is viewable here, that I found a brilliant article by John Earl and I thought I would post it here.

To read this article about Matcham's theatres then please click here. The article is three pages long and is a fascinating read.

Kenton for Keeps Campaign... just days before a disaster that we can all help avert.

It is a sad sign of the times when organisations which are a boon to local trade and culture are forced to shut down because of 'cost cutting measures' but yet again here we are with another theatre that looks ready to close. The Kenton Theatre in Henley Oxfordshire is the fourth oldest Theatre still standing in the UK and they have been given the opportunity to purchase the freehold for the venue from the current owners. They have until the end of this month to pay the full amount agreed which will ensure the theatres safety and continued use to the community. However during June the theatre suffered a major setback, when the Theatre believed they only had £70000 left to pay, still a huge amount but it was reachable, a group retracted their funding of £100000 and now they have merely days to make up the amount. Nearly £200000 needs to be found for this great piece of our theatrical heritage. Built in 1805 this truly is a gem of both cultural and social history which it would be a great shame to lose, so I implore you all to donate to the 'Kenton for Keeps' campaign before we lose yet another great Regency theatre to a dull and history damaging property development. Following are links that give you more information on the Theatre and its campaign and also the Facebook page which gives you information on how to donate money or even time to save this theatre.

4 days to go!

Theatre Trust: Kenton

Funding the Freehold of Kenton Theatre

The Kenton Theatre

Facebook Page for Kenton

Performing Arts treats on the Box Monday 26th and Tuesday the 27th of July

Monday

 14:00 Sky Arts 1 Hugh Laurie on In The Artists Studio, Laurie talks about his career pre House.

14:00 Sky Arts 2 Amadeus Directors Cut, adapted from stage play. Fantastic film starring Broadway producer Tom Hulce in a genius portrayal of Mozart.

9pm BBC1 Rupert Everett on Who Do you Think You Are?

23:05-00:35 BBC1 Importance of Being Earnest 2002. Following WDYTYA is Everetts performance in this Oscar Wilde Classic.

18:20-21:00 Film4 Coach Carter (Samuel L Jackson Movie, renowned for his powerful performance)

Tuesday

 01:20 Film4 Venus starring Peter O Toole as a down on his luck actor

12:05 Channel 4 Gaslight 1940. The British film version of this classic play.

14:00 Sky Arts 1 Forest Whitaker on In the Artists Studio

20:00 Sky Arts 2 Matthew Bournes Swan Lake. A revolutionary piece of dance theatre from an all male cast of ballerinas.

Update of classic TFMH post: Curtains!!! The Old Stagers

Here is a repost of my earlier blog on the Old Stagers company based in Canterbury. As I mentioned in the article, see below, the company announced a show was going to be presented between the 2nd and the 7th of August however it has  now been revealed that the show being performed is Oscar Wilde's 'Lord Arthur Savilles Crime'. The play has most recently been revived in a national tour starring Lee Mead, of 'Any Dream Will Do, in his dramatic debut playing the titular character. This late Victorian melodrama is known as a light hearted romp. With a 159 year reputation to uphold the Old Stagers will surely put on a fantastic production, tickets are available from this website.

The Old Stagers is an amateur Theatre Company that I have recently come across during my research into the Theatres of Canterbury for my Curtains!!! Project. One of the venues which I have looked up and researched at great length is the Theatre Royal Canterbury and whilst looking at the Times Digital Archive found reference to this group going back over a hundred years.

Formed in 1842 The Old Stagers hold a very strong claim on being the longest surviving amateur Theatre Company, originally founded by the Honorable Frederick Ponsonby it was set up to provide extra events for Canterbury's Cricket Week. According to their own website the actors were the cricket players! This of course left them little time to rehearse and on their website they talk about how they would rehearse on the green and in the tents. However reviews of these performances from 1908 onwards give these performers great respect and commend them for providing a lot of fun during the evenings before the next days cricket.

I cannot imagine a better day out really than a fine Kentish Ale in Canterbury watching the Cricket in the August Sun and then a piece of theatre in the evening. Sounds like my sort of Summers Day.

The next Canterbury Cricket Week is in August and the Old Stagers Website is advertising dates of August the 2nd until August the 7th.

For more information on Kent Cricket please go here.

For tourist information on the beautiful city of Canterbury please look here.

Xtofer