Michael Gambon to play first knight in Henry IV -
Gambon to play first knight in Henry IV Summary:
Michael Gambon is currently spending this summer filming the fourth Harry Potter film, but will spend summer 2005 playing Falstaff, one of Shakespeare’s most enduring characters, at the National in productions of Henry IV Parts I & II.
Article: Wizard News has a link to the following article about Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore in PoA)
Quote:
Michael Gambon is currently spending this summer filming the fourth Harry Potter film, but will spend summer 2005 playing Falstaff at the National in productions of Henry IV Parts I & II. The double bill of Shakespearean history will be the opening plays in the 2005 incarnation of the National’s extremely successful Travelex £10 season.*
National Theatre Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner will direct the plays which are believed to be previewing in April before an early May opening. Little more is currently known about the production at this time as no further casting has been announced.*
The Henry IV plays follow the struggle of King Henry IV against a rebellion enraged by his deposition of Richard II. As Henry tries to organise his armies he has little support from young Prince Hal, who is drinking and carousing with the drunken knight Falstaff and friends. Over the course of the two plays, Hal matures as his father’s grip on life and the crown starts to slip. Hal has to choose between his carefree life and good-for-nothing friends, and his family, royal line and responsibility.*
The foolish Falstaff is one of Shakespeare’s most enduring characters, appearing in a number of the Bard’s plays. His ridiculous antics and cowardly behaviour make him a classic comic character loved by many despite his obvious flaws. His infamous activities in the Henry IV plays and The Merry Wives Of Windsor even inspired Orson Welles’ 1966 film Chimes At Midnight.
Sir Michael Gambon was part of the legendary National Theatre company when the institution first began under Olivier’s direction in 1963. He was last seen on the NT stage in David Hare’s Skylight nearly a decade ago in 1995. More recently he appeared in Caryl Churchill’s cloning drama A Number at the Royal Court last year, and in Beckett’s Endgame opposite Lee Evans at the Albery earlier this year. Gambon may be most famous for his role in Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective, but he has also starred in films such as Sleepy Hollow, Dancing At Lughnasa, Gosford Park, Angels In America and Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban.
Article from the
London Theatre Guide.
Source:
London Theatre Guide via
Wizard News.