#Wolf hall is a dark comedy deep down

[historyartthings]

Tumblr has sabotaged me and utterly ruined the timing of this by not allowing you to upload two videos at once, so I’m forced to just link it

But this:

Immediately reminded me of this (if you skip to 45 seconds in):

[hamster-damn]

Overture

Ikemen Vampire: Mozart / MC

Rating: 18+

Word Count: 2690

Summary: Steam in the music room w a touch of comedy our 2nd favorite tandem, the English writer and the Japanese poet!

FIRST FIC ALERT . Its my first time writing any fics... And anything smutty for that matter.

I had a ton of fun writing this!!!

Do let me know if it is  o k a y  or if it needs improvement. ✌🏻🥴

Finally, her last chore of the day: deliver Isaac’s midnight snacks. 

As she climbed the stairs to deliver Isaac’s sandwich and blanc, she heard a faint piano melody coming from the other end of the hall: Mozart’s music room. It was slow, light, and performed with enviable evenness- fit for a slow dance under the stars. ‘I might as well bring him some snacks too’ she thought.

Moments later, she came back from the kitchen with a box of chocolates, 2 cups of freshly brewed coffee, and a vial of rouge.

The hall was silent, with light leaking from the slightly opened door of the music room,

“Wolf, I brought some snacks”, she called out before pushing the door open to enter the room.

The windows were open, and the curtains were fully tucked to the sides. The cool evening breeze brushing into the room, and the light from the chandelier subtly illuminating the pristine white and gold grand piano.

She placed the tray on the nearby table and glanced again around the room, he was nowhere in sight.

She approached the piano and placed a hand on the keys, gliding slowly upon the tips of her fingers. ’I missed this’

Being a former pianist herself, she had adored this instrument since the first time she laid eyes on it. Gorgeous and white, oh how she wished she had the same one back home.

She turned to the door, still no Mozart. 

'It wouldn’t hurt to play, I guess. I just need to keep it low.’ she thought before propping herself on the bench. Gasping at the full view of the beautiful instrument.

She took a breath. Letting muscle memory take the lead, she started playing a favorite of hers, Chopin’s Nocturne - op.9 no.2 in EbM.

Pianissimo. Pianissimo. 

Just as Mozart left Jean’s quarters, he heard a faint piano melody. He frowned, baffled by the audacity and stupidity, ‘Who in his right mind - even left the door wide open.’ 

But as the music grew, so did his curiosity. This music wasn’t from his own composition.

Pianissimo. Pianissimo.

Despite the constant reminder to herself, she eventually lost herself in the piece. Emotion poured as she played, ever so slightly changing the dynamics of the piece to her liking. The world around her disappeared.

Mozart was by the door, surprised by the sight of his love on the keys,

‘She can play?’ He had so many questions.

He walked past behind her until he got to the seats. Nothing. She was fully immersed in the music.

So he sat there, enthralled by both the music and the view.

Her fingers danced on the keys. Soon enough, the melancholic melody filled the room and seeped to the hallway. She finally reached the last chord. The last note.

She lifted her hands from the keys and rested them to the side, anchoring herself to the seat. She sighed. A soft smile painted her lips. Contented and relaxed on the bench.

‘Oh, did it feel good to play again.’

“Your cadenza could use more practice. You’re dragging, but good, nonetheless.” an insult from an all-to-familiar voice broke the silence, sending a chill down her spine. She turned in her seat, surprised.

“Wolf! H-how long have you been-” eyes wide, she found Mozart, legs crossed, seated by the table with a cup of coffee in hand,

“Quite some time now.” He said as he quirked an eyebrow and pushed a piece of chocolate into his mouth.

She was too engrossed in playing, she hadn’t noticed Mozart enter the room.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.” she fumbled and motioned to stand from the bench, preparing to make a run for it while trying to form a good enough excuse.

Mozart raised his hand, gesturing her to stop as he slightly choked on the chocolate he was eating,

"Stay.”

She gave him a good stare before sitting back down on the bench. She turned to face him, hands on her lap, guiltily fondling her skirt.

She knew Mozart didn’t like people touching his things, especially his music - his piano.

She gave off a light sigh as she lifted her head to the sight of Mozart handing her her coffee,

“Drink, it’ll get cold.”

She took the cup from him. It’s still warm, but not as hot as how she wanted it to be.

Mozart sat back down, fingers now cradling his jaw, arm leaning on the table, “So, what are you calling it?”

She slightly shook her head and stared at him in question.

“What is the name of the piece?” He asked again.

“Oh- Nocturne in Eb Major. I didn’t compose it though. It’s Fryderyk Chopin’s-”

Her lips curled up just by talking about it. Then she noticed Mozart’s bewildered look,

“He came, roughly, a couple of decades after you.”

He nodded, “Hmm. It’s a beautiful piece.”

He reached out for another piece of chocolate, and popped it into his mouth, trying to hide his growing jealousy of how enthusiastically she spoke of another man.

“It is. In fact, it is one of my favorites to play. Your music influenced his, and many more, you know?” She smiled brightly at Mozart before taking a sip of her coffee.

He felt his cheeks lightly flush at the compliment. Little did he know how big an impact his music has made on the world, centuries after his mortal soul passed.

Mozart cleared his throat. “You, on the other hand, never mentioned you can play?”

He stared hard at her, as if feeling cheated.

Her smile faded into a look of embarrassment. She sunk her face to meet her rising hands that cradled the cup, and drowned herself in coffee.

The last thing she would’ve ever wanted was to receive criticisms from people, especially Mozart, knowing how much of a perfectionist he was when it came to music.

“I just know a bit. There’s still a lot for me to learn.” she chuckled to her now empty cup.

Mozart let out a smirk. He obviously didn’t believe her. Her humility and simplicity always made his heart skip a beat, falling for her even more. He liked that about her.

Mozart grabbed a piece of chocolate from the box, left his seat, and made his way behind her. “Oh lamb,”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, and the other, finger lightly traced along the length of her spine- from her nape, down to the curve of her back, causing her to arch her back and release a soft moan. 

Ahh.

As soon as her mouth opened, he stuffed the chocolate in.

“Your posture”

He bent over to nuzzle her neck, breathing her sweet scent in. Her heart beating wildly as he growled and nipped her ear.

“Your control”

He pulled the cup from her grasp, letting her hands drop gently on the keys.

“and fingering tell me otherwise, meine liebe.”

He holds her chin between his fingers, tilts her face for their eyes to meet.

“Du kannst mich nicht täuschen.” / “You cannot fool me.”

He stepped away to set the cup on the table, leaving her flushed from ear to ear, and her breathing heavy and erratic. 'What a tease!’

“Go on now. Play.” He demanded. 

She froze in her seat and chose to ignore his request. She rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh, quietly whispering to herself, “der penner.”

“I really can’t, but thank you anyway.” She closed the cover of the piano.

She patted her skirt down, stood from the bench to leave the room,

“Indeed, it has been a wonderful evening, Herr Moza-ah!”

Mozart interrupts her by pulling her by the wrist, and winding an arm around her waist to keep her still. Her palms braced on his chest.

“Hmm-” He tucks an errant lock of hair behind her ear and cups her cheek,

“First, you touch my music. Then, my piano. ” He pulls her in closer, the air between them getting hotter,

“Now, when I asked you to play, you call me a jerk and try to run away. ”

He looked directly into her eyes, studying her. 

“What am I going to do to you?”

She looks away from those intense violet eyes, her cheeks blush a bright pink. 

“I’m sorry, okay? Lesson learned-”

Mozart placed a finger on her lips, bringing back her gaze to meet his eyes that burned with passion and need.

“A lesson you shall learn then.”

He leaned in for a deep and gentle kiss, his tongue parted her lips, in search of hers. He pulls her in just a bit more as he slides his thigh in between her legs. 

She grasps his shirt, breaks the kiss and gasps at the sudden friction between her legs, “Wolf-”

Panting, he buries his face in her neck, breathing in her sweet scent and sucking gently along her pulse. His fangs emerge, grazing her skin ever so gently as he unbuttons her blouse one by one.

“Wolf, wait-” she gently pushes him as she hears voices in the hall. “-please, the door.”

He growls, breaks his hold on her, and heads for the open door, immediately switching the light off in the music room. He eyes Arthur and Dazai walking down from the parlor. 

“Wolfie! Done for today, yeah?” Arthur exclaims, “Fancy getting some drinks with us tonight?” 

Dazai eyes Natalia behind Mozart in the shadows of the dark room, clutching on to the top of her blouse. He places a hand on Arthur’s shoulder, “Now, now, Artie, Mo-kun looks exhausted. Some other time, no?” He looks at Mozart and flashes him a warm smile, pulling Arthur away. The two got out of sight. 

With a sigh, Mozart closes the door behind him. His eyes darken as he turns back to her. 

“This-” his hand trails, ever so slowly unbuttoning the remainder of her blouse, “-is for my eyes, and my eyes only”. He pulls it off, dropping it on the marble floor.

As he presses her against the piano, he slides his thigh back between her legs, mouth traces hungrily against her jaw- nipping and grazing. She trembles beneath his touches, and her head tilts giving him full access. “No, not yet-” Mozart pants in between kisses “-not there”. He nips, tracing down from her neck, her collarbone, to the swell of her chest.

In one swift motion, he unlocks and tugs her bra off. His mouth closes over a taut nipple, sucking harshly and tugging. She moans. Hands threading in his hair, and head falling back. “Shi-ah!” Her hips involuntarily buck, firmly pressing against his erection.

He ran his fingers along the hem of her skirt, lifting it to caress and squeeze the back of her thighs. He looks up at her, voice low and eyes burning with desire, “May I?” 

She cups his flushed face in her hands, “my love, I am yours.”

He shifts and lifts her, half-sitting on the white and gold piano. He sinks down to his knees, and nuzzles his face into the inner side of her knee. Peppered nips and kisses travel inner thighs, riding her skirt up in the process. He tugs both her skirt and her underwear off- the tantalizing scent of her arousal goes straight to his core, driving him to the brink of insanity.

He hooks a leg over his shoulder and lightly blows on her soaked sex. She shivers from the tease, firmly gripping him by the hair, “Wolf, please-”, she begs for more.

More it shall be.

Before she can manage a full breath, his hot tongue deliberately glides across her glistening slit, and his lips close against her throbbing clit. With every pass, his tongue pushes in deeper past her lips, and his lapping, less sparing than the previous.

She shudders in his arms, moans growing frustratingly louder.

And with a bite that almost breaks flesh, she forces out a loud cry, causing her knees to buckle. Almost.

He catches her mouth in his, pushing his tongue in, almost instantly muffling her frustrated cry, while giving her a taste of her own arousal. Her hands fondle with his shirt, impatiently removing it. Then to his belt. As soon as she unbuckles it, he grabs her by the wrists and drapes her hands around his neck.

