On Stage: Branagh, the Box Office and the BardBy Christopher Rawson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 18 September 2000
Covering Cecil's Suzi Hofrichter and the Toronto Film
Festival premiere of her movie, "How to Kill Your
Neighbor's Dog," meant also spending time with the
movie's other stars, especially Bardmaster Kenneth
Branagh.
Since I'm a dues-paying member of the
Shakespeare-Academic Complex, I owe a particular debt
to Branagh. It was the success of his "Henry V"
(1989) that jump-started the recent flood of
Shakespeare movies -- Baz Luhrman's "Romeo + Juliet,"
Branagh's "Much Ado About Nothing," Trevor Nunn's
"Twelfth Night," Michael Hoffman's "Midsummer Night's
Dream," Julie Taymor's "Titus Andronicus" and even
John Madden's "Shakespeare in Love," to name just
some of the best.
So imagine my dismay when Branagh said at Saturday's
press conference that he was "giving Shakespeare a
bit of a rest." Granted, it was a passing response to
a question from an Italian
journalist about his musical "Love's Labour's Lost,"
which she thought wasn't out. "It was released to an
indifferent public earlier this year," Branagh joked,
"though it will soon be out on DVD for my family."
At the Tony Awards in June, Branagh had told me his
next Shakes-pic would probably be a futuristic
"Macbeth," but that the financing might depend on
"Love's Labour's Lost." So Saturday
I asked if that commercial failure might stymie
"Macbeth," and he said it was still in his (distant?)
plans.
He noted that (oddly, given its popularity) "Macbeth"
hasn't featured among the recent films. He also just
did an audio version of Richard III and is
enthusiastic about playing it -- but probably on
stage, since he figures Ian Mc- Kellen's "Richard III"
and Al Pacino's "Looking for Richard" have saturated
the market for now.
Now, here's an odd parallel. Just as Branagh catalyzed
the contemporary Shakes-pic scene, it was Laurence
Olivier, with his own "Henry V" (1944) and "Hamlet,"
who catalyzed an earlier spurt
-- Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" and "Taming
of the Shrew," Roman Polanski's "Macbeth," and more.
But Olivier never did make the "Macbeth" movie he
planned in the '50s.
Why? Because in 1953 he had a great flop with a movie
of "The Beggar's Opera," a musical with himself in the
lead. Financing for his "Macbeth" immediately dried
up.
Let's hope that history doesn't repeat itself!
By the way, I found "Love's Labour's Lost" minor but
charming. Some of Branagh's choices are odd (Alicia
Silverstone), but some are genius, especially the
concluding newsreel and Adrian Lester. The DVD
version will include four more Shakespeare scenes,
including the play-within-the-play, which was cut
because, "when we added the songs, they didn't work --
it became a different kind of film." Branagh says the
movie suffered because "it became not cool ...
at critics' screenings, it was almost as if they were
embarrassed to like it."
SEVEN DEGREES OF PITTSBURGH: Also starring in
"Neighbor's Dog" is Lynn Redgrave, who perked up at
the mention of Pittsburgh. She's written a play, "The
Mandrake Root," which premieres (with her in the cast)
Jan. 31 at New Haven's Long Wharf Theater, with CMU
faculty Michael Olich as set designer.
Deep in the credits for "Neighbor's Dog" I spotted Jay
Brazeau, memorable from several years at the Three
Rivers Shakespeare Fest, especially as Cyrano de
Bergerac. Brazeau plays a proctologist -- lots of
comedy there.
Best of all: On top of everything else in Toronto, I
squeezed in the first act of "The Lion King." My
object was to see Pittsburgh's adopted son, Ric
McMillan, playing the villain, Scar. What fun! What
role could allow McMillan such lip-smacking flourish
and verbal command? Who could be better in the role,
anywhere?
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