kenneth cranham ( born 12 december 1944 ) is a scottish-born film , television , radio and stage actor .

he is popularly known for his work in hellbound : hellraiser ii and valkyrie .

kenneth cranham

kenneth cranham shows off his award at last night ' s ceremony . picture : getty
even when they read out kenneth at the awards ceremony , i still thought , ‘oh they must mean kenneth branagh’ .
there is only one drawback to interviewing kenneth cranham , but it is not one to dismiss lightly .
kenneth cranham ( born 12 december 1944 ) is a scottish film , television , radio and stage actor .
secondary school in brixton , london , left 1961 to follow acting career . kenneth cranham biography ( 1944– )
we speak to olivier award - winner kenneth cranham about the father at everyman theatre . © pamela raith photography .
kenneth cranham was born on december 12 , 1944 in dunfermline , fife , scotland . he is an actor , known for
kenneth cranham : ' i got £2k a show for harvey moon . now it ' s £400 a week in theatre '
flying high : kenneth cranham is best remembered in television ' s shine on harvey moon . picture : chris jackson / getty
anne - marie duff and kenneth cranham are to star in the first west end show from marianne elliott’s new theatre company .
we spoke to the father star kenneth cranham moments after he won the best actor award at the olivier awards 2016 with mastercard .
the acclaimed actors will lead simon stephens’s drama heisenberg : the uncertainty principle on to the stage of wyndham’s theatre . pictured , kenneth cranham
anne - marie duff , 46 , and kenneth cranham , 72 , are to star as may - december lovers in a new play .
oscar winner mark rylance and sherlock star benedict cumberbatch both lost out last night as kenneth cranham took home the olivier award for best actor .
congratulations to kenneth cranham and david moorst , who were among the winners at yesterday’s critics circle theatre awards held at the prince of wales theatre .
loot , with sheila ballentyne , simon ward , kenneth cranham and michael bates . opened 27 september 1966 photograph : john haynes / lebrecht music & art
‘joe [ orton ] ’s writing would have got better and better . he was just beginning’ … kenneth cranham . photograph : graeme robertson for the guardian
kenneth cranham tells us why he was tearful picking up his olivier award for best actor and on ‘snogging’ mark rylance . . report by jennifer cordingley . test
discussing his olivier award - winning role in the father , soglos chats to actor kenneth cranham ahead of the show ' s closing run at everyman theatre in cheltenham .
greg hicks , sally dexter , kenneth cranham , lia williams and alun armstrong are among the stars of the autumn season at theatre royal bath ' s ustinov studio .
cranham was born in dunfermline , fife , scotland , the son of lochgelly - born margaret mckay cranham ( née ferguson ) and ronald cranham , a london - born civil servant . his first wife was actress diana quick . he has two daughters : nancy cranham with actress charlotte cornwell , and kathleen cranham with his second wife , actress fiona victory .
' cranham is an interesting mixture - a south london geezer , yet also a rich - voiced thespian . ' cranham on stage with jim sturgeon
rada alumnus kenneth cranham won best actor for his performance in florian zeller’s the father , shortly to transfer to the duke of york’s theatre from 24 february for a limited run .
two parts fruity - voiced luvvie , one part rough - cut cockney , kenneth cranham has been part of the furniture on stage and screen since leaving rada in the 1960s .
having enjoyed a lifelong career in acting , kenneth cranham has arguably bagged his biggest role at the age of 72 , starring in the multi award - winning play , the father .
cranham was born in dunfermline , fife , scotland , the son of lochgelly - born margaret mckay cranham ( née ferguson ) and ronald cranham , an english civil servant . [ 2 ] [ 3 ] his first wife was actress diana quick . he has two daughters : nancy cranham with actress charlotte cornwell , and kathleen cranham with his second wife , actress fiona victory . [ 2 ]
cranham was born in dunfermline , fife , scotland , the son of lochgelly - born margaret mckay cranham ( née ferguson ) and ronald cranham , a london - born civil servant . [ 2 ] [ 3 ] his first wife was actress diana quick . he has two daughters : nancy cranham with actress charlotte cornwell , and kathleen cranham with his second wife , actress fiona victory . [ 2 ]
next , kenneth cranham and lia williams will perform in florian zeller ' s moliere award - winning play , the father ( le père ) , which runs from 16 october to 15 november .
other critics’ circle award winners included kenneth cranham , who won the best actor award for what judges called “the role of a lifetime” . the award was presented by the guardian theatre critic michael billington for cranham’s role as 80 - year - old andre in the alzheimer’s drama the father .
joe and kenneth got on very well when they were linked in making mischief together . joe created “edna welthorpe” who would write letters of complaint to people , and he and kenneth were both given prison sentences for defacing library books . but soon their paths became divergent . joe started to become very successful , while kenneth’s writing and art career stalled . they would be invited to smart dinners and parties , where kenneth , ever more insecure and paranoid , would behave badly .
cranham was born in dunfermline , fife , scotland , the son of lochgelly - born margaret mckay cranham ( née ferguson ) and ronald cranham , a london - born civil servant . secondary school in brixton , london , left 1961 to follow acting career . his first wife was actress diana quick . he has two daughters : nancy cranham with actress charlotte cornwell , and kathleen cranham with his second wife , actress fiona victory .
kenneth cranham was born on december 12 , 1944 in dunfermline , fife , scotland . he is an actor , known for layer cake ( 2004 ) , valkyrie ( 2008 ) and hellbound : hellraiser ii ( 1988 ) .
judi dench added to her awards collection with the best shakespearean performance prize for her role as paulina in kenneth branagh’s the winter’s tale .
we caught up with the father star kenneth cranham to get his reaction to winning the critics ' circle theatre award for best actor . for more about the father visit http : / / www . officiallondontheatre . co . u . . .
- a pocket full of rye ( 2008 ) . . . rex fortescue ( as ken cranham )
lochgelly also had two cinemas , as the actor kenneth cranham , who was born there , vividly remembers . there was the cinema deluxe and the opera house – the
opry hoose
– where the double features changed three times a week .
i was genuinely surprised . i know three publications said that i deserved it but i didn’t really think about it . and even when they read out kenneth at the awards ceremony , i still thought , ‘oh they must mean kenneth branagh’ . so no , it was a genuine shock .
central to his recovery was the elegant , oxford - educated diana , who nursed him back to health . she was formerly married to the actor kenneth cranham and had a seven - year relationship with albert finney which endured despite his well - publicised infidelities .
kenneth cranham was a teenager when joe orton cast him in a radio play and the pair became close friends . fifty years after the great playwright’s murder , he remembers a flat full of cream cakes , 400 performances of loot and the whitest t - shirt he ever saw
duff and cranham will perform in simon stephens’ play heisenberg : the uncertainty principle , which premiered on broadway last year .
he also remembers being on stage in the west end version of joe orton’s loot when he heard that the 34 - year - old playwright had been murdered by his lover kenneth halliwell . it was a blow , because orton had been a friend and mentor to the young cranham .
this 2015 revival of the father , which now returns to bath to play the main house , sees kenneth cranham , rebecca charles , colin tierney and jade williams reprise their original roles first seen at the ustinov studio in 2014 , joined by new cast members claire skinner and jim sturgeon .