He slides one- two digits into her heat, groaning in her lips at how tight she was.

In and out, he slides and curls his fingers at a painstakingly slow tempo- Lagro.

Her hips jolted at the maestro’s touch. 

She nuzzles his neck, planting torrid kisses and lightly bites his ear lobe. She whispers between gasps, “Please-” 

“Please, what?” His voice low and husky, keeping the tempo but increasing the pressure.

“I need you” her hand slips down his chest, his taut abdomen, and to the distended area of his pants. Her warm hand palming his erection through the fabric.

“I know you do” He chuckles into her ear as he unbuttons his pants with his free hand, chucking them completely off.

He pulls his digits out of her and grabs her by the back of her knees, hooking her legs around his waist. He pulls her a little closer, and just a little over the edge of the piano. 

He guides his member, and rubs his head along her slick folds, teasing. He clings onto her hips, he lets out a near-silent moan as he sinks deep into her to begin a swift and harsh tempo.

Her back arches from the sheer pleasure. And her moans, louder and more erratic as her hips are in tempo to meet his, forcing her deeper and faster onto him.

His breathing grew heavy, muffling his growls into her neck. He feels her clutching him tighter as the familiar waves of pleasure build up in her. 

“Mein schatz,” he rumbles before kissing her hard. Slamming in deeper and faster, “hold on tight.”

She screams and her head falls back as she goes over the edge. He follows her only a few seconds later, pounding her deep, and grinding her against the piano as they ride the waves of ecstasy.

Still trembling, she pulls her head back, stares at him and cups his face in the palms of her hands.

His silver hair disheveled by her own hands, now shines as he basks under the moonlight. And his usual stoic eyes, now dark with lust and desire. 

“God, I love you.” she barely whispers through her strained voice.

He intertwines her hands in his, taking it to his lips and kissing them both as he murmurs and groans,

“God knows I love you too”

He brings her hands to her side and plants a kiss on her lips and gazes deep into her eyes, “- I love you more than anything.”

But just when she thought it was over, his hips started thrusting again- this time, slow and deep.

She trembles and whines with every pound, throwing her head back again, feeling the aftershocks of the climax build into a new wave of pleasure. 

“Ah!”

His breathing is heavy. He leans in and buries his face between her neck and shoulder blade. Trailing it with nips, and grazing it ever so lightly with his fangs. 

And just before she could call out his name, his fangs break her skin.

Her hands frantically grip the edge of the piano as he sucks greedily, muffling his moans on her skin. Waves of hot pleasure rush through her, leaving her numb and trembling in broken moans as he pumps into her.

He releases his bite just before he loses control, and pulls his now softening member out of her.

He cups his hands on her face, caressing her cheeks with his fingers. She limply trembles beneath his touch.

"Have you learned your lesson, meine liebe?”

She places her arms over his shoulders, clasping them behind his neck, “Well, that was uncalled for.”

She chuckles then plants a kiss on his forehead. “You know, maybe I haven’t?”

He lifts her off the piano, picks up her blouse, and wraps it around her shoulders.

“How stubborn can you get?”

[annaadamsauthor713]

What We Do in the Shadows Movie Review

Opening Thoughts

I am so excited to get to return to doing Movie Reviews! I wanted to start off with my most favorite vampire movie of all time; What We Do in the Shadows. This movie is, in my humble opinion, the overall best vampire movie ever made, and I will fill this post with my arguments for this.

Watching Thoughts (Spoiler Alert!)

Such detailed sets and costumes. Lots of love with into this. The first reason this is the overall best vampire movie is because so many different types of vampires are represented, meaning it doesn’t matter what kind of vampires you like, there’s a character in there for every vampire fan. Relate-able. I also have an extreme aversion to dishes. ‘Vampires don’t do Dishes’ is a new motto of mine. Vlad is definitely the most quotable vampire. So many hilarious lines like ‘I was known as Vladislav the Poker.’ I LOVE the opening music in this. Another great thing I love about this movie is the human emotion these vampires seem to explode with. Ah yes, gotta have the sweet vampire x human love story for those romance lovers. Perfectly punctuated with an awkward trumpet. Something that people like to try to hide is the fact that vampires are awkward. By removing all humor, most vampire movies come off as waaaay too hoity-toity. This movie doesn’t take itself so seriously that they can’t make us laugh and enjoy the story they are telling us. They also make fun of the trope that vampirism makes you immediately a hunk or babe. A Trope which I think is a damaging thing. It keeps vampires boring and gate-kept. Where’s my cleft lip vampires? My midget vampires? Vampires with acne scars? Vampires who aren’t the hottest hottie hot who ever hotted hot? What We Do in the Shadows doesn’t have a glass ceiling saying who can and can’ be a part of the hellish legions. I would like a more in-depth look into the media of this universe. If they can find a vampire feeding on a man in the street, what is daily life for humans like there other than needing door-men to keep vampires out of the bar? Why are humans still in town? Does the vampire hunter that comes in later get paid? Is that is day job? And is Anne Rice a vampire in this universe? (Jackie named her daughter Akasha so we have to assume Anne Rice was still famous but was she still human?????) Ah, pedo hunter. That is one of the jobs I would love to have if I was a vampire. Clean up those streets! How does Jackie’s hubby feel about his wife having a master? Viago is a wonderful vampire but I find his method of finding prey to be the creepiest of the flat-mates. He reminds me of the boys who would pretend to like you while they orchestrated how to get you in bed. Every moment had a motive, and no matter what you said about your wants or needs, he’s going to take what he wants. Especially in modern times, vampires are a way to hide our sexuality in fiction, and the manipulative undertones of the romantic vampire did not escape my notice. Peter moves so smoothly through the window all I can imagine is him being pushed on a skateboard to get that silhouette. Which makes me laugh every time. The dinner scene is my favorite. Absolutely hilarious notes on virginity, mispronunciation of spaghetti, a great and blatant theft from the Lost Boys, and some really great special effects. By far the funniest scene in the movie. Not to mention, it runs into the best dance sequence of all time lol. Deacon and I would be best buds. As you may end up noticing in my novels, I am HERE for vampire turning scenes. I love how different it is for every story and even every vampire. Such a personal and extreme experience. I love it. When I was a kid I loved the idea that vampires can fly, but now that I am an adult I can only accept it if vampirism is a magical infection, not a scientific one. Luckily, these vampires can do all kinds of magic tricks so it’s fine and doesn’t bother me. Stew tickles me pink. He’s so confused. What would a modern vampire story be without the dance club? Sad and without dancing, that’s what. What is the point of living forever if you don’t truly enjoy the arts? I like the idea that the arts move vampires differently than people because it is the only way they can truly connect to humans, and their eternal lives allow them to have deeper layers of emotions that are stroked by artistic immersion. We even get a little vampires vs werewolf action for those who like that enemy dynamic (even though vampires and werewolves are rooted in the exact same myths, let them keep imagining this fight. Says a lot about the nature of humans to fight the self.) If a lion can be friends with a gazelle when not starving, so can a vampire be friends with a person, and I am here for it. Go Stew. Deacon and Nick are so similar in the root of who they are. Deacon is jealous of Nick and Nick is jealous of Stew. Deacon is just older and more careful. I would be a terrible vampire. People already grow up too fast around me while I sit in my house in dark rooms lol. My human pets would die left and right while I just kinda lost sense of time. Enter the other reason this movie is so good. Up until now it has been very funny with a few moments of gore and questionable morality. But now we get to see some sadness, which no vampire movie should be without. This movie balances humor with some gut wrenching scenes, like here where Nick can’t eat his favorite food anymore. They take a funny puking scene and make it sad and relate-able. The romance of vampires is stripped in this movie and they are shown for us for what they truly are or can be if we just let them; complex, strange, sat monsters that can hold our secret human feelings. Vampires help us explore humanity, sexuality, and mortality. They are our fears and our desires. They are us. Death is what all vampires truly embody. Our fear of death and the inevitability of it. Our desire to live forever no matter the cost, and the horrid truth that no matter how long you live, the sun will find you one day. The head blur was a good and simple trick to simulate turning a head 180 degrees. Even the vampires reacting to a house visit from the police is relate-able. ‘You will not notice anything out of the ordinary,’ she said under her breath, scooting the bong under the couch with her foot. They are very good at softening very sad scenes with humor, and toning down funny scenes with sadness, another thing many vampire movies struggle to do. I would have loved a little promo pamphlet of Wellington Vampire Laws. I would have read that shit out of that. We all have our Beasts, lol. I love that the ball is held in just some rental hall like a regular ol wedding or something. Not in a cemetery or an old gothic hall. Nope, there’s finger sandwiches and banners. I wish they would have touched on the fact that they treat witches as inhuman? I wanna know more. Again, vampires embody our fear of death, which includes our fear of age. It is inevitable, that as you age, you will outlive your friends, or they will outlive you. No one escapes without losing someone. Vampires allow us to face and figure out that fear a little bit (hopefully) before it happens to us and our loved ones. Loss is universal. No vampire movie could contend for overall best without exploring loss and how it deeply effects our lives. And we can’t feel loss without first feeling love. Loss and love are at the heart of what a vampire needs to touch our hearts. Without it they are just monsters. But a perfect movie wouldn’t end on a sour or somber note, in my opinion, and What We Do in the Shadows delivers a lovely and light-hearted wrap-up to the best vampire movie ever made.  

Closing Thoughts

It doesn’t matter what kind of vampire fan you are, whether you’re an Anne Rice fan, only like pre-1900’s vamps, a fan of the vamp vs wolf stories, or a twi-hard, you have something for you in this movie. If you like romance, or the chase, or drama, or comedy, you have something for you here. If you like theater art or music, this movie has lots of special effects, acting tricks, and amazing music. It explores deep themes while never losing the pace of humor. It has adult jokes but not so many you couldn’t show it to your mom. And the credits aren’t boring, filled with more scenes and great jams. Leave a comment, reblog, or send me an ask and tell me; what do you think is overall the best vampire movie ever made. Do you agree with me or do you have something else in mind?

[mss4msu]

“Do I Wanna Know?” (Chapter 7)

Summary: On a visit to a local nightclub, the lounge singer catches your eye. Soon becoming a regular at the club, the way you look on the dancefloor gets his attention. You begin to hear stories about the notorious crime lord who owns and operates the small nightclub. When your friends worry that you’ve gotten mixed up with a mobster, you wonder if it’s better to be left in the dark and find yourself asking, “Do I wanna know?” if you’re getting involved with one of the most revered mobsters in the city. 

