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Last week in Leeds
Posted Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Am in the middle of the play and just thought I'd write you a quick note. I'm having a great time performing in Othello. Apparently there have been good notices (I haven?t read em yet) and this has led to a real buoyancy within the company - which is lovely ,you know. If they'd been crap we?d still have had 8 weeks of touring to get through , so good reviews give everyone a spring in their step.
I?m finding the time off difficult - we finish on Saturday nights and then resume on Tuesday and even in that short space of time , you find that there are tiny things that slip from the grip of your memory - you need a couple of shows to get back on your horse, as it were.
I was talking to some A level students the other day and I saw a Black woman walk into reception-I thought -That looks like my sister Sharon-Bloody hell , it is Sharon!- and sure enough , it was. I was so chuffed -that even though she'd chosen to surprise me ,and volunteer my own flat for her digs for the night (!!!) -it was a lovely gesture. So she came to the show and had a great time , and then we went out for a curry -and then stayed at the flat -much talking , reminiscing and a good kip and then Anthony's in Leeds for brunch and more talking-it was good to see her -my family make my heart full!
She?s off now and I?ve got to nip off and do some more Moor work?
OK ? it?s the interval now ?and I?m sitting in my dressing room listening to ACDC's Back in Black-cranks me up for the second half of the show. It's good being in a company - usually when you're a comic it's just you in your pants ,back stage and a roadie or a sound guy ,moaning about how this joke or that joke didn't work-it's pretty lonely and a little depressing back stage at a comedy gig =unless you?re Russell Brand ,in which case It?s incredibly interesting -rather akin to Hugh Hefner's gaffe, or so I imagine ( I know it's not true Russell ,but I'm just like everybody else when it comes to you -is all that stuff about you for real? Cos if it is , I don't know how you have the energy to do all the stuff you do?).
The audiences for a tragedy are incredibly interesting -they respond to things in the show ,as they would in a comedy ,but they REALLY listen. To every comment and don?t miss a trick. It?s great ? you can tell when you're in a good bit of the play because you could hear a tiny pin drop ?the audience are so entranced that they almost hold their breath. How cool is that?
Apropos of nothing :
The Cast are into :
A band called Chunky but Funky , who are an old school funk band and play at a place called the Wardrobe in Leeds. V. good indeed and very danceable.
John Martyn. Richard made me a compilation CD -beautiful.
John Cooper Clarke - the sticky up jet black hair, the pointy shoes , the punk attitude to poetry ? totally on point.
Barber Be at Pirnha's head shop. He cuts heads but good.
Anthony's at the Corn Exchange -a superb dining experience.
William Boyds' Any Human Heart - Logan Mountstuart?s life story ?and then some-a superb book . Thanks Tarby for the recommendation.
The Watchmen movie-we're all quite excited.
The Reader- a good watch.
Enjoy by Alan Bennett V. weird ,but Alison Steadman v. funny.
Burn after Reading - How did I miss this on general release ?watched it on DVD at the weekend and laughed my ass off.
Have started watching the Wire again from series one - is that sad?
Can?t wait to get Mad Men series 2 on DVD...
Massive respect for Sharon, my Sis for coming all the way up to Leeds and hanging out ...
Speak soon...
peace
Len.
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guardian.co.uk - UK
Rolling-shouldered, with a stiff gait and a voice that seems to have plummeted several octaves, here is Lenny Henry's good go at Othello. ...
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Independent - London,England,UK
The main concept is celebrity casting: giving comedian Lenny Henry the role of tragic hero. Now, this might well encourage new punters to dip a toe in ...
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The Observer - UK
Lenny Henry Is Playing Othello. I tried Radios 2, 4, and Five Live. I even switched to ITV's News at Ten. Then, on Thursday, the Today programme ran a Lenny ...
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