- a genius like us : a portrait of joe orton ( 1982 ) . . . himself ( as ken cranham )
kenneth cranham ' s film credits include layer cake , trauma , blackball , man dancin ' , shiner , gangster no . 1 , women talking dirty , deep in the heart , rpm , the boxer , under suspicion , chocolat , stealing heaven , robin and marian , up pompeii and oliver !
brian f . o’byrne – who played rhys’ father steve jones in the drama – will take on a leading role alongside timothy spall and kenneth cranham . david hayman , alex norton , ian puleston - davies , geoff bell and nasser memarzia will take on the gang members at the heart of the heist .
kenneth cranham stars as 80 - year - old ex - tap dancer andre in florian zeller ' s remarkable and ambiguous play which astonished critics at its london run at the tricycle in may . featuring a witty and devastating performance from cranham , the play puts the audience in the confused shoes of andre , who is increasingly unable to tell whether he can trust his own daughter . the father opens in its west end transfer this month .
cranham in the father . the actor ' s next role will be in the bbc ' s 2016 adaptation of war and peace .
kenneth cranham ' s numerous stage credits include an inspector calls and the cherry orchard ( national theatre ) , the homecoming ( almeida ) and west end productions of entertaining mr sloane , loot , the birthday party and gaslight . lia williams was recently seen in the west end in a revival of harold pinter ' s old times .
cranham ' s mother had got the dux medal in school , and on ve day the newsreels caught her in the crowd in london .
for those of a certain age it is impossible to think of cranham , now filming maleficent with angelina jolie , without recalling shine on harvey moon , the itv comedy drama which ran for four series from 1982 . ( a fifth aired in 1995 , but without cranham . )
cranham had particular reason to be delighted by the programme ' s scottish welcome as he was born in dunfermline in 1944 to a scots mother , margaret mackay ferguson . the family moved to lochgelly when he was two then mum , dad ( now back from the war for good ) , and kenneth left for essex , then london .
at some point , kenneth became suspicious that something was going on between joe and i ( there wasn’t ) and became unpleasant to me . loot had won best play at the evening standard theatre awards in 1966 , and a scene was shown on television . afterwards , kenneth said “you all looked so pretty” and turned to me and added “which was strange for you because you’re very ugly really” .
cranham , meanwhile , is filming four - part itv drama hatton garden , about the infamous safe deposit box robbery , for director paul whittington .
, his boyfriend , who was everything rolled into one : a mentor , literary pathfinder and a terrible maiden aunt . they had met at rada in 1951 . kenneth was seven years older and in the early years , supported him financially . at joe’s centre was his concern for the quality and future of his writing , and kenneth shared that . they were both line - by - line obsessed with joe’s work .
winning best actor in the 2016 olivier awards , kenneth chats to soglos about how the play has changed his life , the importance of tackling strong topics in the theatre , and the responses he has received from audiences .
now that flying blind has had its premiere , cranham can turn his attention to maleficent , a new take on the age - old tale of sleeping beauty . with angelina jolie in the title role , and cranham as king henry , the fantasy drama , out in 2014 , also stars miranda richardson and peter capaldi .
“he’s a wonderful director , very kind , he’s very perceptive , he lets you find your performance and he directs further on down the line” , cranham , from dunfermline , said .
he and duff haven’t worked together before , but they share a mutual passion . . . for elvis presley . ‘the king does get a mention in the play , ’ cranham revealed .
orton was murdered in 1967 by his partner , kenneth halliwell , shortly before loot transferred with cranham to broadway . “joe’s writing would have got better and better . he was just beginning . ” pinter , the next big presence in cranham’s career , was one of the readers at orton’s funeral . “when i was in the homecoming , i asked him , ‘what can you tell me about max ? ’ he said , ‘the thing about max is he’s a liar and he’s a butcher . ’” and of aston in the caretaker , pinter said : “he’s a gent . when he comes home with the tramp at the start , he hasn’t talked to another person for 10 years . at the end , he’s not going to talk to anyone for another 20 . ” cranham looks gobsmacked even now . “they’re notes and a half , they are . ”
cranham , a sprightly 71 and dressed today in his customary spotted blue cravat , has another reason for feeling time ' s winged chariot : he is about to reprise his eponymous role in florian zeller ' s west end smash hit the father . cranham ' s character , andre , has alzheimer ' s ; and the play ' s short , disconnected scenes place the audience right inside his fracturing , disorientated mind . the role has just won cranham a critics ' circle award ( “my first ever award ! ” he acknowledges gleefully , if surprisingly ) and the play is returning to the west end before embarking on a uk tour . yet although it is sparking memories of nursing his own father , who had parkinson ' s , cranham isn ' t finding playing an elderly , befuddled soul depressing : far from it .
cranham has continued to visit scotland regularly , both as a professional – on stage at the traverse , or in the fringe – and privately to tour the islands , visiting north and south uist and the orkneys .
cranham can remember men gathering in the streets in their dark blue suits and flat caps , in a town that was part of the west fife constituency known as
little moscow
. it was in the town library that cranham read george orwell for the first time . for
grand
outings , the family would take the ferry to edinburgh , or go to dunfermline glen , the grounds andrew carnegie bought for the town .
a month before joe was killed by kenneth , we all went to see the desert song , a 1920s operetta . we had gone to mock it , although joe behaved rather well because he didn’t want to upset all the old ladies in the audience who thought it was marvellous . afterwards , we went to the seven stars restaurant in the west end , which was popular with actors , and holiday snaps from joe and kenneth’s recent trip to morocco were passed round , some of which were of joe’s cock . it was remarkable for the time – the chemist boots would have printed them for him .
cranham stopped holidaying in lochgelly in his later teens , when he started having girlfriends . the town ' s cinemas have long since gone ; the deluxe went first , when it was turned into a drycleaner ' s .
it’s a relevant admission given that cranham’s latest role , andre in florian zeller’s hit play the father , has dementia . the short , pinteresque scenes , often out of sequence , are confusing and thus allow the audience to sympathise with andre’s condition . “he knows he’s forgetting things but he doesn’t see why this is such a big deal , ” says cranham . “he can’t understand why everyone wants to be with him all the time . ”
yet at tulse hill school ( where he was a contemporary of ken livingstone ) , cranham was fortunate enough to have teachers , including the future playwright ray jenkins , who put on plays from the newly opened royal court and spotted cranham’s potential . he was accepted at rada , where i assume his blokeishness might have been appealing to the well - heeled female students . “what ? ” he snorts incredulously . “i don’t think so ! ”
veteran british character actor kenneth cranham’s film credits include : gangster no1 by paul mcguigan , the boxer by jim sheridan , chocolate by claire denis and prosperos book by peter greenaway . television credits include some of britain’s favourite drama series : - inspector morse , bergerac , lovejoy and kavanagh qc . theatre credits include such plays as the novice by richard eyre ; an inspector calls by stephen daldry and geography of a horse dreamer by sam shepherd . two men went to war is his first headlining starring role in a feature film .
for bbc radio 4 ' s afternoon play , cranham played ds max matthews in the three - play series the interrogation by roy williams and starred as thomas gradgrind in bbc radio ' s 2007 adaptation of dickens ' hard times .
it was sheila ballantine who had a sense that something terrible would happen . one night , joe was away in leicester overseeing a production of entertaining mr sloane and kenneth came to the theatre on his own , which he’d never done before . he was on a collection of prescription drugs and seemed in a bad way .
the father is an extraordinarily powerful play , and the actor tells me he wept when he first read the script . the resulting performance is one of the best you’ll see on stage this year – with cranham playing andre as part patriarch , part silly old sod , part frightened little boy . in just a bewildered expression or a short burst of baffled rage , cranham somehow conveys the entire life of the man – at birth , at 20 , at 70 .
it was very popular in scotland ,
says cranham about the tale of mum , dad , mum - in - law , son and daughter .
i always thought it was because it was very like the broons .
after the war ron cranham went to night school , took four a levels , got a degree from the london school of economics and became a civil servant . the family moved to london , but it took time to find a home .
