Macbeth: Anne-Marie Duff to make her Broadway debut (NEW YORK THEATRE GUIDE)

Lincoln Center Theater has announced that the Bafta and Olivier Award nominated British actress Anne-Marie Duff will make her New York stage debut as 'Lady Macbeth,' starring opposite Ethan Hawke, in its upcoming production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, directed by Jack O’Brien.

The production will open at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on 21 Nov 2013, following previews from 24 Oct 2013, and playing through to 12 Jan 2014.

Additional casting for Macbeth will be announced at a later date.

When three witches tell Macbeth that he is destined to occupy the throne of Scotland, he and his wife choose to become the instruments of their fate and to kill the first man standing in their path, the virtuous King Duncan. But to maintain his position, Macbeth must keep on killing – first Banquo, his old comrade-in-arms; then, as the atmosphere of guilt and paranoia thickens, anyone who seems to threaten his tyrant’s crown.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/news/jl13/macbeth558073.htm

Dan Stevens: I'm based in US for now (INDEPENDENT)

16 JUNE 2013

Dan Stevens has revealed he is basing himself in America for the moment because it "makes sense" for his career.

The Downton Abbey star moved with his wife and two small children to Brooklyn while he starred with Jessica Chastain in The Heiress on Broadway recently.

Since his Downton Abbey character Matthew Crawley was killed off, he has filmed Hollywood action movie A Walk Among The Tombstones with Liam Neeson and Julian Asange biopic The Fifth Estate.

Dan said of moving to America: "I don't know about for good but we're living there at the moment. And for work it makes sense for me to be there at the minute.

"But it's good to be back. I'm coming back in the summer to shoot Swallows And Amazons, we're doing a feature film adaptation of that, but in between I'm off back to the States to do an American independent film. So I hope I can keep hopping back and forth across the pond. I enjoy both."

The 30-year-old actor produced and starred in his latest film Summer In February, a period love story set amid the Lamorna Group of artists in Cornwall. It is based on a book written by his former teacher Jonathan Smith.

READ MORE: http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/stevens-im-based-in-us-for-now-29348365.html

Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz in "Betrayal" (EYEWITNESS NEWS)

NEW YORK - Daniel Craig and his actress wife, Rachel Weisz, are teaming up on stage this year to play a married couple in a Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's play "Betrayal" about adultery.

Craig, who has played British spy 007 in the last three James Bond films including the box office hit "Skyfall", last appeared on Broadway in 2009 alongside Hugh Jackman in "A Steady Rain”.

The Mike Nichols-directed production will be the Broadway debut for Weisz, who won an Oscar for the 2005 film "The Constant Gardener" and praise for her stage performances in "Suddenly, Last Summer" and "A Streetcar Named Desire" in London.

Weisz is currently starring in the Disney box office hit "Oz the Great and Powerful."

The two British actors married in 2011 after falling for each other while working on the film "Dream House".

READ MORE: http://ewn.co.za/2013/04/06/Daniel-Craig-and-Rachel-Weisz-in-Betrayal

Battle for Broadway's Tony Awards: Al Pacino and Dan Stevens are ‘Featured' Actors? (THEATERMANIA)

The Tony Awards Administration Committee announces the eligibility of 14 Broadway productions from the current season.

By David Gordon  • Feb 15, 2013 • New York City

Who gets to tell Al Pacino that he's been deemed an "Actor in a Featured Role" for his work in the recent Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross?

Pacino was placed in that category by the Tony Awards Administration Committee in their second of four meetings to determine the eligibility of Broadway productions for the 2013 Tony Awards. The committee discussed the eligibility of fourteen productions: Grace; Cyrano de Bergerac; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; The Heiress; Annie; The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Scandalous; A Christmas Story, The Musical; Dead Accounts; The Anarchist; Golden Boy; Glengarry Glen Ross; The Other Place; and Picnic. While the decisions are often consistent with the billing credits as they appeared on opening night, a producer has the right to petition the committee to change the eligibility status of certain actors. The rulings are below


READ MORE: http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/02-2013/battle-for-broadways-tony-awards-al-pacino-and-dan_64376.html?cid=homepage_news

Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart: British actors heading to Broadway (WASHINGTON TIMES)

By Mark Kennedy-Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Serious theater fans have a reason to suddenly freak out: Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart will team up on Broadway this fall in two of the most iconic plays of the 20th century.

Producers announced Thursday that Mr. Stewart and Mr. McKellen will star in Harold Pinter’s “No Man's Land” and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” in repertory under the direction of Sean Mathias.