Pairing: Mobster!Bucky x Reader

Words: 1807

Warnings: Language, Reference to Violence

A/N: Because I know what’s going to happen, writing this chapter was a struggle bc I just wanna get to the good stufffffff. Thanks for keeping with me babeyeeeees. 

Read the Full Story Here

You spent the entire night over the toilet, your body alternating between bouts of vomiting and intense shaking that caused your whole body to convulse. The scenes of what you had seen replayed in your head and you gagged each time you thought of how hard James had beaten that man. After several bouts of dry heaving, everything went dark.

You awoke to the feeling of the cold tile floor on your cheek. You tried to push yourself up, but your head began to pound violently. You saw a bottle of water in front of you and reached for it, you didn’t know where it had come from, but figured you must have grabbed it from the car on the way home last night.

You contorted your face trying to remember what had happened the night before, which only made the blood in your head beat harder. You forced yourself to lean against the wall and put your head between your legs, praying for the pounding to stop just for a few minutes so you could gather your bearings. You took deep breaths in and out until the pain behind your eyes finally started to subside. 

Once the pain was gone enough for you to think somewhat clearly, you began to go through the events of the night before. You had had a terrible day at work, and so you decided to go to see James at the club, you remembered that bit. You left work and had Peter take you home to change and then he took you for food and then to the club, you could picture that clearly enough. That’s when things got a bit fuzzy. You remembered getting to the club, someone leading you in, you couldn’t quite place the face in your mind, and getting a table in the front. You knew you had drinks brought to you, but you couldn’t recall the number or the contents. You had watched James sing, and the song had been catchy, but you couldn’t think of even one line from it. The song had ended, and you remembered sitting at the table and continuing to drink, but then nothing. You weren’t sure if you had seen James at all, you didn’t exactly know how or when you’d had gotten home, and you couldn’t figure out why you had woken up in the bathroom. 

You heard a faint buzzing, and after realizing it wasn’t your headache, you began to reach around for your phone. It stopped vibrating just as you finally had it in your hand. You brought the phone close to your face, trying to get your eyes to focus on the screen. You had two missed call notifications from James and a few texts from him as well. You unlocked your phone and opened your messages. 

“(Y/N)! Are you alright? You had quite a bit to drink at the club, so I called Peter to pick you up. I asked him to let me know when you were home safe, and he did, but I want to hear it from you too.” -- Saturday 12:02AM

“Don’t forget to drink some, or a lot, of water and maybe take some Advil. I’ll get to the bottom of who was in charge of giving you so many free drinks.”  -- Saturday 12:03 AM

“Hey, (Y/N). Still haven’t heard from you and wanted to be sure you’re feeling alright after last night.” -- Saturday 8:17AM

Your lips twisted up into a smile at how considerate James was to be checking in on you. You sat for a moment with your eyes closed, thinking about how to respond. Finally you typed back:

“Hi James, I’m not feeling my best, but I’m feeling a lot better than I was just a bit ago. Thanks for checking in on me and making sure I got home safe. I hope I didn’t do anything too embarrassing last night, because I can’t seem to remember even if I did” -- Saturday 8:22AM

“Of course. I’ll have some food delivered to your apartment if you think you can stomach it. After all you drank, I’ve got to think you’ve got quite the hangover.” -- Saturday 8:22AM

Your stomach rumbled as you read his text.

“James, you really don’t have to do that, but I appreciate the thought.” -- Saturday 8:23AM

“You bet, doll. I’ll see you later this week. Take care of yourself.” -- Saturday 8:23AM

“Ok” --Saturday 8:24AM

You forced yourself up from the floor and clung to the walls as you slowly walked yourself to the kitchen, your head taking up its pounding beat from earlier. You fixed yourself a bowl of dry cereal and moved to the couch, gingerly laying down and placing the cereal on your stomach. You took a handful of it in your hand and stuffed it in your mouth, chomping away quickly, trying to appease your stomach. You finished your cereal and got more comfortable on the couch, quickly falling asleep. 

You woke up to the buzz of your phone next to you. It was the number for the front door, and you answered hesitantly. 

“Hi, I have an order for (Y/N) (Y/L/N),” the voice in the phone said. 

“Ok,” you said groggily, slowly sitting up, “Be right there.” 

You got up and went to the door, the only shoes you could find were your Louboutins from James. You shoved your feet into them and hurried downstairs to the door.

“Here you go,” the delivery person said as they handed you a large bag. 

“Thanks?” you took the bag and went back up to your apartment.

You sat back down on the couch and opened up the bag on your coffee table. On top was a single white rose. You brought it to your nose and inhaled deeply before gently setting it down and seeing what else was in the bag. You pulled out a large bottle of gatorade and immediately unscrewed the cap and took a long drink of it. Next, you grabbed a large container and one smell upon opening it let you know that it was bacon mac and cheese. You found a smaller container filled with chicken noodle soup. One last container had a giant chocolate brownie in it. 

You picked up your phone and took a picture of your haul, and sent it to James along with a message that said:

“Thanks! This should revive me from my deathbed in no time.” -- Saturday 7:24PM

While James normally responded between minutes, you stared at your phone for three minutes waiting for a reply that didn’t come. You locked the screen and grabbed your tv remote. You put on the first comedy you saw and dug into the mac and cheese. Every minute or so you would pause to check your phone, but you still didn’t hear anything from James. You began to worry that maybe you had fucked something up while drunk. You put a movie on and tried to focus on the plot. When you decided to give up and just go to bed, your phone finally lit up. 

“Glad to hear it.” -- Saturday 11:47PM

Your fingers hovered over your keyboard as you tried to think of what to respond. You ultimately decided not to send anything, as you were too tired to carry on a conversation anyway. You got off the couch, put the leftover food in your fridge, got ready for bed, and then flopped down on your bed. You fell asleep quickly. 

You awoke in a cold sweat in the morning from the most vivid dream:

You were at the club and had wandered down a long hallway full of locked doors until you found a room at the end of the hall that was unlocked. You pushed open the door and a wave of blood flooded over you. You looked up from the blood washing over you to see James repeatedly beating a man. When James looked up at you, his eyes were pitch black and he had a terrible, evil grimace on his face. He came quickly at you, and you stumbled back down the hallway. You tripped and fell and James caught up to you. You woke up before you saw his face again.

You grabbed your phone, getting onto Instagram and going to the White Wolf and the Howlers page, needing to get the terrifying look of the James from your nightmare out of your head. You were able to calm down as you scrolled through the photos of the band and as you got out of bed and went about your day, the nightmare was all but forgotten. 

On Monday, Peter Parker picked you up at your usual time. After exchanging the usual formalities, you sat in silence, wondering if you should ask him about Friday. For the sake of professionalism, you decided against it and continued the ride without speaking. When you got off the elevator at your floor, the new front desk person waved you over. 

“Ms. (Y/L/N), I have a delivery for you.” 

“Oh, thanks?” you responded with confusion, taking the box from them.

You walked quickly to your office, keyed in, and set your bag down so you could attend to the box. You opened it and found the signature James white rose inside. Under the rose was a file folder. You opened it and found a handwritten note on top which read:

“(Y/N), my apologies, but I will be traveling this week to check in on the investments you have already established for me and thus will not be able to meet with you in person. I’ve enclosed my itinerary for the week and will be in touch if I deem any of the companies undesirable upon meeting with them in person (of course, I’m sure I won’t as I know how hard you’ve worked on this, but one needs to be sure). Best, James”

Your stomach dropped at the idea that you wouldn’t be seeing James for at least a week and at how formal his note had been. You instantly began to worry again that it was because of something you had done Friday night. 

You took the note out and found an iPad inside the folder. You opened it and found James’s itinerary and synced documents with your notes about each company. He was meeting with Oscorps Monday, SHIELD Tuesday and Wednesday, Pym Technologies on Thursday, and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics on Friday morning. He had all of his arrival times scheduled, and it said he would be back Friday night at 6:00pm. At 9:00pm he had put that he was performing at the club. Your breath fluttered and you took this as a sign that everything was alright. 

CHAPTER EIGHT

Do I Wanna Know? Tag List:

@mrooks0205​ @shann-the-artist-moon​ @ashtheteenagewitch​ @abschaffer2​ @nootrishus​ @brilliantbellesoares​ @celestialstarshadow​ @yallneedtrek​

Bucky Barnes Tag List:

@basementcafe​ @ria132love​ @courtmr​ @jobean12-blog​ 

Permanent Tag List:

@sophiealiice @mrsdeanwinchester19 @thisismysecrethappyplace @ailynalonso15 @221bshrlocked @hazellnut94 @libbymouse @nerdypinupcrystal @hufflepuffchloe @nerdy-bookworm-1998 @dibsonamericasass

[aliciaadamson]

Crocodile fever (design matrix)

External references 

Tayto Cheese and Onion crips

Superking Menthol Cigarettes

Ireland

Bible verses

Paras

G&T

The Clangers

Jay Hawkins

Armagh Jail

Newry canal

Chinless wonders

Armagh

Rachel O’Briain

Rachel Devlin

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Quiet Riot

Bible verses

Asmat tribe

Leviathan crocodiles

One Eyed Willie

Billy Connolly

IRA

Colossians: chapter three, verses twenty-two

Hitler

Bible verses/prayers

Children of the Corn

Brits

South Armagh, North Ireland

Corinthians: Chapter Eleven, Verse Eight

Empress Jaro

Psalms

Who is in the play 

Alannah Devlin

Fianna Devlin

Mammy

Da - Peter

Father Kearney

Maggie

British solider

Costumes 

Fianna Devlin

Wreath around her neck

Dirty boots

Tattoos

Leather

Big hair

Denim

Alannah Devlin

Fixes her hair    

Tied in a bun

Puts on a pair of marigolds

Both women covered in blood

Props and their use

Male heaving religious figurines, happy family photograph

Rock thrown through window

Incense is lit become extinguished by Fianna

Bread, becomes sliced and slowly placed into toaster  

Eight packets of crisps (referred to as sad crisps)