which leads us back to harvey moon . it was a drama ahead of its time , says cranham , showing parents who had separated and tensions within a family . besides a strong cast , which included elizabeth spriggs as harvey ' s mum and linda robson as his daughter , harvey moon had a lot of heart and a dash of politics besides . cranham fondly recalls one of harvey ' s speeches , on the glory of the nhs . no wonder scotland took to it .
for bbc radio 4 ' s afternoon play , cranham played ds max matthews in the three - play series the interrogation by roy williams and starred as
thomas gradgrind
in bbc radio ' s 2007 adaptation of dickens ' hard times .
in retrospect , the little fife town and its cinemas were grist to the mill for any artist , writer or actor in the making , cranham says .
it was pure escapism , it was captivating , in the form of flights of fantasy .
kenneth cranham is in melancholic mood . at 7 . 15am on the day we met , he ' d lost his friend william gaskill , the royal court ' s legendary artistic director who ' d directed cranham in several productions during the 1960s and 1970s , including edward bond ' s saved . the day , before he ' d attended a memorial service for alan rickman . a couple of years ago he also said goodbye to roger lloyd pack , whom he first met at rada . “i read a quote the other day that said , ' i ' m of an age now that the people i love , most of them are dead , but that hasn ' t lessened their existence , ' ” he says , nursing a bloody mary at his local in islington , north london . “i thought , yes , that ' s what it ' s like . ”
join kenneth cranham , winner of the 2016 olivier award for best actor , as he looks back on more than 50 years in theatre , shares memories of his unique relationship with leicester - born playwright joe orton , and discusses his favourite leading roles from hal in orton’s loot ( 1966 ) to andré in florian zeller’s the father ( 2015 - 16 ) , winner of three moliere awards , including best play . this event , chaired by emma parker and featuring orton’s sister , leonie orton barnett , is organised in conjunction with the university of leicester to mark the 50 th anniversary of the london premiere of loot .
we heard about joe’s murder and kenneth’s suicide the day after it happened . more information kept emerging – that the bodies were together , that kenneth had bludgeoned joe’s head with a hammer . we were doing a performance of loot that night . simon and i drove in to do the show and as we were coming past sadler’s wells , the car in front of us ran over a dog and the wheel of the car crushed the dog’s head . everything felt as if it was happening in slow motion . it was like being underwater . then we had to go on stage that night and do this farce . i didn’t feel quite there , and i could almost taste blood . of course , the theatre was packed .
cranham was born in the small scottish town of lochgelly to parents he describes as upper lower class going on lower middle . his father served with the royal engineers ; his mother was a librarian with a passion for judy garland . lochgelly didn ' t have much , but it did have two cinemas and the young cranham would go every night . “i ' d pick up a fish supper on the way back . they were magical times . ” later his parents moved to camberwell in south london , where cranham failed his 11 - plus ( “but so did roger lloyd pack” ) . he didn ' t do too well at his o - levels either , but by that point he had played macbeth at school , “which is about six o - levels by itself” , and was intent on becoming an actor .
the play opens with georgie ( duff ) approaching a stranger in a train station and planting a kiss on his neck . the neck happens to belong to a butcher called alex ( cranham ) ; and the kiss sets off a chain reaction of emotions between the disparate pair .
he describes the royal court of the mid - sixties as a wild place where audiences would be confrontational if they didn’t like something . in one performance , cranham had to utter the line “am i dying ? ” , to which one peeved theatregoer replied , “i bloody hope so ! ”
best of all was when cranham played stanley opposite pinter as the terrifying goldberg in a tv production of the birthday party . “i said : ‘harold , i don’t know who stanley is . ’ he said : ‘funny . all the stanleys say that . ’” cranham remembers picturing endless stanleys disappearing towards the horizon like easter island statues . “pinter was an only child , you know . i was on my own until i was 10 , so many of my games were of the imagination . if you’re going to write or act , a spell as an only child is very useful . ”
in 2016 , cranham won the olivier award for best actor in a play for his role as andre in florian zeller ' s the father . the play originated at the theatre royal bath ' s ustinov studio in the autumn of 2014 , before touring the country and transferring to the west end in the summer of 2015 , and returning to the duke of york ' s theatre in spring 2016 . the play received an unprecedented five star review from every leading national press publication , and cranham ' s performance was described as
the performance of his life
( whatsonstage . com ) .
in 2016 , cranham won the olivier award for best actor in a play for his role as andre in florian zeller ' s the father . the play originated at the theatre royal bath ' s ustinov studio in the autumn of 2014 , before touring the country and transferring to the west end in the summer of 2015 , and returning to the duke of york ' s theatre in spring 2016 . the play received an unprecedented five star review from every leading national press publication , and cranham ' s performance was described as
the performance of his life
( whatsonstage . com ) .
cranham can trace his love of cinema to lochgelly , where he went to the town ' s two cinemas most nights . otherwise , it was school that fed his hunger for acting . he went to a school that had teachers with an interest in the bold drama and radical literature of the time .
enneth cranham has been thinking a lot about old age recently . “i don’t feel old , ” says the actor , a robust - looking 70 , “but i have got to a stage where i don’t remember someone’s name . i have to give myself clues so that i can get the name back . ”
things could get pretty aggressive behind the scenes , too – it didn’t help that the royal court cast and crew shared the same drinking den as chelsea barracks . on one occasion , cranham recalls how the actor victor henry laid in wait with a broken bottle for ian mckellen when the rising star had usurped his role .
that night sparked a determination to revive loot . in 1966 , it opened at the jeannetta cochrane theatre in holborn before moving to the criterion theatre in the west end . it got rave reviews and went on to win several awards . i played hal . when joe and kenneth came to the first night , i remember the pride with which they walked down the street . my mother and father were walking in front of them and my mother was mouthing : “are they homosexuals ? ”
recently cranham was on location in southern morocco : “they say when you drown , your life flashes before you . in southern morocco , it trundles by very slowly . you can see it all quite clearly . everything is overlapping now . ” he rummages in his case to give me a copy of a postcard orton sent him from morocco in 1966 ( “the villa is v . posh . not me at all … but i’m v . happy” ) and pulls out some miniature collages of old photos from his archives . one shows images from a mid - 1970s revival of entertaining mr sloane , in which beryl reid and harry h corbett competed for the sexual favours of cranham ( as the amoral young stud sloane ) .
cranham is one of britain ' s best - known actors , renowned for bringing alive film and tv character roles varying in style from the sinister mobster jimmy price in matthew vaughn ' s crime - thriller layer cake to the enigmatic preacher pastor finch in the multi - award - winning screen adaptation of jeanette winterson ' s novel oranges are not the only fruit .
after a run in london , cranham went with the play to broadway , turning in 796 performances in total . i wonder how gruelling it is to be on stage night after night in such a part . every stage actor who plays a big role never stops working on it , says cranham . it ' s a way of keeping things fresh .
you create a blueprint of your best performance and you ' re happiest the night you surpass that blueprint . that won ' t happen that often but it will happen . it ' s like sculpting , you keep refining . when you have a piece that is yours , that is just you , that becomes obsessive , you think about it all the time .
cranham has no need to rely on reflected glory , though : he has enough of his own . he was a friend to joe orton , then to harold pinter . both playwrights regarded him as a skilful interpreter of their writing . during the 1966 revival of the macabre farce loot , orton returned from his mother’s funeral in leicester with an unusual addition to the prop cupboard . “there’s a scene where my character has to catch his mum’s false teeth and use them as castanets , ” cranham recalls . “on that occasion , i cupped my hands and saw them turning in the air above me , almost in slow motion . i could tell these weren’t the usual glossy ones . these were mildewed . they were joe’s mum’s . ”
cranham trained at the national youth theatre of great britain and rada . he starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama shine on harvey moon . he also appeared in layer cake , gangster no . 1 , rome , oliver ! and many other films . cranham was cast as the deranged dr . philip channard and his cenobitic alter - ego in the horror film hellbound : hellraiser ii . among many stage credits are west end productions of entertaining mr sloane , loot , an inspector calls ( both transferring to broadway ) , the ruffian on the stair , the birthday party and gaslight ( at the old vic ) . for his role as inspector goole in an inspector calls , he was nominated for a laurence olivier award .
