A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon, Thursday 29th February 2024
Among Shakespeare’s works, this romantic comic fantasy ranks as one of his greatest hits, and done well, it’s easy to see why. It’s also something that in the wrong hands, can be rather twee. Eleanor Rhode’s new production dispenses with the forest – even the fairies are reduced to tiny orbs…
The Play that I Wrote, review: Tom Hiddleston sends himself up a treat in this hilarious revival | The Telegraph
A surprise outbreak of Hiddleston-mania occurred in Birmingham at the weekend and last night, with the opening of The Play What I Wrote, one of the daftest and most delightful stage comedy shows of the 21st century, re-minted for a new generation.
Twenty years ago, it was the cameo presence of Ralph Fiennes that galvanised the press night at Wyndham’s Theatre. This time round, Rep artistic director Sean Foley – one half of erstwhile comedy duo the Right Size, who penned and first performed this arch tribute to Morecambe and Wise – had recruited another Hollywood name to guest-star: Tom Hiddleston, who proved sweetly game for a laugh. (Other big names will appear as the run proceeds.) He suffered himself to be ignored, misnamed, attired in a hideous crinoline, required to dance like a prat and send himself up something rotten.
How so? As fans of the light-entertainment giants will recall, “the play what I wrote” was the lamentable exercise in playwriting that Wise would inflict on both Morecambe and viewers, dragooning famous faces to take part. It was such an institution that it became a who’s who of actors and celebrities seeking to flaunt a sense of humour, among them Glenda Jackson, Vanessa Redgrave and John Mills.
The fool but hardy idea of Foley and fellow Right Sizer Hamish McColl was to hold onto the notion of a play within a play as a way into their homage, and then apply a circuitous route to it. In the Olivier-winning original production, directed by Kenneth Branagh, they offered versions of themselves: a double-act on the point of splitting up, a despondent McColl obsessed with being a playwright, Foley running along with the idea but slyly signing up his comedy partner to take part in a M&W tribute in a bid to keep them together. In this fresh incarnation, the present-day double-act are played by kindred spirits but not actual comedy partners: the actor Dennis Herdman and the sketch comic Thom Tuck.
Confused? You won’t be. A longstanding fan of Eric and Ernie? You needn’t be either. The show, which was written in conjunction with the stars’ scriptwriter Eddie Braben, and has been tweaked here and there to keep it up to date, achieves the near-impossible. It weaves in all kinds of nods to the comedy legends but cleaves to the basic conceit that it’s all happening on its own terms. Sustained impersonation isn’t attempted, instead we get a flavour of what the duo embodied – the squabbling familiarity of a married couple and a nicely contrasting playfulness.
Herdman, 6ft 2in, blessed with an Eric-esque physicality and quickness, and Tuck, who possesses an Ernie-like pensiveness and dreaminess, are first seen (not lying but standing upright) in a flimsily suggested bed singing a riddling ditty. Dennis swiftly announces his impending French Revolution-set playlet – A Tight Squeeze for the Scarlet Pimple. One snag is that the designated celebrity, Ian McKellen, isn’t available (he’s in panto, or the pub) and snag two is that there’s anger in the stalls from the “militant wing” of the M&W appreciation society (a multi-tasking Mitesh Soni), demanding a more overt tribute.
By the time we get to the second half, and the frisson-inducing arrival of le Hiddleston, we’ve had a welter of old-fashioned gags, verbal and visual, timed to perfection. But the best material lies in the VIP lounge area of the evening. “I did The Night Manager”, explains the bemused-acting intruder, forced to identify himself. “Really?” comes the retort. “Did his wife know?” “I am a forlorn Conte”, Hiddleston later deadpans. To which: “Hold it there, son…. Can he say that?”
This perhaps isn’t, then, the perfect family Christmas outing. But it is the ideal winter warmer for those in search of sophisticated nostalgia. “Bring me sunshine”, they sing at the end – complete with signature springing steps. They did then; they do now. You’ll laugh your head off. You may shed a little tear too.
Mr Mitesh Soni a 37-year-old executive from Surat was suffering from a slipped disk and severe back and leg pain. He was very scared of spine surgery but eventually underwent spine surgery under Dr. Sourabh Mukherjee at Shalby hospital Surat. He gives his testimonial on post op day 2
Implementing devops with microsoft azure
Implementing devops with microsoft azure Daily news Implementing devops with microsoft azure
Implementing Devops With Microsoft Azure by Mitesh Soni / 2017 / English / AZW3
Accelerate and Automate Build, Deploy, and Management of applications to achieve High Availability.
About This Book
This guide highlights tools that offer development and deployment…
THE PLAY WHAT I WROTE
The REP, Birmingham, Monday 6th December, 2021
In years gone by, the Morecambe & Wise special was a staple and indeed highlight of Christmas telly, replete with sketches, songs, dressing-up, attempts at high drama, and surprise celebrity guests. Therefore, the 20th anniversary production of this play is an excellent choice for the Rep’s seasonal show this year.
All the…
Facebook announces call for applications from non-profit organisations for its CSR grant
Latest Updates - CA Mitesh NEW DELHI: Facebook India on Wednesday announced a call for applications for its CSR initiative, Facebook Pragati - powered by N/Core (The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation). Facebook said the initiative will incubate and accelerate, early stage women led non-profits that are working in the areas of women entrepreneurship and to drive awareness and adoption of technology among women in India. This is a part of the Corporate Social responsibility mandate by the Government, where Facebook will work in collaboration with N/Core. The social media giant said Facebook Pragati will award four grants of up to Rs 50 lakh for each non-profit to scale their work. Ajit Mohan, vice president and managing director, Facebook India said: "The relative number of businesses in India run by women entrepreneurs is still very low. We are committed to helping women entrepreneurs succeed through greater access to digital platforms, funds and mentorship. Our CSR focus with Facebook Pragati will be to empower women to set-up and grow their businesses, and contribute to making the country economically and socially stronger. “N/Core believes in the massive potential of women entrepreneurs to drive innovation, create jobs, unlock the power of technology, and fuel India’s economic growth. We are excited to partner with Facebook in launching Pragati and taking a significant step towards bridging the deficit for providing essential support for women entrepreneurs.” added Akshay Soni, managing director, N/Core Accelerator.Each of the non-profits selected for Facebook Pragati initiative will get access to direct grant as resources to build an organization and scale operations for a greater impact, mentorship by an N/Core Partner - Kamakshi Rao (Partner, Ankur Capital); K R Lakshminaraya (Chief Endowment Officer of Azim Premji Foundation) and S K Jain (Co-founder, WestBridge Capital) amongst others. Facebook said the startups will also receive hands-on support in areas like technology, marketing and human resources from renowned experts and industry leaders including Facebook’s leadership team and employee volunteers besides assistance in improving the fund raising strategies. The eligibility criteria includes nonprofits that are less than 3 years old and have at least one woman founder and demonstrating a viable business plan, working in the space of women entrepreneurship and promoting use of technology in India. Chartered Accountant For consultng. Contact Us: http://bit.ly/bombay-ca