Gun and bullets

Fianna smokes cigarette

Bottle of rum

Gin and tonic, sliced lemon and apple all very precise

Wineglass rum poured in

Plastic cup

Cassette player

Gin is topped up, apple sliced

Makes another G&T

Another packet of crisps is eaten

Six packets of crisps are left

Fianna lights a cigarette

Telephone picked up and put down

Allanah pours herself another drink

Pipe pn the table

Allanah makes another G&T

Chainsaw

Alanah drinks rum from the bottle

Freezer stores a CD

Alannah lights a cigarette

Alannah puts cigarette out

Lights the pipe for Da

Knife stab Da

Saw

Fianna uses the banjo

Videocassette thrown by Alannah

Fianna garbs a glass and fills it with water

Throwing water over him

SLR rifle used by solider

Alannah grabs chainsaw

Fianna brings in a gun and petrol bomb

Alannah grabs chainsaw kickstarts it

Fianna lights petrol bomb

Lighting 

Dark night time

Searchlight occasionally

Weather begins to get worse, begins to get even darker

Cloudy weather outside

Lights flickers

Lights flicker again

Lights flicker again

Blackout

All candles go out

Lightning flashes

Blackout

Media references 

Thunder crackling

Helicopter sound

Frog croaks

“Some say the Devil is Dead” The Wolfe Tones

Window smash

The Shining

The Poltergeist

Fire alarm

Frog croaks

Toilet flush

Knocking from upstairs

“Africa” TOTO

Music is stopped by Fianna

Nails scraping on table

Music begins playing again

Music is turned up louder

Uproar from above

Music is turned off

Roof hammers

Roof hammers again

Roof hammers again

Roof hammers again

Murmurs above

Gunshot

Water splashes onto floor

Telephone rings

Frog croaks

Thundercloud breaks

“Africa” TOTO

Turns of music

“You’ll never get away from me” Tony Bennet

Turns music off

Storm raging on

Demented noise, from “Alligator wine” by screaming Jay Hawkins

Carrie

“O-O-H child” The Five Stairsteps

Noises upstairs, noise upstairs stops

Pan smashes to the floor

Soldiers radio, speech and the static

Thud from upstairs, house shakes

Crackling on radio

House shudders

Blood dripping

Predatorial breathing

Female screen from cassette player, scream melts away

Helicopter sounds overhead

Frog croaks

Chainsaw

References to how the space changes

Window in kitchen becomes broken from a Fianna throwing a rock through Floor tiles become muddy from Fianna’s boots

Fire alarm ripped from the ceiling

Becomes smoky from cigarette

Smell of burnt bread

A number of dishes begin to build up from drinking

Table moves and becomes dirty as Fianna stands on it

Allanah opens all the cupboards

Crisps opened and crushed all over the floor

Hallway door opens as da comes in

Blood begins pooling out onto the floor

Pot brewing on the stove

Da slumped in a chair in the corner, legless

Blood spilling out onto the floor

Floor becomes wet

Stew all over the floor and pan is knocked over

Smokes comes out from the curtain

Smoke billows from behind the crocodile

Cupboard door is ripped off to barricade window

Layout of the set

Isolated farmhouse - refurbished in 70’s-80’s

Cream laminate cabinets, wooden table matching chairs, pale tiles, modest stove

Stage left door to outside world, with a small telephone table and mirror hanging above

Downstage right staircase and hallway covered by curtain

Upstairs over the sink, large window that stares out to darkness

Uncomfortably clean

Muggy

Shiny worktop

New wallpaper

Pristine

Toilet down the hall

Everything within the cupboards is colour coded

No bin inside

Chair that Da is sat on

A large pot brews on the stove

List of slang and phrases

Craic

Sacred heart

Mother Superior

Wreath off a hearse

Crown during The Famine

Dirty we tout

Firebug

Ye

Hold on a tick and a half

Okeydokey

Daft eejit

Crocodile tears

Genre and subgenres

References to mental illness such as OCD

Black comedy

Stockholm syndrome

Sister relationship

Reference to domestic abuse and pedophelia

Sexism

Character arc

Allanah - Tidy, clean, follows a certain routine, uptight, feels guilty, penance for her mother, stressed no longer gets her period

Fianna - Loud, reckless, violent, works for the IRA, cares for her sister deep down

Fighting, Fianna annoyingly provoking Allanah

Discover that they care for eachother

Play fight with each other

Becomes nostalgic and they begin to relate and confide in eachother

We begin to see a different side of Alannah when she begins singing to “Africa”

Alanah begins to lose control, reckless stabs and chops her fathers legs off

They confide in each other and kill the crocodile figure that represents their father

[massmurdera]

2019 & 2010s Best/Worst

Because I like lists and cataloguing the dumb shit I cared about. As my brother once said after seeing and reviewing NOW YOU SEE ME on a lazy Sunday, ‘Some would say it was a waste of time, others might say it was a colossal waste of time.’     

I’ll admit, it’s a bit over-the-top. Particularly including the Pats, but yeah, in the Tom Brady era that started when I was 14 as a Freshman in high school to 33 years old now and wrapping up soon-ish (?), there’s not a chance in hell I’ll care as intimately about this shit. I grew up with it at just the right time.

2019 MOVIES  TOP TIER 1) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2) Uncut Gems 2nd TIER 3) Knives Out 4) Parasite 5) Little Women 6) Midsommer 3rd TIER 7) John Wick III 8) Ready or Not 9) Marriage Story 10) Joker 11) Irishman 12) Shazam! 13) Us UNDERRATED Ready or Not TOO LONG John Wick III; Irishman SOLID El Camino GOOD BAD 6 Underground OK 21 Bridges; Avengers: Endgame; Dolemite is my Name; Dragged Across Concrete; Fighting With My Family; Hustlers; Knock Down the House; Longshot; the Report; Two Popes MEH Always Be My Maybe; Death of Dick Long; High Flying Bird; Spiderman: Far From Home; Standoff at Sparrow Creek DISAPPOINTING Hobbs & Shaw; Toy Story 4; Triple Frontier SUCK Laundromat; Under the Silver Lake OVERRATED Ad Astra; Booksmart; the Farewell FUNNIEST SCENE Dicaprio flipping out in movie trailer BEST CLIMAX/ENDING Once Upon a Time; Uncut Gems HAVEN’T SEEN 1917; Apollo 11; Beach Bum; Dark Waters; Ford vs Ferrari; Honey Boy; Jojo Rabbit; the Lighthouse; Star Wars 2019 TV  TOP TIER 1) Succession 2) Fleabag 3) Watchmen 2nd TIER 4) When They See Us 5) Barry 6) Unbelievable 7) Chernobyl 8) Sex Education DAMN GOOD Big Mouth; the Boys; Brockmire; Derry Girls; Euphoria; Loudest Voice; Mindhunter; Pen15; Righteous Gemstones; Veep WATCHABLE Atypical; Bosch; Dark; Goliath; Karate Kid; Kominsky Method; Mandalorian; Mr Robot; Mrs Fletcher; Russian Doll; Warrior HIGH/LOW I Think You Should Leave SHIT END FOR ALL-TIME GREAT Game of Thrones HALF-WATCH Living With Yourself; Raising Dion; the Society NOT UP TO STANDARD Stranger Things; GLOW; Killing Eve; True Detective BAD Luther; Shameless; Silicon Valley; SNL SUCK 13 Reasons Why; Big Little Lies; the Witcher FUNNIEST Desus & Mero DOCS 1) Fyre: both  2) Ted Bundy Tapes 3) American Factory 4) Leaving Neverland STAND-UP SPECIALS 1) Burr 2) Chappelle 3) Jeselnik 4) Birbiglia 5) Gulman BEHIND ON SHOWS I DIG Brooklyn 99; Catastrophe; Corporate; Expanse; Good Place; It’s Always Sunny; Letterkenny 2010s TV  DRAMA 1) Breaking Bad 2) Game of Thrones 3) Justified 4) Mad Men 5) Hannibal 6) Banshee ANTHOLOGY/LIMITED SERIES 1) Fargo SII 2) True Detective SI 3) When They See Us 4) People Vs OJ Simpson 5) Chernobyl 6) Show Me a Hero 7) the Night Of 8) Honorable Woman COMEDY 1) Atlanta 2) Fleabag 3) Veep 4) Big Mouth 5) Parks & Rec 6) Rick & Morty 7) Nathan for You 8) Review 9) American Vandal HIT/MISS Black Mirror OVERRATED Boardwalk Empire; House of Cards; Peaky Blinders; Westworld UNDERRATED Banshee; Brockmire; Hannibal FUN HATE-WATCH Newsroom DOWNHILL Homeland; How I Met Your Mother; Legion; Sons of Anarchy HATED Girls; Leftovers; Rectify UNWATCHABLE Twin Peaks BEST ENDINGS Breaking Bad; Justified; Fleabag; Parks & Rec DUMBEST ENDING Dexter; Sons of Anarchy LATE NIGHT Desus & Mero POLITICAL John Oliver 2010s MOVIES 2010 Social Network Animal Kingdom; the Fighter; Four Lions; Inside Job; Jackass 3; MacGruber; Shutter Island; Toy Story 3; True Grit; Winter’s Bone 2011 the Raid Descendents; Drive; Fast Five; the Guard; Mission Impossible 4; Take This Waltz; Warrior 2012 Magic Mike 21 Jump Street; Argo; Cabin in the Woods; Chronicle; Django Unchained; Goon; Looper; Queen of Versailles; Silver Linings Playbook; Skyfall 2013 Wolf of Wall Street Before Midnight; the Conjuring; Gravity; Her; Inside Llewyn Davis; Prisoners; Short-Term 12 2014 John Wick the Drop; Edge of Tomorrow; Gone Girl; the Guest; Lego Movie; Nightcrawler; the Raid 2; Whiplash 2015 Mad Max 7 Days in Hell; Big Short; Brooklyn; Creed; Ex Machina; Fast 7; It Follows; Logan; Magic Mike XXL; the Martian; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl; Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation; Sicario 2016 the Nice Guys Deadpool; Edge of Seventeen; Everybody Wants Some!; Green Room; La La Land; Manchester By the Sea; Moonlight; OJ: Made in America; Popstar; Sing Street; Weiner 2017 Get Out Blade Runner 2049; Coco; Dunkirk; Lady Bird; Logan; Thor Ragnorak; Tour de Pharmacy 2018 Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse BlacKKKlansman; Den of Thieves; Hereditary; If Beale Street Could Talk; Minding the Gap; Sorry to Bother You