cranham trained at the national youth theatre of great britain [ 1 ] and rada . he starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama shine on harvey moon . he also appeared in layer cake , gangster no . 1 , rome , oliver ! and many other films . cranham was cast as the deranged dr . philip channard and his cenobitic alter - ego in the horror film hellbound : hellraiser ii . among many stage credits are west end productions of entertaining mr sloane , loot , an inspector calls ( both transferring to broadway ) , the ruffian on the stair , the birthday party and gaslight ( at the old vic ) . for his role as inspector goole in an inspector calls , he was nominated for a laurence olivier award .
his wife , the actress fiona victory , whom he met on the set of harvey moon , where she played his son ' s headmistress , is coming up to glasgow to see him this week . roger lloyd pack (
trigger
in only fools and horses ) , cranham ' s oldest acting friend who was with him at rada , will also be in the audience .
the tale of a soldier returning from the second world war to london ' s east end , and as cockney as a wee cock sparra born inside a bow bell , shine on harvey moon ( with cranham as harvey ) regularly had viewing figures of more than 13 million , with the highest numbers in scotland . go figure , as they don ' t say in stepney or saltcoats .
during rehearsals , cranham started thinking of his relationship with his own parents . “my father nursed my mother for seven years until she died and after that , when he was in his eighties , we were lucky to go travelling several times together . the problem was that i never asked questions about their lives . i took a notebook when we went off but it never seemed appropriate somehow . ”
recently , cranham says that he has experienced the odd lull in his schedule . “the problem is that there is usually only one old part in any story . when i had my young career and my career when i was playing dads , i was going up against actors who were exactly my age . now , in my old career , i am up against actors in their sixties , seventies and even eighties . ”
we became friends outside the theatre . we would meet up at simon ward’s house , or at joe and kenneth’s bedsit in islington . i remember going there one day and listening to the soundtrack of the musical pal joey . they’d bought tons of old - fashioned cream cakes . the walls were covered in a collage of images – there were renaissance pictures , and one image of a baby being born out of the heart of africa . the montages look striking in photos of joe at home , but when you were actually there they were very vivid and you felt a bit attacked by it .
born december 12 , 1944 , in dunfermline , fife , scotland ; son of ronald and margaret m ' kay ( maiden name , ferguson ) cranham ; married diana quick ( an actress ; divorced ) ; married fiona victory ( an actress ) ; children ( with charlotte cornwell ; an actress ) : nancy . addresses : agent : markham & froggatt , julian house , 4 windmill st . , london w1p 1hf , england .
cranham is an interesting mixture . for all his emotional intelligence , he’s a toughie – a south london geezer ( he’s played several thugs in his long career ) , yet also a rich - voiced thespian with a fondness for ripe theatrical anecdotes . thick - set , with a large , lived - in face and dark , watchful eyes , he has a heavyweight presence : you can see why he’s so appealing to casting directors .
a couple of years later , when i had joined the royal court theatre , the ruffian on the stair was put on one sunday night and again , i played wilson . the play was a great success . all the powerful people were there – theatre producers oscar lewenstein and michael white , and agent peggy ramsay . joe’s fortunes though had taken a bit of a dip . he’d had a great success with his first performed stage play entertaining mr sloane , but the touring version of his next , loot , did not do well . however , now joe and kenneth sensed that success would be theirs again .
cranham trained at the prestigious royal academy of dramatic art , and his west end credits range from entertaining mr sloane to gaslight ; he got his film breakthrough in the musical oliver ! . but , while he found his greatest fame as a demobbed corporal trying to reconstruct his life and bombed - out home in post - war england in the acclaimed 1980s tv series shine on harvey moon , his own childhood was shaped by post - war scotland .
cranham was born on 12 december , 1944 , in dunfermline infirmary . his father , ron , a public schoolboy from london , was 19 when the second world war broke out , and joined the royal engineers . he was sent to cowdenbeath to train , where lochgelly - born margaret worked as a librarian . soon she was also in uniform . they were posted together near manchester , where margaret was arrested for smoking on a railway platform . she was something of a rebel , who had proudly flashed her army knickers to her girlfriends .
it was the drama teachers at cranham ' s london school who persuaded him to act in shakespeare rather than play football in his free time . but in lochgelly , he says :
i didn ' t do anything else that would feed into that . i wasn ' t seeing any theatre . the first thing i wanted to do , as a boy , was to be a skier , because i had seen film footage of somebody skiing . when you see moving images , it ( takes you into a ] dream world .
of his two daughters , one , aged 18 , says she would like to follow him into acting . with her dad in london , at least she won ' t have to go the traditional actors ' route of living in awful digs while they learn their craft .
i ' ll look after her ,
says cranham . he ' s certainly an example to follow when it comes to staying in work for nearly five decades . it ' s all a question of timing and keeping up with the changes , he says .
the 67 - year - old was speaking in edinburgh ahead of the film festival premiere of flying blind , a bbc films co - production and his third movie this year after maleficent and suspension of disbelief . directed by katarzyna klimkiewicz , it ' s a british drama about an aviation scientist , played by helen mccrory , who is engaged in secret state work when she finds herself the object of a foreign student ' s affections . cranham , playing her father , is among those wondering if mccrory is doing the right thing in becoming friends with the stranger .
he is in scotland this week to narrate stravinsky ' s the soldier ' s tale with the bbc scottish symphony orchestra .
it ' s fantastically alarming , because as i do it , ( it ] is going straight out on radio 3 ,
he says . part of the bbc sso ' s russian winter series , performed at glasgow ' s city halls , it is the story of a man who makes a pact with the devil , with the 64 - year - old cranham playing the combined roles of the soldier , the devil and narrator .
“the play is self - energising : it resonates on a universal level , ” he says , showing me a crumpled , affecting letter from a stranger who had been moved to write to cranham about his own father ' s battle with senility , after seeing the play . “too many of us know the situation : what are we going to do about dad ? but also , i had been settling down into a series of character roles such as firs in the cherry orchard [ at the national in 2011 ] . now i ' m back playing a leading man again . ”
cranham doesn’t think that the much - discussed debate over posh actors – the hiddlestons and the redmaynes – and the lack of opportunity for those from less well - off backgrounds is much to worry about . “it goes in cycles , ” he says , shaking his head . “when i was young , the older character actors who were playing at the national were all posh . then people such as tom courtenay and albert finney came along and changed all that . i was in the next generation and fantastically fortunate to be born when i was born . looking back now , i took it all for granted . ”
in 2016 , he won the olivier award for best actor in a play for his role as andre in florian zeller ' s ' the father ' . the play originated at the theatre royal bath ' s ustinov studio in the autumn of 2014 , before touring the country and transferring to the west end in the summer of 2015 , and returning to the duke of york ' s theatre in spring 2016 . the play received an unprecedented five star review from every leading national press publication , and cranham ' s performance was routinely described as ' the performance of his life ' ( whatsonstage . com ) ' .
from school he went to the national youth theatre and rada . from shakespeare to pinter , from orton to chekhov , it would be quicker to list what cranham hasn ' t done in the theatre or who he hasn ' t met . if he has any advice to young actors it is to look out for remarkable writing .
