Monday, April 28, 2014

Malcolm McDowell & Harry Hamlin Acting out in "Shakespeare, Music, & Love"

By Laura Medina


People who really know this scribe, knows this scribe is a "culture vulture."

When this scribe had this rare chance to watch and review this rare constellating of both British and American stars converging together to show their love for the "Bard of Avon," William Shakespeare, this feeds this scribe's famished arts and culture vein.

It's one thing to cover an arts festival.  It is another to witness first-hand the acting prowess from the likes of Malcolm McDowell, Harry Hamlin, Ashley Bell, Michele Greene, Joan Van Ark, and Jane Seymour.  Not only did this hit this scribe why these creme de la creme of acting act in the first place but the power, the influence, and how Shakespeare resonant across centuries, cultures and languages, such as Klingon, outlasting his contemporaries in the dust.


Joely Fisher and Ioan Gruffudd emceed the production...


Where the lucky audience witnessed the wide-range of actors, from the ingenues of Ashely Bell and Sophie Winkleman reciting lines from the high school standard of "Romeo & Juliet" to established legends such as Malcolm McDowell bellowing Act V, Scene 1 from "The Tempest."



To have British actors reciting Shakespeare that is to be expected, but to witness American actor and current "Mad Men" Jim Cutler a.k.a. Harry Hamlin fully acting out Act IV, Scene 3 from "Henry V," pulling up his trouser legs then swinging out a real saber, this thespian really busted his Hollywood Hunk image, much to everyone's delight.


Even Shakespeare transcend genre and time and space when folks where treated to Jazz Chanteuse, Sherry Williams singing "All the World's Stage;" "Shall I Compare Thee to A Summer's Day;" and "Where the Bee Sucks, There Suck I," stanzas from The Bard's poems that were composed as Jazz songs in the late Fifties, by John Dankworth and Cleo Laine Shakespeare Songbook.  Sherry and pianist, John Rodby dug this gems just for this one night only.  Who knew?


Michael York provided the epilogue, "Our Revels Now are Ended," by tying up the production by reciting Sonnet 116.

Malcolm McDowell and Michael York getting together like dear old friends.

The real event was the after-party where guests, celebrities and non-celebrities happily mingled and politely lined up for mini-bowls of Shepard's Pie, finger sandwiches, and mini-tarts.  You watch the party and food in action in this Tastemade video, https://www.tastemade.com/@thearriviste/QxBv1CheRRe2IRFLR2W4jA

Cheerio and onto the the next party.


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