The Broadway theater, performance dates, the two supporting actors and the schedule of performances will be announced later.

Mr. Stewart and Mr. McKellen starred in a production of “Waiting for Godot” in London’s West End in 2009. Prior to Broadway, they’ll tackle “No Man's Land” in an as-yet-unspecified out-of-town tryout this summer.

Mr. Mathias told The Associated Press all three men struggled to make “Waiting for Godot” as honest and realistic as possible — an approach they’ll likely replicate with Pinter’s play.

“What we tried to do, with so much effort, was make it real. Make them human beings, compassionate, funny, flawed and vulnerable and cocky — all the things human beings are,” Mr. Mathias said. “We never wanted to make it esoteric. I’m sure this is how we will approach the Pinter as well.”


Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/24/ian-mckellen-patrick-stewart-british-actors-headin/#ixzz2Ix0BkuOR 
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SPOILER SPOILER Dan Stevens Has Something to Say About ‘Downton Abbey’ By DAVE ITZKOFF (NEW YORK TIMES)

Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley on “Downton Abbey.”

WITH Michelle Dockery

Be forewarned that this post deals with developments on “Downton Abbey” that British viewers are now aware of, but which have not yet occurred in the American broadcast of that series. In other words, major spoilers ahead.

Just when things were going swimmingly for Matthew Crawley at “Downton Abbey” — that aristocratic character, played by Dan Stevens, was enjoying his long-delayed wedding to Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery); his wife had given birth to their first child, a son; he was delighted by his fancy new motorcar — an automobile accident he sustained in the show’s Christmas special resulted in his demise, and ended Mr. Stevens’s tenure on the popular period drama.

Speaking with The Telegraph of London, Mr. Stevens said that his departure from “Downton Abbey” felt strange but inevitable, and that his decision to leave the series was made before he started filming its most recent season (which begins in the United States on Jan. 6).


READ MORE: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/dan-stevens-has-something-to-say-about-downton-abbey/

THE HEIRESS' Dan Stevens in Talks to Join DreamWorks' Wikileaks Film (VARIETY)

By JUSTIN KROLL

"Downton Abbey" thesp Dan Stevens is looking to make the leap to the big screen as he is in negotiations to join the cast of DreamWorks' untitled Wikileaks movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Daniel Bruhl and Alicia Vikander also star with Bill Condon directing.

Pic revolves around the Wikileaks founder who launched the whistleblowing site in 2006 and began leaking embarrassing diplomatic cables and other state secrets. Stevens will play a hacker friend of Bruhl's character who comes to work for the website.

READ MORE; http://movies.broadwayworld.com/article/THE-HEIRESS-Dan-Stevens-in-Talks-to-Join-DreamWorks-Wikileaks-Film-20121219

The Cast of Downton Abbey Takes a Royal Field Trip to See Dan Stevens in The Heiress (BROADWAY BUZZ)

By Lindsay Champion

Dan Stevens had some very noble guests in the audience at The Heiress on December 11, when a group of his Downton Abbey co-stars came all the way from England to catch his performance! After seeing Stevens’ Broadway debut as dashing suitor Morris Townsend, Downton Abbey stars Joanne Froggatt (Anna), Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Grantham), Sophie McShera (Daisy), Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham), Jim Carter (Carson) and Rob James-Collier (Thomas) gathered onstage for a celebratory photo with their Matthew. (MIA: The woman we hope Stevens will marry this season, Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary!) 

READ MORE: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/166087/the-cast-of-downton-abbey-takes-a-royal-field-trip-to-see-dan-stevens-in-the-heiress/

Dan Stevens NOT Returning to Downton Abbey! 12/10/2012 8:55 PM ET (PEREZ HILTON)

While the majority of the cast have already signed contracts for season 4 and 5, the British actor has not made his return official — and, according to sources, he probably never will.

Dan is currently appearing Broadway in a revival of The Heiress. We were lucky enough to see him on stage, and we have to admit… he's kinda the shit.

However, the fact that metaphorically reached out to the audience and stole still-beating heart from our chest durning his stage performance will NOT stop us from hating him forever if he leaves Downton!

The is an international phenomenon. His leaving will ruin EVERYTHING!