if you can , try not to get yourself manacled financially so that you have to do some terrible old rubbish early on . try to get yourself a cv of decent stuff , some good writing . i was very lucky in that i was around for the right period . a lot of it is timing .
the astonishment with which the father has been greeted has not , however , passed him by . “my agent said , ‘it’s not a play , it’s an experience . ’” everything in it is ever - so - slightly skew - whiff . strangers wander into the home of pyjama - clad andre , addressing him as an intimate . single roles are shared among various actors in a subtly changing set , so that the viewer , like the lead character , can never be certain of anything . where the traditional alzheimer’s narrative encourages pity , the father never allows us to know more than andre . “if i get it right , ” says cranham , “you should be on his side . ”
we are at the tricycle theatre in north - west london . wearing a black jacket and knotted blue silk scarf coupled with navy tracksuit bottoms , cranham resembles a mythical beast : the top half of noël coward , the bottom half of danny dyer . his mouth is framed by bright white bristles , his hair short , spiky and silver . he is 70 but gets cast older . “when they hire someone in their 80s , they tend to fall asleep on trains and miss the matinee . ” not that he is claiming spring - chicken status : “my memory’s not what it was . ” doesn’t that suit playing andre ? “no ! you need to give people their cues . ” he pushes out a blast of rasping laughter .
glamorous the court may have been , but it was also part of a theatre scene fashioning a bleak new vision of england through the strange , violent imaginations of joe orton , bond and pinter . “to be suited and booted and get to speak lines like something from a jacobean tragedy , ” marvels cranham of plays such as loot , the caretaker and entertaining mr sloane , all of which he starred in . shakespeare never did it for him : “too much fat . whereas you get the opening sequence in the birthday party , with the landlady and stanley , and it ' s like a dark donald mcgill postcard . and when you come from the 1950s the only sexual expression you could find was in seaside postcards . those orton and pinter plays : they spoke of what i knew . ”
cranham , who is two parts fruity - voiced luvvie , one part rough - cut cockney , has been part of the furniture on stage and screen since leaving rada in the 1960s . he ' s best known for the television period drama shine on harvey moon , which ran on itv from 1982 to 1985 , but he has also appeared in a string of british films , such as layer cake , hot fuzz , gangster no 1 , made in dagenham and the bbc ' s oranges are not the only fruit . he even popped up a couple of sunday nights ago as uncle mikhail in the bbc ' s war and peace . “i wasn ' t going to take it because it was such a small part , but then all of barnsbury [ the part of islington that he lives in ] saw it , so that was ok . ”
denise gough in people , places and things , which first showed in the national’s dorfman theatre and is due to transfer to the west end in the spring . photograph : pr image
it was called “career changing” , “ astonishing ” , and “emotionally shattering” and now denise gough’s memorable performance in people , places & things at the national theatre has won her a top award from theatre critics .
gough was named best actress at a lunchtime ceremony for the critics’ circle theatre awards 2015 in london .
she won the best newcomer prize in the same awards three years ago , for desire under the elms at the lyric hammersmith , but has admitted nearly giving up on acting after a year of rejections before she got the national part .
“times were really tough , ” she told the sunday times . “and i was thinking , i can’t afford to go on living like this . in my mid - 20s , i was , like , fuck it , i’ll do waitressing . but i found it too depressing . i was helping my sister out with her kids , but it was mortifying to be charging my sister to look after my own nephews and nieces because i was broke . ”
then came the role as a recovering addict in duncan macmillan’s play , which first showed in the national’s dorfman theatre and is due to transfer to the west end in the spring .
there were three awards for the royal court theatre including best new play , going to martin mcdonagh’s black comedy hangmen , which is enjoying a west end run at wyndham’s theatre . the play also won anna fleischle the best designer award .
the theatre’s third prize went to the actor david moorst , who won the jack tinker award for best newcomer for his role in violence and son .
judges gave the best musical award to bend it like beckham , based on the film of the same name . it was a production critics loved but was not enjoyed in sufficient numbers by the public . it is due to close in march after a nine - month run .
the other awards went to robert icke , winning best director for his version of oresteia at the almeida , three hours 40 minutes of gripping greek tragedy that made a surprise transfer to the west end ; and the most promising playwright prize went to james fritz for four minutes twelve seconds at hampstead theatre downstairs and trafalgar studios .
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mr . sloane , entertaining mr . sloane , duke of york ' s theatre , london , 1976
tommy , gangster no . 1 ( also known as gangster nr . 1 ) , pagoda film , 2000
also appeared in the clot , heart of the high country , and making waves .
corporal jack salt ( a sapper ) , danger u . x . b . , thames television , 1979
gus mercer , el c . i . d . , granada television , 1989
also appeared in the bell , the black and blue lamp , thecontractor , donkey ' s years , dunrulin , normal services , the sin bin , a sort of innocence , and the vision thing .
at the end of the second world war , the little mining town of lochgelly in fife boasted a miner ' s institute , a library , a fish and chip shop and an italian ice - cream bar , mazzonis .
the latter had a stylish art - deco shopfront and an interior of peppermint - green marble and chrome , with a jukebox that played 78s .
the only acting i knew when i was a boy came from lochgelly ,
he recalls .
with a double bill , people would live their lives in the cinema . you would even see babies being breastfed in the audience .
he spent a string of childhood stays in lochgelly with his relatives . the stories of his mother , margaret mackay ferguson , and his aunt , who had down ' s syndrome , living with his grandparents in a tiny two - bedroom flat on lochgelly ' s dundas street , are the stuff of memoirs . most of all , though , he remembers the cinemas :
when i was in lochgelly as a boy , i went to the cinema every night – and on sundays i used to go to cowdenbeath and see something there .
the acting career that was inspired in part by those films has been remarkably diverse . they ' ve run from his first tv role in coronation street to memorable dramas such as prospero ' s books and a starring role as dr philip channard in hellbound : hellraiser ii , a cult hit about to get its 20th - anniversary dvd release in the us .


romance of the western chamber ( chinese : 西廂記 ; pinyin : xīxiāngjì ) is a 1927 silent chinese film drama directed by hou yao .

originally consisting of ten film reels , only 5 reels have survived .

romance of the western chamber ( film )

there are no featured reviews for romance of the western chamber at this time .
if you’re interested in chinese film and the silent era , romance of the western chamber is a no - brainer .
the film is an adaption of the classic chinese dramatic work romance of the west chamber by wang shifu .
romance of the western chamber ( chinese : ; pinyin : ) is a 1927 silent chinese film drama directed by hou yao .
romance of the western chamber is a 1927 silent chinese film drama directed by hou yao , it is a story of young lovers consummating their love without parental approval . the film is an adaption of the classic chinese dramatic work romance of the west chamber by wang shifu . ( source : wikipedia )
based on wang shi - fu’s ( yuan dynasty , 1234 - 1368 ) famous play of the same title , romance of the western chamber ( xixiang ji ) , the 1927 silent film version is one of the greatest play to film adaptations in early chinese cinema . the film was shown in paris in summer 1928 ; and released in london the following year . romance of the western chamber swept europe off its feet , receiving acclaimed reviews from local newspapers . this screening of romance of the western chamber features music composed by hong kong composer chan ming - chi and performed live by the hong kong new music ensemble . through contemporary music , this screening will bring audience a new experience of the glorious past of early chinese cinema .