THE BEST Mad Max BEST DOC OJ: Made in America FUNNIEST DOC Tickled UNDERRATED DOC Weiner HORROR Hereditary FAVORITE/FUNNIEST PERFORMANCE Ryan Gosling (Nice Guys) DESERVED 5 SEQUELS the Nice Guys SUPERHERO Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse WAR Dunkirk BEST FIGHT SCENES the Raid UNDERRATED any Lonely Island project NICE TRY Dark Knight Rises; Inception; Interstellar; Widows STAND-UP 2010s FAVORITE Bill Burr NEXT BEST Ali Wong; Anthony Jeselnik; Kyle Kinane; Bert Kreischer; Marc Maron; John Mulaney; Patton Oswalt; Rory Scovel; Tom Segura COMEBACK Chappelle DOWNFALL Louis CK DIED BEFORE PRIME Patrice O’Neal, Greg Giraldo UNDERRATED Joe Derosa MUST-SEE LIVE Robert Kelly  PODCASTS 2010s  BEST/FUNNIEST/UNDERRATED Walking the Room RUNNER-UP 600 Dollar Podcast ONE-MAN RANT Bill Burr Monday Morning Podcast SPORTS Pardon My Take RIFFING Bodega Boys HISTORY/COMEDY Dollop HISTORY DEEP DIVE Hardcore History MOVIES Rewatchables HATE-WATCH CRITICISM West Wing Thing POP CULTURE/FILM Frotcast MIXED Revisionist History GOOD/BAD Joe Rogan: GOOD: propping up comic friends; BAD: useful idiot for propping up bad faith fascists who should be put out to pasture INTERNET CURIOSITY Reply All LEFTIST POLITICS Chapo Trap House TRUE CRIME In the Dark ADVICE Don’t Take Bullshit From Fuckers LAME Pod Save America OVERRATED Missing Richard Simmons DIDN’T LIKE S-Town SERIAL Season 3>Season 1 TRUMP Trump, Inc SPORTS SCHAUDENFREUDE Fuck the Chargers OKAY Bill Simmons WTF WITH MARON good when he talks to comics MURDER My Favorite Murder OTHER GOOD ONES Hound Tall; Press Box

2010s MUSIC  FAVORITE anything Brian Fallon ROCK BAND Menzingers SONG Robyn-‘Dancing On My Own’ POP-PUNK BAND Wonder Years LIVE ALBUM Horrible Crowes-‘Elsie’ HEAVY BAND Every Time I Die ELECTRONIC Chvrches SOLO Rihanna COVER ALBUM Dustin Kensrue-‘Thoughts on a Different Blood’ GO-TO AT GYM Story So Far OFF THE INEVITABLE & IRRECOVERABLE DEEP END Kanye KIND OF LIKE THE MUSIC/HATE THE PERSON: LIKE KANYE Taylor Swift, Bieber THOUGHT I’D HATE BUT DOES NOT SUCK Lana Del Rey; Post Malone OTHER FAVES 1975; Arctic Monkeys; Beach Slang; Black Keys; Bon Iver; Carly Rae Jepsen; the National; Thrice MIXED Chance the Rapper; Kendrick Lamar I’ll be honest I spent far more time listening to podcasts nearly all the time and just listened to mostly the same couple of things I liked. 2010s PATRIOTS  2010s BEST GAMES 1) Seahawks Super Bowl 2) Falcons Super Bowl 3) Ravens 2015 Divisional 4) Chiefs 2019 AFCCG UNDERRATED CLASSIC Ravens 2015 Divisional BRADY/GRONK GO DOWN LIKE CHAMPS 1) 2018 Eagles Super Bowl 2) Broncos 2015 AFCCG: Brady’ offensive line was a sieve EITHER WAY Giants Super Bowl: game changed when Brady’s shoulder got fucked up by Tuck FAVORITE PLAYER TB12 MOST FUN/DOMINANT Gronk HEART OF TEAM Edelman BELOVED Wilfork ROCK SOLID 1) Hightower 2) McCourty 3) James White 1st BALLOT HALL OF FAMERS 1) Brady 2) Gronk 3) Revis LATER BALLOT 1) Edelman 2) Scarnecchia 3) Welker 4) Wilfork 5) Slater MAKING AN ARGUMENT Gilmore PATS HALL ONLY 1) McCourty 2) Hightower 3) Mankins 4) White 5) Gostkowski 6) Mayo 7) Chung UNDERRATED/GOOD VALUE 1) Amendola 2) Vollmer 3) Ninkovich 4) Chung 5) Woodhead DESERVED BETTER Welker UNSUNG Slater OVERRATED 1) Solder 2) Brandin Cooks NO-SHOWS Dolphins (Dec ’19); Jets Divisional (Jan ‘11) BEST REGULAR SEASON WINS 1) 2013 Broncos 2) 2017 Steelers 3) 2013 Saints BEST REGULAR SEASON LOSSES 1) 2012 49ers 2) 2016 Seahawks 3) 2014 Packers 4) 2015 Broncos LOL Miami Miracle: saved by winning Super Bowl LEAST TALENTED TEAM 1) 2013 by a mile 2) 2010 3) 2011 4) 2018 BEST TEAM 1) 2014  2) 2016 BEST PLAYS (NON-GRONK) 1) Butler INT Seahawks 2) Edelman TD pass vs Ravens 3) Buttfumble Jets 4) Edelman catch vs Falcons 5) Walk-off TD vs Falcons 6) Dan Connolly kick return 7) Brady TD pass to LaFell 2015 Divisional POUNDED TABLE TO DRAFT 1) Lamar Jackson 2) Kittle 3) AJ Brown 4) Honey Badger 5) Stefon Diggs WANTED BUT OUT OF REACH 1) Aaron Donald 2) Quenton Nelson 3) Derwin James 4) Hopkins 5) TJ Watt 6) Saquon 7) Keenan Allen 8) McCaffrey 9) Gurley WOULD’VE WON IT ALL IF NOT FOR INJURIES 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017. That’s football HEALTHIEST SEASON 2018 ROPE-A-DOPED/GOT BY ON VETERAN GUILE 2018: Belichick’s best coaching FAVORITE PICKS AT THE TIME OF GUYS I WANTED 1) Gronk 2) Hightower/Chandler Jones 3) Shaq Mason MOVES I HATED THAT I WAS WRONG ABOUT 1) Stephon Gilmore 2) trading Jamie Collins MOST IMPROVED Marcus Cannon BEST FIND Kyle Van Noy MOVE I LOVED getting Blount back the 2nd time IF BUTLER WASN’T BENCHED, DO THEY BEAT THE EAGLES? Yes 100%. If only because, if nothing else, he can tackle BUTLER’s INT KILLED THE ‘LEGION OF BOOM’ SEAHAWKS WOULD-BE DYNASTY Yes DRAFT REACH THAT MADE NO SENSE Jordan Richards: Tavon Wilson 2.0 BAD DRAFT MOVES 1) Dominique Easley 2) Cyrus Jones 3) Dobson 4) Mallett DIRTY SECRET Belichick sucks at drafting in 2nd round WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD IF HE STAYED HEALTHY Malcolm Mitchell HATE TO SEE WALK BUT COULDN’T AFFORD 1) Trey Flowers 2) Chandler Jones 3) Jimmy G 4) Talib 5) Akiem Hicks DEFLATEGATE fraud/power trip job by Goodell/owners BRADY OR BELICHICK MORE VALUABLE Brady 100% DISAPPOINTING/GAMBLES 1) Ochocinco 2) Michael Bennett: got him 2 years too late 3) Fanene signing 4) Haynesworth BEST SHORT-TERM 1) Martellus Bennett 2) Chris Long 3) Revis 4) Brian Waters SUSPECT CHARACTERS/EDGY PERSONALITY MACHINES Brandon Spikes; Brandon Browner…SERIAL KILLER Aaron Hernandez PERSONALITY DISORDER DISASTER Antonio Brown: bad signing/unexpected HOW THE FUCK DID WE LOSE TO THAT GUY? Eli Manning/Nick Foles LIFESAVER Scarnecchia MCDANIELS Frustrating—but continuity matters REFS FUCKED OVER Gronk  MISCELANNEOUS 2010s GOOD/ENJOY Bernie Sanders/AOC: people who actually want to get good done that’s long overdue…Lebron James; Stephen Curry; Kawhi; Zion Williamson; Luka Doncic...Lamar Jackson; Pat Mahomes; JJ Watt; Marshawn Lynch…Coach Ed Orgeron...David Ortiz…2011 Bruins…memes…Don Winslow crime novels…David Roth writing on Trump…David Grann non-fiction…’Book of Mormon’ DID NOT ENJOY Kyrie Irving…Deflategate…LeBron on the Heat…Bobby Valentine DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE LIKE ‘Between the World and Me’…Elon Musk…Lin Manuel-Miranda/’Hamilton’ INDEFENSIBLY AND INFURIATINGLY BAD THE MORE YOU LOOK AT IT Facebook…Obama Presidency/Democratic Party Leadership EVERYDAY DISASTER Media: CNN; Fox; MSNBC; NY Times Op-Ed…Trump/Republicans: Trump presidency was basically 2010s 9/11 for inevitable disastrous fallout & consequences my generation will never recover from…Grifters Trojan horsing way in shamelessly (Trump administration; Ben Shapiro; Alex Jones; Milo; Jordan Peterson, Tomi Lahren, etc.) and no repercussions...Republican Party basically one goal: to troll libs even with shitty ideas that suck FAVORITES WHO DIED Bourdain; Elmore Leonard; Garry Shandling; Muhammad Ali; Robin Williams; Tom Petty BEST TALENT CUT SHORT Philip Seymour Hoffman SHITTIEST PEOPLE WHO DIED Antonin Scalia; George HW Bush; John McCain; Osama; Steve Jobs; Whitey Bulger I FORGOT THAT SHIT HAPPENED Charlie Sheen loses it JEFFREY EPSTEIN did not kill himself WHAT DEFINES 2010s Amazon/Bezos…Climate Change/Gun Violence inaction…Journalism being taken over by Bane Capital-esque vultures/local places dying...one-sided Class War by the uber-rich…#MeToo…Netflix…Opioids…Outrage/Cancel culture…Police Injustice…Silicon Valley…Social Media…Superhero shit…Your mom

[londontheatre]

Steffan Rhodri and Nathaniel Parker in THIS HOUSE at Chichester Festival Theatre. Photo by Johan Persson

Rehearsals began today (Monday 22nd January 2018) for the first UK tour of This House, which opens at West Yorkshire Playhouse on 23 February (national press night 28 February). The cast – who play a colourful host of MPs and Whips – is Ian Barritt (Batley & Morley/Woolwich West/Belfast North/Western Isles & Ensemble), William Chubb (Humphrey Atkins), Giles Cooper (Fred Silvester), Stephen Critchlow (Bromsgrove/Abingdon/Liverpool Edge Hill/Paisley/Fermanagh & Ensemble), James Gaddas (Walter Harrison), Natalie Grady (Ann Taylor), Ian Houghton (Armagh, Ambulance Man, Ensemble), David Hounslow (Joe Harper), Marcus Hutton (Ensemble), Harry Kershaw (Paddington South/Chelmsford/South Ayrshire/Henley/Marioneth /Coventry North West/Rushcliffe/Perry Barr & Ensemble), Louise Ludgate (Rochester & Chatham/Welwyn & Hatfield/Coventry South West/Ilford North/Lady Batley & Ensemble), Geoffrey Lumb (Clockmaker/Peebles/Redditch/Stirlingshire West/Clerk & Ensemble), Nicholas Lumley (Oxshott/Belfast West/St Helens & Ensemble), Martin Marquez (Bob Mellish), Matthew Pidgeon (Jack Weatherill), Miles Richardson (Speaker Act I/Mansfield/Sergeant at Arms Act II/West Lothian & Ensemble), Tony Turner (Michael Cocks), Orlando Wells (Walsall North/Plymouth Sutton/Serjeant at Arms Act I/Speaker Act II/Caernarfon/Clerk & Ensemble) and Charlotte Worthing (Ensemble). Ian Houghton, David Hounslow, Matthew Pidgeon, Tony Turner and Orlando Wells return to This House having previously appeared in the West End production.