READ MORE: http://perezhilton.com/2012-12-10-dan-stevens-not-returning-downton-abbey-season-4 

Dan Stevens: Brit star toast of the town Last Updated: 12:37 AM, December 8, 2012 Posted: 12:15 AM, December 8, 2012 (NEW YORK POST)

Debonair “Downton Abbey” star Dan Stevens has become the toast of New York during his run in “The Heiress” with Jessica Chastain. We hear the thespian will be feted at a dinner next month at John DeLucie’s new restaurant Bill’s, thrown by Town & Country’s Jay Fielden. Stevens is profiled in the latest issue, out Tuesday, in which series creator Julian Fellowes says he discovered the actor in a lesser role in a BBC production of “Sense and Sensibility.” “If you can steal ‘Sense and Sensibility’ as Edward Ferrars, one of the dullest parts in the English canon, you have definitely got something,” Fellowes quips.

READ MORE: http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/brit_star_toast_of_the_town_yCJAqGsDHx0KiGbEpOx9bI

Dan Stevens' eye-popping take on his first week of "US holiday festivities Thanksgiving parades, "Black Friday" and letters to Santa" (TELEGRAPH)

By Dan Stevens
6:00AM GMT 02 Dec 2012

"The Holidays” are here again, kicked off in America in spectacular style by the celebration of Thanksgiving. Unsurprisingly, this is heralded here in the most epic, all-American way in the shape of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Lined by three million people, a two-and-a-half mile route through midtown Manhattan sees floats of every shape and size boasting Broadway shows and brass marching bands, punctuated by prodigious pneumatic manifestations of the household brands and characters that have fed the minds and stomachs of this nation’s children (and many of its adults) over the decades. Towering Smurfs are flanked by a gargantuan Pillsbury Doughboy, a titanic jug of Kool-Aid and a monumental Ronald McDonald, looming down on the crowds with a terrifyingly reassuring “thumbs up”. These are also brands that have fed the nation’s economy – indeed the giving of thanks for the “harvest” has increasingly metaphorical, commercial connotations. One can’t help but appreciate the metaphor as these giant symbols pass by; dominating view yet all hot air, kept in place only by a network of ropes held by a large, exhausted workforce.

Thanksgiving is closely followed by a grotesque, modern iteration of a “festival”. For the past decade “Black Friday” has marked the start of the Christmas shopping season, with stores opening especially early with supposedly massive (illusory) discounts to lure the hordes, with aggressive queues forming almost before Thursday’s turkey has even been battered. Two people were shot in Florida in a fight over a parking space and a friend told me, with curious pride, that in New Jersey his mother “had to punch two people to defend her shopping cart”.

(Blog owner Karen's personal observation:  No offense to Dan Stevens, but, to be fair, two people are always shot in Florida over a parking space.  We Floridians certainly don't need 'Black Friday' for that.  sheesh.  Damn, Bubba, someone just shot me in the foot.)

READ MORE:

'Dan's done with Downton': Shock for Downton Abbey fans as Dan Stevens is 'not returning to season four' By SYLVIA MULDER (MAIL ON-LINE)

Goodbye Matthew: Dan Stevens is reportedly leaving Downton Abbey, the show that made him a star

It was just announced that there will be a fourth series and an extravagant Christmas special for the popular costume drama.

But now it seems Downton Abbey will have to move on without its male romantic lead, as Dan Stevens is reportedly not returning to the hit TV series.

The 30-year-old actor, who plays Matthew Crawley, is expected to be a part of the Christmas special and the first episode of the new season, but will then leave the show.

A production source told the Sunday Express of the actor's departure, although this is yet to be confirmed by ITV.


The source told the newspaper: 'Dan Stevens isn't returning to the series. He will probably do the first episode of the fourth series, but that will be it.'

It is not yet clear how the actor will leave the show, but he is said to still be a part of the two-hour Christmas special.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2238123/Shock-Downton-Abbey-fans-Dan-Stevens-returning-season-four.html#ixzz2DHGMCsYN 
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Dan Stevens - Downton Abbey Series 4 to Hit Autumn 2013, But Will Everyone Still Be There? (SPOILER ALERT) 23 November 2012 (CONTACT MUSIC)

Christmas is best for weight gain, uncomfortable family gatherings, warmed alcoholic beverages and most importantly, period dramas. So, the news that a fourth series of Downton Abbey, including a feature length Christmas special, has been confirmed is pretty much the best Christmas gift we could ask for.

Filming for the 8 episode series is set to begin in February next year with it premiering in autumn 2013. Dan Stevens, who plays Matthew Crawley, was said to have declined to sign up for a fourth series back in October, but his character is really rather crucial to the whole affair. Having killed off Sybil and the Turkish diplomat back in series 1, another untimely death would render it rather unbelievable. New reports from the Daily Mail say that negotiations are still ongoing for the contracts of all the characters.