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bob ost of wildly productive productions and xoregos performing company , have announced the complete casting for the n . y . premiere of romance of the western chamber , a musical adaptation ( in english ) of the fabled chinese classic xi xiang ji .
romance of the western chamber is by far the earliest chinese film i’ve seen , and if it is any indication of the country’s early film output , i wish more films were available . it’s not so much that i loved romance of the western chamber as it is that i was intrigued by it . the film is ostensibly a drama , but the introduction of the villain leads to a couple of martial arts battles , one of which is inside of a dream sequence full of fantasy . according to this write - up , hou yau was an acclaimed director in his day , as well as the first chinese director to utilize special effects . if he only knew what his work would eventually lead to within chinese cinema !
date & time : 17 / 1 / 2013 from 1 : 00 pm to 1 : 50 pm venue : agnès b . cinema free admission . no reservation required . based on wang shi - fu’s ( yuan dynasty , 1234 - 1368 ) famous play of the same title , romance of the western chamber ( xixiang ji ) , the 1927 silent film version is one of the greatest play to film adaptations in early chinese cinema . the film was shown in paris in summer 1928 ; and released in london the following year . romance of the western chamber swept europe off its feet , receiving acclaimed reviews from local newspapers . this screening of romance of the western chamber features music composed by local composer chan ming - chi and performed live by the hong kong new music ensemble . through contemporary music , this screening will bring audience a new experience of the glorious past of early chinese cinema . co presenters : hong kong arts centre , hong kong music ensemble
based on wang shi - fu’s ( yuan dynasty , 1234 - 1368 ) famous play of the same title , romance of the western chamber ( xixiang ji ) , the 1927 silent film version is one of the greatest play to film adaptations in early chinese cinema . the film was shown in paris in summer 1928 ; and released in london the following year . romance of the western chamber swept europe off its feet , receiving acclaimed reviews from local newspapers . this screening of romance of the western chamber features music composed by hong kong composer chan ming - chi and performed live by the hong kong new music ensemble . through contemporary music , this screening will bring audience a new experience of the glorious past of early chinese cinema . directors : hou yao , lai man - wai screenplay : hou yao production company : minxin film company story by : wang shifu cast : cho - cho lam , lee ya - ching , yaoting zhu , cijiang ge , chichang hu , he minzhuang , t . k . kar , tsao yao dein
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
if the film is uneven , it nonetheless fills an important void in the appreciation of chinese cinema and the silent movie era .
the content of this programme / activity does not reflect the views of the govemment of the hong kong special administrative region .
unfortunately , like many silent films , only a portion of romance of the western chamber still exists . we have five reels of the film’s ten , and judging from the way the film ends i’m guessing those five missing reels are the last five . there aren’t any specific story jumps throughout the film that would suggest missing footage , until the ending just kinda happens without resolution . the lack of a definite ending doesn’t really concern me — i’m sure everything worked out in the end — but i do wonder what sights we’re missing out on in those five missing , especially considering the strength of the dream sequence . i suppose we’ll just have to be happy any of it remains , and revel in the many films that followed in its wake .
previously produced in english for the first time in china in 2011 , romance of the western chamber is a musical adaptation of one of the country ' s most popular and beloved classics . the story of a young couple from different classes , desperate to consummate their love despite the constraints of tradition and family disapproval , and often considered the romeo & juliet of the east , the production features book & lyrics by howard rubenstein and music by max lee , and will be directed by shela xoregos .
this romance is the meat of the film , but it’s the non - romance material in the film that makes it so interesting to me . about 10 minutes in , a bandit leader is introduced , sung fei fu ( li huamin ) aka the terror of the region , and he soon marches on the temple in order to kidnap cui ying ying for himself . these scenes are great , filled with many extras filing out of the bandit cave or tramping around the chinese countryside in full costume , but it’s when the battles start that everything heats up .
sadly , only five of romance of the west chamber ' s original ten reels remain , which makes this silent costume drama rather hard to rate . the story , which revolves around the budding romance between a poor student and a wealthy young noblewoman despite their different stations in life , is based on a famous work by yuan dynasty playwright wang shifu . what does remain of the film is adequately entertaining , including a few decent fight scenes and a rather strange dream sequence wherein the hero flies around on a giant calligraphy brush like a witch on a broomstick . all in all , romance of the west chamber is well worth checking out for fans of early chinese cinema , but likely won ' t appeal to many others .
only half of this movie still survives , but i am so grateful for the half that cinema epoch restored , with such a fitting soundtrack by toshiyuki hiraoka . it may be a 4 - star film in its current condensed form , but if this visually arresting film were doubled , i wouldn ' t be surprised if it deserved 4 . 5 stars , and i like it as much as a 4 . 5 - star movie . i really enjoyed every moment of this zippy 43 - minute film , and the story is still perfectly coherent , if reduced . what remains of romance of the western chamber is a simple story line , maybe too simple for most audiences . the romance probably did not get justice due to the missing fragments . however , some poetic touches remain , …
max lee ( music ) has been performed in the u . s . and china . along with playwright howard rubenstein and the confucius institute at san diego state university , he is a co - winner of a 2011 asian heritage award , honoring work in the performing arts that celebrates asian culture . to create the music for the romance of the western chamber , mr . lee arranged and adapted some of china ' s most well - known and beloved folk tunes , as well as composing original material . max lee is a pseudonym . under his real name ( which shall remain anonymous ) , he is the composer of nearly 100 concert works , which have received more than 1 , 000 performances in 20 countries and on six continents . the romance of the western chamber is max lee ' s first full - length musical theater work .
tickets for the n . y . premiere of romance of the western chamber are available for purchase online at urltoken . tickets for preview performances on september 14 & 15 at 8 : 00pm start as low as $ 20 , with all other performances offering seats as low as $ 25 . for more information about the production , including ticket pricing and complete performance schedule , visit urltoken .
an incomplete film that has some very interesting and quite beautiful visuals and dream sequences .
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towards the end of romance of the western chamber , we are treated to a wonderful dream sequence where chang kung imagines a scenario where sung fei fu kidnaps cui ying ying and he is unable to stop sung because of his lack of swordsmanship . in a moment of inspiration he grabs his calligraphy brush — the pen brush is mightier than the sword — and it transforms into a staff - sized version of itself , which he then rides like a witch’s broom to rescue his love . thankfully his supple brushwork translates to the bigger instrument , and now he can fight the bandit on equal terms . and while we’re talking about this “fantastic” part of the film , i want to point out how fantastic li huamin is as sung fung fei . his face is one of the most expressive and captivating to ever grace a silent film .
terrible quality and incomplete , but what survives of this film is actually pretty good - it ' s genuinely funny , and the editing is ahead of its time .
the fights themselves are honestly a lot better than you’d expect from the early days of cinema . they are sped up , and the choreography is basic , but the sense of battle is similar to what it is in later martial arts films . there’s also a couple of recognizable traits of the martial arts genre in evidence here in protozoic form . hong kong action films have distinguished themselves by capturing the full bodies of their actors during fight sequences , and while romance of the western chamber was made in mainland china before hong kong had much of a film industry , this defining factor shows up during a battle between two generals . the performers look legitimately skilled , too ; these aren’t just actors becoming amazing fighters through editing . although , speaking of editing , there is a wonderful use of intercutting close - up shots of swords and axes clashing to give the far - away , “extras flailing” battle shots a sense of intensity and urgency .
romance of the western chamber will play a strictly limited engagement of 14 performances , beginning thursday , september 14 at tada ! theater ( located at 15 w . 28th street , 3rd floor ) , with an opening night scheduled for saturday , september 16 , 2017 . performances will take place according to the following schedule : thursdays & friday at 8 : 00pm ; saturdays at 2pm & 8pm ; and sundays at 3pm .
a chinese scullery maid at a piccadilly nightclub overnight becomes the toast of london ( and the object of desire of all around her ) .