James Graham’s critically acclaimed and prescient political drama takes on a new importance in the current political climate. Are we in the midst of a political revolution? Can the country stay united? Roll back to 1974… The corridors of Westminster ring with the sound of infighting and back biting as Britain’s political parties’ battle to change the future of the nation, whatever it takes.

In an era of chaos, both hilarious and shocking, when votes are won or lost by one, there are fist fights in the parliamentary bars, high-stakes tricks and games are played, and sick MPs are carried through the lobby to register their crucial votes as the government hangs by a thread. This House strips politics down to the practical realities of those behind the scenes; the whips who roll up their sleeves and on occasion bend the rules to shepherd and coerce a diverse chorus of MPs within the Mother of all Parliaments.

Directed by Jeremy Herrin with Jonathan O’Boyle, the production is designed by Rae Smith with lighting design by Paule Constable and Ben Pickersgill on tour, music by Stephen Warbeck, choreography by Scott Ambler and sound by Ian Dickinson.

This House is produced on tour by Jonathan Church Productions and Headlong.

Cast Ian Barritt – Batley & Morley/Woolwich West/Belfast North/Western Isles & Ensemble Theatre includes: The Life of Galileo, The Alchemist (National Theatre), The Shawshank Redemption (UK Tour), Rebecca (UK Tour) Handbagged, Remarkable Invisible (The Theatre by the Lake, Keswick), The Lower Depths (Arcola), Hamlet, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Tempest, Troilus and Cressida (Tobacco Factory), Other Desert Cities (English Theatre of Frankfurt), Othello (Sheffield Crucible), Uncle Vanya (Bristol Old Vic/Galway Festival), Kes, Separate Tables (Manchester Royal Exchange), Richard II, Corionlanus (Almeida/New York/Tokyo), Gates of Gold (Manchester Library), One Night In November (Coventry Belgrade).Television includes: Wolf Hall, The Musketeers, Attila The Hun, Doctor Who, Upstairs Downstairs, Doctors, Foyle’s War, Life On Mars, Only Fools and Horse.

William Chubb – Humphrey Atkins Theatre includes: Racing Demon (Theatre Royal Bath), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, King Lear (Old Vic), In The Depths of Dead Love (The Print Room), Lawrence After Arabia (Hampstead Theatre), Waste, Great Britain, Othello, Scenes from an Execution (National Theatre), Richard II (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Vortex, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Love’s Labours Lost (Rose Theatre, Kingston), Yes Prime Minister (Chichester Festival Theatre/West End), The History Boys (National Theatre), The Sea (Theatre Royal Haymarket). Television includes: Close to the Enemy, My Baby, Breathless, Edge of Heaven, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Law and Order, Silk, The Bill. Films include: 6 Days, Adrift in Soho, Tees, Veer, Affair of the Necklace, Mrs Caldicot’s Cabbage War, Milk, The Woodlanders.

Giles Cooper – Fred Silvester Theatre includes: The Duchess of Malfi, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, Henry V (Shakespeare’s Globe), People, After the Dance (National Theatre), As Is (Arion Productions), Great Expectations (ETT), The Talented Mr Ripley (Northampton Royal), Trilby (Finborough), Dreams of Violence (Soho/Out of Joint), Think Global, F**k Local (Royal Court/Out of Joint), A Touch of the Sun (Salisbury Playhouse), Rafts and Dreams (Royal Court), The Witches (West End), Full Circle (Triumph Ent.), The Witches (Birmingham Rep), Twelfth Night (Bolton Octagon), Across Oka, Rafts and Dreams (Manchester Royal Exchange). Television Includes: Hollyoaks, Consenting Adults. Film includes: The Lady in the Van, Pride, Apollo and the Continents, The Nun.

Stephen Critchlow – Bromsgrove/Abingdon/Liverpool Edge Hill/Paisley/Fermanagh & Ensemble Theatre includes: Filthy Business, Loyalty (Hampstead Theatre), The Men From The Ministry Reloaded (The White Bear), The 39 Steps (The Criterion Theatre), Pygmalion (The Albery Theatre), Hamlet (West End), Cyrano De Bergerac (National Theatre), A Christmas Carol, The Relapse, When We Are Married (Birmingham Rep), Soap, Time of My Life, Twelfth Night, (Theatre Royal Northampton), The Game of Love and Chance (Salisbury Playhouse), Round The Horne Revisited (UK Tour). Television includes: Downton Abbey, Guerrilla, Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Prince And The Pauper, Cider With Rosie, Heartbeat, Red Dwarf 11, Miranda, Coronation Street, Casualty, Holby City, Doctors, Skins, Hattie, Fantabuloza, The Armando Iannucci show, The Railway Murder, The Thieving Headmistress, Trial And Retribution, Blue Murder, Daziel and Pascoe, The Vice, Without Motive, Heartbeat, Walking on the Moon, Baggy Trousers, A Likeness in Stone, A Line in the Sand, The Vice, Back Up, The Bill, Monarch of the Glen. Film includes: A Way Through The Woods, Fogbound, The Calcium Kid, Churchill The Hollywood Years.

James Gaddas – Walter Harrison Theatre includes: The Girls (Phoenix Theatre), Billy Elliot (Palace Theatre), Mamma Mia (Novello), Spamalot (UK Tour), Art (Wyndhams Theatre), Peter Pan (Curve, Leicester), The Messiah (West Yorkshire Playhouse), You Never Know Who’s Out There (Drill Hall), A Passionate Woman (Comedy), Jackie, A Chorus of Disapproval (Lyric Hammersmith), Three Guys Naked From The Waist Down, (Donmar Warehouse). Television Includes: Bad Girls, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Waterloo Road, Against The Law, Casualty, Holby City, The Camomile Lawn, Medics, Class Act, Troubles, The Bill, Backup, Dogtown, Vincent, Jonathan Creek, Grafters, Heartbeat, Between The Lines, Secrets, El Cid. Film Includes: Starter For Ten, The Human Bomb, Girl’s Night, The Black Candle, Dead Man’s Folly, A Hazard of Hearts, The Pied Piper, Last Days Of Summer.

Natalie Grady – Ann Taylor Theatre includes: Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Storyhouse Chester), Brassed Off (Oldham Coliseum), Marth, Josie and The Chinese Elvis (Hull Truck), To Kill a Mockingbird (Regent’s Park Theatre/ UK Tour), Hobson’s Choice (Bolton Octagon). Television Includes: Hollyoaks, Snatch, Trollied, Endeavour, 6 Wives, Coronation Street, Doctors, Jam and Jerusalem.

Marcus Hutton – Understudy Marcus trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Theatre includes: Private Lives (Nottingham Playhouse), Naomi (The Gate), Slave Island, Don Juan (Manchester Royal Exchange), The Scarlet Pimpernel (Wolsey Ipswich), Crusade (Theatre Royal Stratford East), She Stoops to Conquer (Oxford Stage Company), Tis Pity She’s a Whore (Exeter Northcott), Tess of the D’urbevilles (Horseshoe Basingstoke), Flags and Bandages (Colchester Mercury), Reeling (New Vic Productions), The Lady from the Sea (Portlands Playhouse), Secrets of Cherry on the Run (Riverside Studios), Table Manners (UK Tour), Sound of Murder (UK Tour), Dial M for Murder (UK Tour), Kiss Chase (UK Tour), The Ghost and Mrs Muir (UK Tour), Dangerous Obsession (UK Tour), Suddenly at Home (UK Tour), Jeckyll and Hyde (UK Tour), What the Butler Saw (UK Tour), The Wind in the Willows (UK Tour). Film includes: Made in Dagenham, I’m Here, Cycle, Deep in the Woods, The Dark Channel, The Wager, Framed, Grandma.Television includes: Midsomer Murders, Making Beach, Holby City, Dr Who, Love Hurts, Lovejoy, Diana: Her True Story, A Class Act, The New Professionals, The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, Crocodile Shoes, Smack The Pony, Hollyoaks, Brookside. Marcus is a founder member of the Radio City Theatre Company.

Ian Houghton – Armagh, Ambulance Man, Ensemble Theatre includes: War Horse (New London Theatre), This House (West End), The Audience, Yes, Prime Minister (Gielgud Theatre), Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus (UK Tour), The Best Man (UK Tour), Boeing Boeing (UK Tour), The Fastest Clock in the Universe (Old Red Lion), Unrestless (Old Vic New Voices), What’s Wrong with Angry? (King’s Head) Moonlight and Magnolias (Hertford Theatre), Woman in Mind, Oliver! (Gordon Craig Theatre) Decade (Theatre503), Art, Gagarin Way, Journey’s End, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, The Government Inspector, Incorruptible, Absurd Person Singular, Noises Off (The Company of Players). Television includes: Harley and the Davidsons, Mr. Selfridge, Eastenders, Call the Midwife, The Great Outdoors, Waking the Dead, MI High and Moving Wallpaper. Film includes: RocknRolla and Breaking and Entering.

David Hounslow – Joe Harper Theatre includes: This House (National Theatre/Chichester Festival Theatre/West End), The Fall Of The Master Builder (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Queen Coal (Sheffield Crucible), The Empty Quarter (Hampstead Theatre), Way Upstream (Salisbury Playhouse), Too Much Pressure (Coventry Begrade), Warm (Theatre 503), Billy Liar (Liverpool Playhouse), Tamburlaine (Bristol Old Vic/Barbican), A Night At The Dogs (Soho Theatre), The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice (Royal Exchange Manchester), Holes In The Skin (Chichester), Dealer’s Choice, My Night With Reg, Perpetua, First Person Shooter, (Birmingham Rep), Tales From Hollywood, Privates On Parade (Donmar Warehouse), Alcestis (Northern Broadsides), All of You Mine, A Question Of Mercy (Bush Theatre), Othello, Henry V, Coriolanus, The Wives Excuse, Zenobia (Royal Shakespeare Company), Bent (National Theatre/West End), Fuente Ovejuna (National Theatre), Macbeth, Billy Budd (Sheffield Crucible), Our Boys (Cockpit), Treasure Island (Farnham Redgrave), The Snowman (Leicester Haymarket). Film includes: London Kills Me, Captives, Fever Pitch, The Man Who Knew Too Little, I Want You, Tabloid TV, The Flying Scotsman, The International, Defining Fay, Ginger and Rosa, Peterloo. Television includes: The Unknown Soldier, Coronation Street, Othello, Children of the North, Gone to the Dogs, The Bill, Resnick, True Crimes, Minder, Bad Company, Under The Hammer, Anna Lee, Soldier Soldier, Deadly Crack, The Cinder Path, Chandler and Co., Six Sides of Coogan, Crimes and Punishment, Turning World, Is It Legal, Peak Practice, A Wing and a Prayer, Dangerfield, Playing the Field, The Unknown Soldier, Bugs, Within Living Memory ,Casualty, Eastenders, City Central, Bomber, Always and Everyone, Peak Practice, Silent Witness, North Square, Doctors, Heartbeat, London’s Burning, Margery & Gladys, Ultimate Force, Crisis Command, Blackpool, Holby City, The Brief, Doctors, Robin Hood, Jekyll, Dalziel And Pascoe, Is This Love?, Coronation Street, Little Miss Jocelyn, MI High, Dead Set, Bonekickers, Waking The Dead, Spooks IX, Homefront, Foyle’s War, The Bletchley Circle II, Emmerdale, Moving On, Bad Move.