READ MORE: http://www.contactmusic.com/news/downton-abbey-series-4-to-hit-autumn-2013-but-will-everyone-still-be-there_3387120

Dan Stevens, Jessica Chastain at the Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS (CHANNEL GUIDE)

The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS – Nov. 22 at 9am Live (tape-delayed PT) on CBS. Kevin Frazier and Brooke Anderson of The Insider host this special that features portions of the 86th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade from New York City, as well as performances by Martina McBride. For the second year, Broadway and country music star Laura Bell Bundy will offer an additional viewpoint of the parade as an on-the-street reporter, interacting with the crowd. Stars stopping by to chat with Frazier and Anderson will include Jessica Chastain, Dan Stevens, Ed Asner, Henry Winkler and Erin Heatherton.

READ MORE: http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2012/11/20/thanksgiving-tv-specials-2012/

Dan Stevens: Theater Review: ‘The Heiress’ The rich and poor: bleak and empty By Judd Hollander (EPOCH TIMES)

NEW YORK—Watching the very gripping Broadway revival of Ruth and Augustus Goetz’s 1947 work “The Heiress,” one cannot help seeing the fatalistic resignation most of the characters carry in this story.

Based on a novel by Henry James, the play mixes family dysfunction with a debilitating cynicism.


Catherine Sloper (Jessica Chastain) lives in a Washington Square town house in 1850 New York City with her father, Dr. Austin Sloper (David Strathairn). She is a terribly shy, plain-looking girl who would rather stay home embroidering instead of going out to dances or other social functions.

Also currently living with the Slopers is the Doctor’s widowed sister Lavinia (Judith Ivey).

Catherine’s relationship with her father is somewhat strained. He often treats her in a condescending manner, having little faith in his daughter’s ability to make her own way in the world.

Catherine’s only advantage, as he sees it, is her somewhat considerable inheritance, which also makes her a potential target for fortune hunters.

This danger becomes more than a possibility when Catherine meets Morris Townsend (Dan Stevens), a handsome but poor man, who quickly falls in love with the future heiress.

Chastain paints a compelling and complex portrayal of Catherine, taking the character from an awkward young woman to one who has her illusions shattered more than once. In the end she becomes just as empty as many of those around her.


Stevens does an excellent job as Morris, a charmer and probable cad. Yet over the course of the play, he begins to develop an obvious attraction toward Catherine, much of it coming from lonely desperation. He needs the security she offers and perhaps also realizes her beauty within.

It’s a testament to Stevens’s acting skill and Moisés Kaufman’s direction that the character of Morris is so believable during his final scenes.

DOWNTON ABBEY STAR DAN STEVENS IS LINED UP AS A FUTURE 007 (EXPRESS CO.UK)

By Mel Caunter

HIS devastating good looks and gritty performances have seen fans label him the best Bond ever.
But it seems Daniel Craig has competition ...in the shape of Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens who fancies himself as the next 007.

The Daily Express understand that after making his debut on Broadway the father-of-two has being sounded out by Bond bosses who are on the look out for the next secret agent.

The news comes after Stevens, 30, who plays Matthew Crawley in the period drama, admitted he was unsure about his future in the hit ITV1 series, as he focuses on his new Broadway career.

READ MORE: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/356136/Downton-Abbey-star-Dan-Stevens-is-lined-up-as-a-future-007

Dan Stevens: Perez Reviews: The Heiress (PEREZ HILTON)

The Heiress is playing a limited engagement on Broadway and we were lucky enough to catch this production with an all-star cast that includes Jessica Chastain, David Strathairn, Dan Stevens and Judith Ivey.

Jessica Chastain can do no wrong! We love her even more now than before! She is well on her way to becoming one of the greatest actresses of her generation!

And we are now completely smitten with Dan Stevens! We've never seen Downton Abbey before, but this talented blonde Brit - yum! - got a very warm reception from the audience. He had a lot of fans in attendance, and rightfully so - Stevens quite expertly played a despicable character with so much charm, that you couldn't help but fall in love with him!


READ MORE: http://perezhilton.com/2012-11-02-perez-reviews-the-heiress-broadway-jessica-chastain#.UJUrYMXA-RY

Dan Stevens, Jessica Chastain: The Heiress Opening Night party

The after-effects of Hurricane Sandy didn't stop the Broadway opening night of Ruth & Augustus Goetz's The Heiress, which went on as scheduled on Thursday, November 1. Following the 6pm performance at the Walter Kerr Theatre, the cast, creative team, and guests headed to the swanky after party at the Edison Ballroom.