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the early comic romance scenes depict the kind of lush costuming and set design typical of the chinese historical film in all its eras , but the fight scenes are impressively modern , as director hou yao uses overhead shots to emphasize the precise geometry of his actors ' opera - inspired movements and double exposures to express the chaos of combat , ghost images of two armies locked in battle , rapidly intercut with close - ups of clashing swords , also in double exposure . the battle scenes are preceded by long shots of soldiers running serpentine through and over hillsides , recalling no less than kurosawa ' s ran .
the other proto - hk filmmaking i noticed was when one man wielding a staff faced off against a group of bandits . the camera captures a good portion of the action from above , just as many later films do , including most of the shaw films i’ve covered so far in my chronological series . this could definitely be me looking and reaching for some long lost connective tissue , but i’d like to think that the techniques used on films such as romance of the western chamber actually did influence the later films of hong kong . i don’t see this as too much of a leap of faith , as hou yao emigrated to hong kong in the early ’30s to become part of the new cantonese industry springing up there . the same is apparently true of many of china’s best filmmakers of the era , so to assume that these filmmakers laid the groundwork for hong kong action films as we know them seems like a believable stretch to make . it’s kind of like how the shaw brothers films essentially laid the foundation for the modern martial arts action films that continue to be made to this day .
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this list collects every film from the starting list that became they shoot pictures don ' t they ' s 1000 greatest films . this…
based on wang shifu ' s famous play of the same name , romance of the western chamber tells the story of a young scholar zhang sheng who goes to the capital city to take the highest imperial examination . during his stay in a temple , he meets cui yingying , daughter of the prime minister and immediately falls in love with her . soon , a group of robbers besiege them . yingying ' s mother declares that she will marry off her daughter to whoever saves them . zhang sheng manages to do that with his friend ' s help , but yingying ' s mother refuses to keep her words because zhang is a poor scholar . however , yingying and zhang sheng ' s love is so strong that , with the help of hong niang , yingying ' s maid , the couple breaks the barriers of tradition .
the film was originally 10 reels ( e . g . 90 - plus minutes ) in length . five reels ( 49 minutes ) have survived .
hou yao was a significant figure in chinese cinema throughout the 20s and 30s , he wrote the first chinese film theory book in 1925 , had a reputation for progressive activism and was a mentor to director fei mu . when the war broke out , he made a series of anti - japanese propaganda films for the shaw brothers , eventually moving from shanghai to singapore . he was murdered there by the japanese in 1942 at the beginning of the sook ching massacre .
throughout his life , a man is periodically haunted by the woman who deserted him on the eve of their wedding .
a ranked list of the chinese - language movies i ' ve seen since november of 2013 . this began as an open - ended project about…
kevin zak and marissa rosen complete the cast of r . r . r . e . d
ying zhang ( ensemble ) is a graduate of the american musical and dramatic academy . her recent nyc theatre includes : warlovers ( theatre row ) , hireath ( 13th street repertory theatre ) , i ' con ( hudson guild theatre ) , no exit ( american theatre of actors ) , broadway memorial for sir peter shaffer ( american airlines theater ) . film : the mail box , overcast , antiteater of ten , red plastic bag . concert : pride concert , an evening of jerry herman with naap .
a famous chinese story about a young couple who consummate their marriage without the approval of their parents .
he minzhuang ( m . c . noo ) - as madame cui , the mother of ying ying
an adaptation of a famous yuan dynasty play itself based on a tang dynasty short story about a young scholar who stops at a picturesque temple to study before taking the imperial examinations . there he meets the daughter of the late prime minister , mourning her father with her mother and a servant girl . the two fall in love , naturally , but when a local bandit hears of the woman ' s great beauty , he rushes out with his army and lays siege to the temple , naturally . the scholar , promised by the mother that whoever defeats the bandits will get the girl , sends for his old friend , who just happens to be a general stationed nearby . the two armies fight , and the bandit is defeated . then the scholar dreams he fights the bandit with a giant ink brush . then the mother won ' t let the two kids get married until the scholar passes his exams . then the movie ends , because only half of its ten reels survive .
an adaptation of a famous yuan dynasty play itself based on a tang dynasty short story about a young scholar who stops at a picturesque temple to study before taking the imperial examinations . there he meets the daughter of the late prime minister , mourning her father with her mother and a servant girl . the two fall in love , naturally , but when a local bandit hears of the woman ' s great beauty , he rushes out with his army and lays siege to the temple , naturally . the scholar , promised by the mother that whoever defeats the bandits will get the girl , sends for his old friend , who just happens to be a general stationed nearby . the two armies fight , and the bandit is…
the silver emulsion podcast : ep . 77 – zu : warriors from the magic mountain
erich rausch ( music director ) is a recipient of the rising star award from paper mill playhouse for music direction of once on this island . he has worked on over 500 productions as a composer , arranger , music director , director , stage manager and actor . he most recently music directed a production of spring awakening at johns hopkins university , and composed songs for the new musical mad mel saves the world at the midtown international theater festival . he was the music director for the ny premieres of brecht ' s the roundheads and the pointheads , and ray bradbury ' s fahrenheit 451 , and received excellent notices in newsday , the village voice , and the new york times for productions of a chorus line , my fair lady , and original music for beaumarchais ' s the barber of seville . revues include the everly brothers ' dream ! dream ! dream ! at the claridge in atlantic city , the carpenters ' close to you , and a lorenz hart show . he has played leading roles in over 50 award - winning shorts on the festival circuit , including remember us , everything ' s ok , and dinner and a movie at cannes in 2016 . urltoken
a rare chinese movie from the silent 20 ' s . sadly only about half the movie still exist which makes the viewing a little additional difficult to follow on top of the chinese cultural theme . but i loved the short battle scenes . intense and cool . the love story not so interesting . at least not in it ' s fragmented form . the evil dude however did get me to smile . what a twisted face !
the confucius institute at san diego state university ( producer ) was established in collaboration with the office of chinese language international council ( hanban ) . hanban is committed to making chinese language and cultural teaching resources and services available to the public and to the promotion of cultural diversity and harmony . through academic partnership with xiamen university , the ci at sdsu aims to strengthen educational and cultur al cooper ation between china and the united states . this partnership will serve to promote the development of chinese language education in the greater san diego region and baja california as a whole , while continuing to foster historical understanding and cultural collaboration on both sides of the pacific . the ci at sdsu focuses especially on teacher training . by offering both on - site and online classes , while also utilizing the most advanced language teaching pedagogy and technology , the ci at sdsu aims to establish a public face and a central environment for chinese teachers training in southern california and baja california and the greater san diego region as a whole .