Harry Kershaw – Paddington South/Chelmsford/South Ayrshire/Henley/Merioneth/Coventry North West/Rushcliffe/Perry Barr & Ensemble Harry trained at RADA. Theatre includes: Mischief Movie Night (Arts Theatre), Peter Pan Goes Wrong (West End/UK Tour), The Play That Goes Wrong (West End), One Man Two Guvnors (West End), The Circle Game (Old Vic New Voices).Television includes: Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Christmas Special), Supreme Tweeter, The Interceptor, Omid Djalili’s Little Cracker, Switch, Cuckoo, Wallander, Endeavour. Film includes: Unhappy Campers, Exhibition, Unrelated, Blue Monday, Great Expectations, Skyfall, Rufus Stone, The Date.

Louise Ludgate – Rochester & Chatham/Welwyn & Hatfield/Coventry Sount West/Ilford North/Lady Batley & Ensemble Theatre includes: Iron (Traverse/Royal Court) Lanark, Sub Rosa (Citizen’s Theatre), Sex and Drugs, Greta, Class Act, First Bite (Traverse Theatre), The House of Bernada Alba, Little Otik, Macbeth, Realism, Home (National Theatre of Scotland), Strawgirl, The Adoptive Papers (Royal Exchange Manchester), Trojan Women (Tobacco Factory), World Domination, Resurrection, The Course of True Love (Oran Mor Theatre), When The Dons Were Kings, Guilty, the Course of True Love, Fishwrap (The Lemon Tree), Jeff Koons (UK Tour), Balgay Hill (Dundee Rep), 13 Sunken Years (Assembly Rooms/Finnish National Theatre). Film includes: City of the Blind, Swung, No Man’s Land, Goodbye Happy Ending, Café Rendevous, The Last Ten Minutes. Television includes: River City, Freedom, Taggart, Kissing Tickling and Being Bored, High Times, Sea of Souls, The Key, Spooks, Tinsel Town, Glasgow Kiss, Robert Burns ‘Alive and Kicking’.

Geoffrey Lumb – Clockmaker/Peebles/Redditch/Stirlingshire West/Clerk & Ensemble Geoffrey trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Theatre includes: Vice Versa, Coriolanus, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, King John, Shrew, The American Pilot, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC), King Charles III (UK tour/Australia), Much Ado About Nothing (Lamb Players), Macbeth, Twelfth Night (Filter Theatre Company), Prophesy, Macbeth (Baz Theatre Productions), Fitzrovia Radio Hour Tour (UK tour), Chekhov in Hell (Soho Theatre/Drum Plymouth), Romeo and Juliet (US Tour), Rendezvous with Fear (Fitzrovia Radio Hour), His Dark Materials (Birmingham Rep/West Yorkshire Playhouse), Rendition Monologues (Bridewell Theatre/Queen Elizabeth Hall), The Changeling, Twelfth Night (English Touring Theatre), Hansel & Gretel (Northampton Theatre Royal). Television includes: Holby City, 24: Live Another Day, Doctors, Hollyoaks, Luther, Europe’s Secret Armies. Film includes: Paddington 2

Nicholas Lumley – Oxshott/Belfast West/St Helens & Ensemble Nicholas read Law at Newcastle University before training at the Bristol Old Vic. Theatre includes: Dr Faustus, Don Quixote, Beaux Stratagem, Midsummer Nights Dream, Kiss Me Kate (RSC), Great Britain, NT 50, The Magistrate, After The Dance, Never So Good, Afterlife (National Theatre), Timon of Athens (Young Vic), Sergeant Musgraves Dance, Richard II (Old Vic), Tyne (Live Theatre), Pitman Painters (Royal National Theatre/ UK Tour); Close The Coalhouse Door (UK Tour), Much Ado about Nothing (Wyndhams Theatre), The Company Man (Orange Tree Theatre) Porridge (UK Tour), Looking for Buddy (Live Theatre, Newcastle/Bolton Octagon), The Sound of Music (Apollo Victoria), The Canterbury Tales (Garrick Theatre), Chorus of Disapproval (Lyric Theatre),The Bakers Wife, Richard II, Richard III (Phoenix Theatre), Bellman’s Opera (The Pit), Brighton Rock (Almeida), Little Voice, Rope (Watermill), Oleanna, Educating Rita (Salisbury Playhouse). Television includes: Downton Abbey, Houdini and Doyle, Doc Martin, Parade’s End, Vera, George Gently, Enid, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, The Bill, Lovejoy, Kavanagh QC, Wycliffe, Catherine Cookson’s The Secret, Holby City, Crossroads, Wilderness, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Derailed. Films include: Peterloo, Where Hands Touch, Paddington 2, Lady Macbeth, Winterflight, Stormy Monday Goal!, Right Hand Drive, Across the Universe.

Martin Marquez – Bob Mellish Theatre includes: Husbands & Sons, Anything Goes, Loves Labour’s Lost, Mother Courage & Her Children (National Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing, Imogen (Shakespeare’s Globe), Ah, Wilderness (Young Vic), Cleansed, Identical Twins (Royal Court Theatre), Fool For Love, Front Page (Donmar Warehouse), The Iceman Cometh (The Old Vic), Snowball (Hampstead Theatre) Gondoliers, I Caught My Death In Venice, Insignificance, Pal Joey (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Crucible, Don Juan, Of Mice and Men (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Brothers Marquez (Soho Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Nottingham Playhouse), Before I Leave (National Theatre of Wales), Blasted (Sheffield Theatres), From Here To Eternity (Eternity Productions Ltd), 4 Knights in Knaresborough (Tricycle), Asylum (Queen Elizabeth Hall), Biloxi Blues (Library Manchester), Boeing Boeing (UK Tour) The Dark Side of Buffoon, The Sea (Belgrade Theatre). Film includes: After Louise, Girl on a Bicycle, A Louder Silence, Les Miserables, The Business.Television includes: The Crown, New Tricks, Elizabeth, Empire, Hotel Babylon, Lead Balloon, Dead Pixels, Bounty Hunter, Modus, Decline and Fall, Suntrap, The Javone Prince Show, The Job Lot, Woody, Vera, Knifeman, Benidorm, The Whale, Twenty Twelve, Falcon – Blind Man of Seville, Holy Flying Circus, Eastenders, Heartbeat, Dirty Tricks, The Plastic Man, Murder Most Horrid, The Bill, In Suspicious Circumstances.

Matthew Pidgeon – Jack Weatherill Theatre includes: This House (Chichester/West End/National Theatre), Salome (RSC), The James Plays (National Theatre of Scotland UK/World Tour), Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies (RSC/Aldwych Theatre/Broadway), Edward II (National Theatre), Midsummer (Traverse Theatre/World Tour), Much Ado About Nothing, The Mysteries (Shakespeare’s Globe), Kyoto (Traverse Theatre) The Wonderful World of Dissocia, Realism, Caledonia (National Theatre of Scotland) The Lying Kind (The Royal Court), The Cherry Orchard, The Wizard of Oz, Vanity Fair, Pinocchio, The Glass Menagerie (Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh). Television includes: Taggart, Casualty, Holby. Film includes: Daphne, The Winslow Boy, State and Main, A Shot at Glory.

Miles Richardson – Speaker Act I/Mansfield/Serjeant at Arms Act II/West Lothian & Ensemble Miles graduated from Arts Educational Drama Collage in 1982, winning the Best Actor award. Theatre includes: Macbeth, Death of a Salesman, The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Newcastle Rep) Another Country (Queens) Romeo & Juliet (Ludlow Festival) Wilfred, A Midsummer Nights Dream, An Inspector Calls, The Contractor (Birmingham Rep) Othello (Theatr Clwyd) Private Lives (Theatre Royal York) Richard II & Richard III (UK Tour) An Evening with Gary Lineker (Lyric) The Seagull (Bromley) Journeys End (Kings Head) Charley’s Aunt, The Three Musketeers (Canizzaro Park) The Picture of Dorian Gray (Westminster Theatre) The Three Musketeers (UK Tour) Romeo & Juliet (Hull Truck) Wuthering Heights, Cause Celebre, First Class Passengers (Pitlochry) The Invisible Man (Stratford East/Vaudeville Theatre/Harold Pinter Theatre) Candida, The Lovers, Playing Sinatra (New End) Lulu (Almeida/Kennedy Center, Washington DC) A Doll’s House, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Warwick) The Rivals (Wimbledon) The Moment of Truth, Dear Brutus (Southwark Playhouse), Anjin: The Shogun and the English Samurai (Tokyo/Sadler’s Wells), 12 Angry Men (Garrick Theatre), King Charles the Third (Wyndhams Theatre/Broadway) King John (Rose Theatre Kingston) Sleuth (Nottingham) Loves Labours Lost, All’s Well That Ends Well, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Volpone, Henry IV pt1, Henry IV pt2, Henry V, Henry VI pt1, Henry VI pt2, Henry VI pt3, Richard III (RSC). Television includes: Elizabeth, Highlander, Byron, Inspector Lynley Mysteries, The King Must Die, Porterhouse Blue, Allo,Allo, The Brief, Cambridge Spies, Miss Marple, Doctors, Upstairs Downstairs, Dirk Gently, Doctor Who, Jo, Midsomer Murders, Dancing on the Edge, Sick Note, Lucan, Genius, The Crown. Film includes: Maurice, Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone, The Best Offer, Beat Girl, The Remains of the Day, Flushed away, A Princess for Christmas, Mindgame, Their Finest, A Quiet Passion, The Colour of Magic, Big Pants, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Sabotage, Titanic, Peterloo, The Queen of Spain.

