EU should force the Royal Shakespeare Company to cast women in traditional male roles.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2244451/Award-winning-director-Phyllida-Lloyd-says-EU-force-RSC-cast-women-men.html

I wonder what her thoughts are on white persons blacking up to play black characters such as Othello?

[jno]

I wonder what her thoughts are on an all-male Richard III?

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/on-stage/richard-iii-2012

[sandyRoe]

I believe Helen Mirren brought something new and exciting to the role of Prospero when she played the part. Can't see a woman doing the same in the role of Hamlet, though. Who ever heard of a woman dithering and not being able to make up her mind?

[jno]

Sarah Bernardt played a famous Hamlet, on one leg too. (I expect some too too solid flesh had melted on the other one.)

[naomi24]

I think she's potty to be calling for the EU to interfere in any way with the theatre.

[DTCwordfan]

Much Ado about Nothing

Ridiculous.

[ludwig]

// Sarah Bernardt played a famous Hamlet, on one leg too //

Did she go for the Tarzan job too? I bet she had a lovely leg for the role.

[jno]

hop off, you Frogs.

[ludwig]

I think we should just have all plays performed by Dalek actors.

'MAC-BETH MUST BE EX-TERM-IN-ATED' and so on and so forth.

It would rule out all the unfairness and discrimination inherent in employing a human cast.

[andy-hughes]

I'm all for equality - but this is not equality.

This is forcing a gender issue where non exists - and I would guess the EU will have none of it. I am surprised that a woman of Ms. Lloyd's pedigree as a director would have any truck with such biased nonsense.

If this logic were to be extended, we can look forward to a stage production of The Queen, starring Brian Blessed as Her Majesty.

Another non-story for the Mail to get het up about.

[Mick-Talbot]

If this logic were to be extended, we can look forward to a stage production of The Queen, starring Brian Blessed as Her Majesty.


andy.................. you could have something there. I bet this idea gets nicked.

[Prudie]

I see this as some of those in the Arts wanting something different for no other reason than Art for Art's sake - like Matthew Bourne's all male Swan Lake.

[andy-hughes]

Indeed Mick - the imagination runs riot - Miranda Hart as Ronnie Kray, Barbara Windsor as Bruce Forsyth, Fern Cotton as Prince William - the list goes on and on ...

[sandyRoe]

Barbara Windsor might well be able to play Ronnie Kray. She'd have an acquaintance with him to base her performance on

[andy-hughes]

And Miranda Hart could play Reg Varney - she has based her act on him!

[anotheoldgit]

andy-hughes

/// Another non-story for the Mail to get het up about. ///

Not just the Mail it seems.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/9726761/Royal-Shakespeare-Company-must-be-forced-to-employ-equal-numbers-of-male-and-female-actors.html

Or is it the politics of the paper you have a problem against?

If so try this one.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/oct/19/royal-shakespeare-company-asian-actors

[andy-hughes]

AOG - your memory is playing you up!

I have mentioned several times in responses on your threads that i am a daily Daily Mail reader - delivered in fact to our home - and have been for over thirty years.

That does not blind me to exasperation with its hypocracy, its sycophancy, and its spurious moral crusades - as well as course as getting itself all worked up about issues that really don't matter at all.

I still find it a better read than its conterparts - occasionally i think of a change, but am obviously not suifficiently disenchanted to change ... yet.

[anotheoldgit]

andy-hughes

/// That does not blind me to exasperation with its hypocracy, its sycophancy, and its spurious moral crusades - as well as course as getting itself all worked up about issues that really don't matter at all. ///

Blimey Andy, I cannot even think what your feelings for all those other papers might be.