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a young scholar who has traveled to the capitol in order to take the highest imperial examination falls in love with the daughter of the prime minister during his stay at a local temple in director hou yao ' s adaptation of the famous play by wang shifu . zhang sheng has prepared himself to take the ultimate test , but when a group of bandits besiege the royal family beautiful cui yingyang ' s desperate mother pledges to marry her daughter off to any man who successfully rescues her . though zhang eventually succeeds in the task , cui ' s mother subsequently reneges on her promise citing that there is no way she will allow her daughter to wed an impoverished scholar . as a result the bond between zhang and cui only strengthens , and with a little assistance from cui ' s loyal maid hong niang the couple is eventually able to shatter the traditional societal barriers that bind them . ~ jason buchanan , rovi
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wildly productive productions / bob ost ( producer ) . bob ost is the founder and executive director of theater resources unlimited , an arts organization dedicated to nurturing and educating producers at all levels of experience . an award winning playwright , composer and lyricist , he originally created wildly productive productions to self - produce his work , including cabaret shows love and laughter and the mac - nominated not quite what you expected . he branched out and produced the work of others , including the development and initial production of civil war voices by james harris , which won 8 best of festival awards at the midtown international theatre festival , and went on to a record - breaking production at the barter theatre in abingdon virginia , as well as a tour . the show was published and is licensed by dramatic publishing . he also produced the musical rip by dan furman , also in the midtown festival , and his own musical angel in my heart which was named best musical in the 2014 fresh fruit festival . bob has produced three commercial cd ' s : a special place : songs from the heart featuring broadway stars alice ripley , kt sullivan , li llias white , rebecca luker ( original cast records ) , an all - star recording of his off - broadway revue everybody ' s getting ' into the act ( fynsworth alley ) with bob cuccioli , nancy opel , mark kudisch , rebecca luker and other broadway stars , and keyes to heaven : the songs of eben keyes starring a stellar lineup of cabaret favorites including julie reyburn and heather macrae .
shela xoregos ( director ) is a freelance director as well as the artistic director of the xoregos performing company . she has discovered and premiered one acts by f . scott fitzgerald , oscar wilde , sarah bernhard t and many works by harlem renaissance playwrights . she directs for regional theaters as well as for new york companies . her productions have played at museums including the smithsonian institution , sf moma , the bronx museum of the arts and the brooklyn children ' s museum . performances have been seen in many festivals , both indoor and al fresco . in the near future : a play by racine and a program of short commissioned plays psychic fare - - comedies about fraudulent fortune - tellers and humbugs .
producer bob ost said today ,
given the current controversy about building walls , i am particularly passionate about offering a show that builds bridges . this work draws deeply on chinese culture , yet our goal is to present a beloved 13th century tale through a modern filter that will make it accessible to western audiences . and how wonderful to provide an opportunity to showcase a very talented all asian cast .
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tony romero * ( superior ) off - broadway : tokyo can can , triplets starring ruth brown and babes in toyland at lincoln center . regional credits : mame starring christine ebersole , paper mill playhouse ; anything goes , st . louis rep ; my fair lady , cleveland playhouse ; the wizard of oz , actors theatre of louisville ; scrooge starring gary beach , theatre under the stars ; the king & i starring lou diamond phillips , kansas city starlight theatre and the radio city christmas spectacular . proud aea member .
jessica wu * ( ying - ying ) : feels honored to help bring this beloved chinese tale to the ny stage . credits include : broadway ' s a chorus line , the radio city spring spectacular , shakespeare in the park , lincoln center , bam , signature , paper mill , goodspeed , sacramento music circus , tuts , pclo , kc starlight , muny , baltimore centerstage , nat ' l tours of dr . dolittle , the king and i , miss saigon , wizard of oz , and a chorus line . jessica is composer / book - writer for brass heart the musical . urltoken
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an australian sheep rancher visits the french riviera and falls in love with a russian princess who was forced into a bad marriage to save her family from the communists .
mark andrew garner ( flying tiger ) , a graduate of @ bdcnyc # prosemnation , was most recently neleus in mary poppins at alabama shakespeare festival and swing / young max u / s in the grinch who stole christmas at the grand ole opry . faves : seymour in little shop of horror ; angel in rent , ching ho in thoroughly modern millie , n . a . a . p . ' s oliver ! with baayork lee . urltoken
the silver emulsion podcast : ep . 84 – kaijune spectacular ! gamera vs . jiger
chang kung ( ge cijiang ) , a young scholar , comes to stay at a temple on his way to taking the imperial exams . also staying there is cui ying ying ( lin chu - chu ) , the beautiful daughter of the late prime minister , and her mother . as soon as chang kung catches sight of cui ying ying he’s hopelessly smitten . his studies suffer as all he can focus on is how to see her again , even resorting to eavesdropping on her conversations and climbing atop a roof to steal a glance .
partners in business and rivals in love .
not with each other , of course ( not in 1913 , anyway ) . two gentlemen have an interest in the same woman . one wins , one doesn ' t .
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this exciting n . y . premiere will feature an ensemble of asian - american actors including charles pang and jessica wu ( a chorus line ) as the beleaguered lovers , philippine - born soprano joy abalon - tamayo as the disapproving mother , mari uchida as the classic chinese matchmaker hong - niang , plus mark andrew garner , albert hsueh , jee heng liao ( anything goes off - broadway ) , tony romero ( tokyo can can off - broadway ) , musa hitomi ( the little mermaid off - broadway ) , takashi hosoi ( the king and i ) and ying zhang ( warlovers at theatre row ) .
the 2007 usa dvd release by cinema epoch has an additional original musical score composed by toshiyuki hiraoka .
albert hsueh ( hui , cheng - heng ) is thrilled to be a part of the production . originally from taiwan , albert ( ting - chou hsueh ) has been working for several years as a professional actor both in taiwan and abroad . he was cast in numerous musicals and worked with theater companies throughout asia . his most recent credit was anything goes at the mac haydn theatre .
this silent movie was my first silent movie and i was fortunate enough to see it in a classical movie theater accompanied by live classic music ( debussy ) . the movie was played during the china - amsterdam festival in amsterdam . i really liked the story and the way it was played . the facial expressions are obvious and humorous ( and you don ' t need ' sub ' titles ) . there are some ' special effects ' in the movie which i really enjoyed . i didn ' t know they could perform such effects in 1927 . for me it was a great way to experience chinese cinema and see a silent movie . add the classical music and you have a super experience . great movie , so if you got a chance : go see it .
musa hitomi ( ensemble ) is an actor , singer , dancer and choreographer based in nyc , originally from tokyo japan . her favorite credits includes , off broadway : the little mermaid , the jackie mason musical , siren ' s den : a new rock musical . regional : avenue q ( christmas eve ) , spring awakening ( martha ) , west side story , miss saigon , white christmas and mamma mia . national tour : alvin and the chipmunks the musicaland more . urltoken
st . louis : backstage bite : deluca celebrates the muny ' s 100th season w / ooey gooey st . louie bars
charles pang ( chang ) is thankful to be a part of this production . he hails from hong kong and has appeared in pasek and paul ' s a christmas story ( national tour ) , made in china ( 59e59 ) , anything goes ( phoenix theatre ) , the king and i ( maltz jupiter theatre ) and other musicals . urltoken
the production will feature music direction by erich rausch , scenic design by sal perrotta , lighting design by joyce liao , costume design by jessa - raye court , choreography by mandarin wu , and stage management by mary - cate mangum . casting by robin carus casting .
takashi hosoi ( ensemble ) is a dancer , singer and actor based in new york . originally from japan . since he moved to new york he has performed the king and i , jesus christ superstar and several dance performance in jazz roots dance company and japanese performing arts .
joy abalon - tamayo ( lady tsui ) , philippine - born soprano , has been performing in ny since 2012 . recent roles include premiering calf in kento iwasaki ' s beloved prey and barbarina in mozart ' s le nozze di figaro with dell ' arte opera ensemble . she currently sings with the salvatones under daniel brondel . lady tsui marks her debut in musical theater .
jee heng liao ( general du ) is delighted to join this production . off - broadway : anything goes at musicals tonight . ny theater : when you ' ve got a gift ( june havoc theater ) , immortal ( new york theater festival ) , foreign exchange ( the poet ' s den theater ) . international theaters : anything goes ( with asian pop star evonne hsu ) , daylight ( taiwan national theater ) . @ jeeliao
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an english lad ' s tribulation - filled journey to adulthood , based on charles dickens ' s 1850 immortal story .
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mari uchida ( hong - niang ) . a recent graduate from northwestern university in evanston , illinois , mari is making her nyc debut ! chicago credits include : tonya and nancy ( kristi yamaguchi ) , side show ( half - man half - woman ) , etc . represented by meg pantera agency .
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