Othello/Lenny Henry

katex · 27-01-2009, 21:15

Daughter was over on Sunday, and mentioned she had booked to see Othello at the West Yorkshire Theatre starring Lennie Henry in the title part.

Now, we discussed at length this casting, and would love to see it. Could you really see Lennie doing this character without giggling as he makes his first entrance? Would love to keep an open mind but ..

"Rude am I in my speech" ...

cashman · 27-01-2009, 21:44

the mind boggles! think hes a useless allrounder.

West Ender · 27-01-2009, 23:37

My first thought was, "He's a corpser", but then I remembered that series he did where he played a teacher in a Comprehensive School. He played that very seriously and, I thought, very well.

garinda · 27-01-2009, 23:49

I think he'd be quite good in the role, so long as he can rid himself of all traces of the Brummy twang.

If an actor is good enough at their job you should be able to believe in any portrayal.

In the seventies I saw Prunella Scales as Portia in the Merchant of Venice. It only took a moment to convince me that she was Portia, and wasn't about to start shouting 'Basil!'

katex · 28-01-2009, 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by West Ender

then I remembered that series he did where he played a teacher in a Comprehensive School. He played that very seriously and, I thought, very well.

Yes agree, had forgotten about that .. he was very good in this role .. will have to keep an open mind then.

One good thing is ... he will not need that certain colour of base make-up which most actors have had to use. Just a splash of powder to stop the stage lights shining on the droplets of sweat he always seems to excrete ...

katex · 16-02-2009, 19:36

He was being interviewed on it this afternoon on the Steve Wright show . missed it, but will listen later on Iplayer.

cashman · 16-02-2009, 19:49

saw him tonight on the news,Billy must be turning in his grave.

garinda · 17-02-2009, 00:58

The whole production uses 'northern accents', it reported on the news.

Be interesting to see what the critics make of it.

steeljack · 17-02-2009, 01:11

sorry bit of a thread wander .......tried to find an old thread which mentioned using a "black" actress for the role of Nancy in Oliver Twist , the first part of the BBC production was shown last night on US television . Didn't think too much of it , think certain roles/actors stick in the mind , Alec Guiness as Fagin , Olivier (sp?) as Richard III, Sean Connery as James Bond etc .

(hopefully someone can direct me back to the original thread) thanks

garinda · 17-02-2009, 01:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeljack

sorry bit of a thread wander .......tried to find an old thread which mentioned using a "black" actress for the role of Nancy in Oliver Twist , the first part of the BBC production was shown last night on US television . Didn't think too much of it , think certain roles/actors stick in the mind , Alec Guiness as Fagin , Olivier (sp?) as Richard III, Sean Connery as James Bond etc .

(hopefully someone can direct me back to the original thread) thanks

A search for 'Shirley Bassey Nancy' came up trumps.

http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f...ing-38175.html

They showed a clip of Olivier's Othello on the news, it did seem odd nowadays. Like a seventies sitcom, with a white honky blacked up to play the darkie chap.

steeljack · 17-02-2009, 01:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

A search for 'Shirley Bassey Nancy' came up trumps.

http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/f...ing-38175.html

They showed a clip of Olivier's Othello on the news, it did seem odd nowadays. Like a seventies sitcom, with a white honky blacked up to play the darkie chap.

thats the one and the link Sophie Okonedo does the Twist - Times Online , thanks

garinda · 17-02-2009, 02:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeljack

thats the one and the link Sophie Okonedo does the Twist - Times Online , thanks

What next?

Butterfly McQueen does the Mashed Potato?

steeljack · 17-02-2009, 02:54

just think that Sophie Okenedo was miscast as Nancy, seems all the other stuff I have noticed her in has been as some "uber-left wing feminist PC politician " .

garinda · 17-02-2009, 02:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by steeljack

just think that Sophie Okenedo was miscast as Nancy, seems all the other stuff I have noticed her in has been as some "uber-left wing feminist PC politician " .

Maybe she was miscast, but as I said in the other thread, there was a sizeable black population in the East End when Dickens wrote Oliver Twist, so I have no problem with her in the part because of her colour.

steeljack · 17-02-2009, 03:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

Maybe she was miscast, but as I said in the other thread, there was a sizeable black population in the East End when Dickens wrote Oliver Twist, so I have no problem with her in the part because of her colour.

Considering that Dickens was "socially conscious" and indeed criticised for writing about the lives and living conditions of the English underclass of that era ( and also for his views on the treatment of the American negro in his book American Tales) I'm surprised there is no mention of any ethnic minority in any of his books (Fagin being the exception) , maybe racism as we know it today didn't exist in Victorian England