Jessica Chastain, Dan Stevens, David Strathairn, and Judith Ivey lead the cast of the revival, which is directed by Moises Kaufman. The company also includes Molly Camp, Kieran Campion, Virginia Kull, Ben Livingston, Dee Nelson, and Caitlin O'Connell.

READ MORE: http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/11-2012/matt-bomer-jessica-chastain-dan-stevens-and-more-m_63631.html#17

DAN STEVENS: The Heiress: Theater Review 6:00 PM PDT 11/1/2012 by David Rooney (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

NEW YORK – The gasps of pleasure that accompanied the stage entrance of Dan Stevens in The Heiress on press night indicated a large contingent of Downton Abbey fans in the audience. And the actor is a savvy casting choice in a part that requires beguiling charm and sufficient sincerity to keep us wondering about his character’s motives. But the good news doesn’t extend to the actress in the title role of this plush Broadway revival. An underpowered Jessica Chastain, hampered by questionable directorial choices, dilutes the emotional impact of this nonetheless compelling melodrama.


Adapted by Ruth & Augustus Goetz from Henry James’ novel Washington Square, the 1947 play won a Tony Award for Cherry Jones in the celebrated 1995 revival, and an Oscar for Olivia de Havilland in William Wyler’s 1949 screen version.

Making her Broadway debut, Chastain is not a natural fit for Catherine, the socially awkward, plain-Jane daughter of wealthy widowed medic Dr. Austin Sloper (David Strathairn) in mid-19th century New York. In her prolific burst of film work over the past two years, the lovely Juilliard-trained actress has impressed with her poise and delicacy, balancing fragility with quiet inner fortitude. But playing against type is less a problem in Chastain’s frustrating performance here than inconsistency of characterization.

As Morris Townsend, the cash-strapped gentleman whose ardent interest in Catherine causes her to blossom in a dizzying two-week courtship, Stevens is ideal. While Dr. Sloper pegs him as a gold-digging wastrel and is determined to open his daughter’s eyes to that view, Stevens brings such unsullied earnestness to the role that we want to believe in his honest intentions, just as he appears to want the same. Morris is so bewitched by the material comforts of the Slopers’ swanky home on fashionable Washington Square that he seems as much a victim of his desires as the architect of any calculated scheme.

Strathairn is also superb as Dr. Sloper, who takes his behavioral cues from his clinical profession. The insensitivity with which he treats his daughter makes it a challenge to find a glimmer of sympathy in this joyless man – as starchy and severe as his tall hat and topcoat. But Strathairn deftly reveals the pathos of the doctor, who has never been able to forgive Catherine for the death of his beloved wife in childbirth. It’s his tragedy as much as Catherine’s that his chilliness has caused her to grow up into the exact opposite of her vivacious mother.

Ivey, as always, is a consummate pro. Without any undue scene-stealing, she is a constant delight to watch. Her good-hearted Lavinia is a giggling, frivolous woman, slightly dim and a shameless flirt; even her widow’s weeds are covered in silly flounces and ruffles. But her girlish swooning over the romance in the air between Catherine and Morris masks a touching vein of melancholy. “Life can be very long for a woman alone,” she warns her niece.

READ MORE: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/theater-review-jessica-chastain-heiress-385300

Dan Stevens and Jessica Chastain's glowing review for The Heiress! (EW)

DETAILS
Opening Date: Nov 01, 2012; Lead Performances: Jessica Chastain, Dan Stevens and David Strathairn; Director: Moises Kaufman; Genre: Drama

The frizzy wig Jessica Chastain wears in the Broadway revival of The Heiress does her no favors — but that is exactly the point. Her Catherine Sloper is the plain Jane living in 1850 New York City who becomes tongue-tied in the company of everyone other than her disarming widowed aunt (Judith Ivey). Even her wealthy physician father (David Strathairn) thinks she's a drip — ''a defenseless creature without a shred of poise'' — who pales in comparison with his late wife, who died in childbirth and whom he's idealized ever since.

So when the penniless but socially adroit Morris Townsend comes courting, Dr. Sloper is naturally suspicious. But as played by Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens with a fluid American accent, Morris is no one-note cad. While he freely admits to having blown through his own inheritance and acknowledges the material benefits of a union with Catherine, he also seems to genuinely draw her out of her shell.

READ MORE: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20364394_20643906,00.html