Tony Turner – Michael Cocks Theatre includes: Ink (Almeida/West End) This House (National Theatre/Chichester/West End), The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night Time (West End) Burnt by the Sun, Her Naked Skin, Present Laughter, Playing With Fire, The UN Inspector (National Theatre), Measure for Measure, Big White Fog, Enemies (Almeida Theatre), The House of Special Purpose (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Damned United (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Derby Theatre), The School for Scheming (Orange Tree Theatre) Journey’s End (UK Tour/West End), Personal Enemy (Brits Off Broadway), One Night In November (Belgrade Theatre), The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs (Salisbury Playhouse), Mad World My Masters, Neville’s Island (New Wolsey), Madness of George III (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Birmingham Rep), The Danny Crowe Show (Bush Theatre), Christmas Carol (Stoke New Vic), Talent (Colchester Mercury/Watford Palace Theatre), Communicating Doors (Manchester Library Theatre), Macbeth, Othello (Liverpool Everyman), Romeo and Juliet (Birmingham Rep). Television includes: Delicious, WPC 56, Call The Midwife, Downton Abbey, Loving Miss Hatto, Holby City, Silk, Doctors, Andrew Osler, Maxwell, Party Animals, Gavin & Stacey, Trial & Retribution XIII, Foyle’s War, Derailed, Eyes Down, Red Carp, Coronation Street, Children’s Ward, September Song.

Orlando Wells – Walsall North/Plymouth Sutton/Serjeant at Arms Act I/Speaker Act II/Caernarfon/Clerk & Ensemble Orlando trained at LAMDA. Theatre includes: This House (Chichester Festival Theatre/West End), Noises Off, Tonight at 8:30 (English Touring Theatre), The Woman In Black (Fortune Theatre), Katrina (Bargehouse, South Bank), Our Country’s Good (Watermill), The History Boys (National Theatre), Pirandello’s Henry IV (Donmar Warehouse), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Modernists (Sheffield Crucible), The Tempest (Plymouth Theatre Royal), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, Anthony and Cleopatra (RSC), Treehouses (Northcott Exeter), Deathrap (Vienna’s English Theatre), The Journey of Mary Kelly (Theatre Clwyd). Television includes: Father Brown, Casualty, Holby City, A Very British Sex Scandal, Doctors, Nowhere Left to Hide, Living the Quake, The Machioness Disaster, Slave Dynasty, As If, Trust, A Rather English Marriage, Killer Net, Mosley, After the War. Film includes: The King’s Speech, Midsummer Madness, Zemanovaload, Wilde. Orlando is also a writer for Theatre and Television.

Charlotte Worthing – Understudy Charlotte trained at Oxford School of Drama and East 15 Acting School. Theatre includes Princess Charming (Spun Glass Theatre and Ovalhouse Theatre), These Trees Are Made Of Blood (Arcola Theatre and Southwark Playhouse), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Young Shakespeare Company), Twelfth Night (Open Bar Theatre Company), The Absolute Truth About Absolutely Everything (Camden People’s Theatre), The Wind in the Willows (Open Book Theatre Company), The Just So Stories (National Tour for Red Table Theatre Company), Little Pieces of Gold (Theatre503), Wait (Arcola Theatre), The Wasabi Nut (National Theatre of Scotland). Film includes Here and Now, Souljacker, Coincidence. Television includes Panorama.

Creatives

James Graham won the Pearson Playwriting Bursary in 2006 and went on to win the Catherine Johnson Award for Best Play of 2007 for Eden’s Empire. His upcoming and recent plays include The Culture – A Farce in Two Acts for Hull Truck Theatre, Quiz (Chichester Festival Theatre, transferring to the West End this spring), Labour of Love (West End), Ink (Almeida and West End), Monster Raving Loony (Theatre Royal, Plymouth), The Vote (Donmar Warehouse), Finding Neverland (American Repertory Theater), The Angry Brigade (Theatre Royal, Plymouth and The Bush) and Privacy (Donmar Warehouse). His television credits include the award-winning Coalition (Channel 4) and his film credits include X+Y (BBC Films).

Jeremy Herrin is Artistic Director of Headlong, for which he has directed Labour of Love (a Headlong and Michael Grandage Company co-production), Junkyard (Bristol Old Vic/Theatr Clwyd/Rose Theatre Kingston), Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (UK Tour), The Absence of War (UK Tour) and The Nether (at the Royal Court and in the West End). For the National Theatre his directing credits include Common (A co-production with Headlong), The Plough and the Stars (co-directed with Howard Davies), People, Places & Things (A co-production with Headlong which transferred to the West End, toured the UK tour and played a sold out run at St Ann’s Warehouse, New York in 2017), This House (Olivier nomination for Best Director), which transferred to Chichester Festival Theatre and the West End in a co-production with Headlong, and Statement of Regret. For the RSC he directed the world premiere of Hilary Mantel’s Man Booker prize-winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, which transferred to the West End in May 2014 and Broadway in March 2015 and for which he won the Evening Standard Award for Best Director and was nominated for an Olivier and Tony Award.

Jonathan O’Boyle’s credits include: Pippin (Southwark Playhouse/Hope Mill Theatre), Dear Brutus (Southwark Playhouse), Hair (Hope Mill Theatre/The Vaults), Four Play, Sense of an Ending, Water Under the Board (Theatre503), Bash Latterday Plays (Trafalgar Studios/Old Red Lion), The Surplus, All The Ways To Say Goodbye (Young Vic), The Verb, ‘To Love’, Made in Britain (Old Red Lion), Broken Glass (Central School of Speech and Drama), Last Online Today, Guinea Pigs (Crucible New Writers’ Project, Sheffield Crucible Studio), The Monster Bride (Tristan Bates Theatre). Associate Director Credits include: An American in Paris (Dominion Theatre), This House (Chichester Festival Theatre/West End), The Judas Kiss (Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto/Brooklyn Academy of Music), Mack and Mabel (Chichester Festival Theatre/UK Tour), Bull (Young Vic), This Is My Family (Sheffield Lyceum/UK Tour). Assistant Director credits include: The Scottsboro Boys (Young Vic). Jonathan was selected as one of the Guardian’s Rising Stage Stars of 2014.

About Headlong Headlong creates exhilarating contemporary theatre: a provocative mix of innovative new writing, reimagined classics and influential twentieth-century plays that illuminate our world.

Headlong is one of the most ambitious & exciting theatre companies in the world. We make bold, innovative productions with some of the UK’s finest artists. We take these industry leading, award-winning shows around the country & beyond, in theatres & online, attracting new audiences of all ages & backgrounds. We engage as deeply as we can with these communities & this helps us become better at what we do.

Productions have included Labour of Love (Noël Coward Theatre), People, Places & Things (National Theatre/West End/UK Tour/New York), The House They Grew Up In (Chichester Festival Theatre), Common (National Theatre), Junkyard (Bristol Old Vic, Theatr Clwyd and Rose Theatre Kingston), This House (Chichester Festival Theatre and West End), Pygmalion (UK tour), Boys Will Be Boys (Bush Theatre), 1984 (UK and international tours and West End), The Nether (Royal Court Theatre and West End), American Psycho (Almeida and Broadway), Chimerica (Almeida and West End), and Enron (UK tour, West End and Broadway).

https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/this-house-on-tour

http://ift.tt/2DXZMmF London Theatre 1

[sky-full-of-imagines]

Hearts Don’t Break Around Here (Remus x Reader)

What can i say? Ed’s new album inspired this xx listen to the song here

She is the sweetest thing that I know

You should see the way she holds me when the lights go low

Shakes my soul like a pot hole, every time

Took my heart upon a one-way trip

Guess she went wandering off with it

Unlike most women I know

This one will bring it back whole

Daisies, daisies perched upon your forehead

Oh my baby, lately I know

You had known Remus since you were a first year; he was best friends with your twin brother, Sirius. Everyone knew that you were both head over heels for each other since second year — it was now fifth year and everyone was pretty much tired of how oblivious the two of you were.

If anyone asked you if you had feelings for the tall marauder you would blush furiously and timidly say no. But you knew that you were lying, you had a crush on him since second year and you hoped to have the courage to profess your feelings to him one day, but were afraid to do so for the sake of your friendship.

If anyone asked him if he had feelings for the youngest Black sibling (youngest by twelve minutes but Sirius dubbed you as the baby of the family) he would nervously say no, that it would be wrong to have romantic feelings for his best friend’s younger sister; inside his mind it was different, he wish he could go on and on about how wonderful you were, how your laugh was his favorite sound and how he was definitely sure that you were sweeter than chocolate.

That every night I'll kiss you you'll say in my ear

Oh we're in love aren't we?

Hands in your hair, fingers and thumbs baby

I feel safe when you're holding me near

Love the way that you conquer your fear

You know hearts don't break around here

Oh yeah yeah yeah , yeah yeah yeah yeah

 Study dates were a Friday night ritual for the two of you, even though neither one dared to say the word date out loud. This particular Friday you had come down with a terrible cold and could barely walk straight.

“Y/N, you really should rest, I’m sure your professors will understand if you miss class today, hell I’ll even make it sound that you’re dying so they don’t give you any problems.” Lily said as she put a hand up to your clammy forehead.

“I’m not upset about missing class…” you mumbled.

“I’m sure Remus will understand that you can’t make it to your weekly library date.”

“It’s not a date.”

“Then what do you call the love sick lingering gazes?” she teased.

“Sod off, Evans.” You muttered as you sank deeper into your blankets.

“Love you too! I’ll see you later, okay?” you simply nodded as she left.

A couple of hours past which were mostly spent sleeping on and off, by dinner time you were starting to feel a bit better and were about to fall asleep once again when a knock woke you up.

“Come in!” You hoarsely called back. You heard a faintly “Alohomora” and Remus came in with a tray of food.

“Hope you’re feeling better.” He said as he made his way to your bed, gently setting down the tray on your lap.

“Now I am.” You replied, smiling broadly. He had made you some chicken broth and tea.

“Just so you know, Pads and Prongs were very close to starting a vigil for you…” he said chuckling. You arched an eyebrow in response, prompting him to go on.

“Lily really did sell the story of you being on your deathbed, you would think that Sirius would know if his twin was truly dying but he claimed that the twin telepathy wasn’t working properly because it was raining today.”

You snorted, shaking your head as you picture the scene, but were thankful that Remus was the brains of the group and that he was kind enough to come and check on you.

“I figured you didn’t want a Sirius induced headache so I set up a few more spells so he wouldn’t be able to come into the girl’s dormitories.”

“Remus, have I ever told you how much I love you?” you said gratefully but quickly turned a deep red once you realized what you had said. He simply looked down and smiled, running his hand through his already messy light brown hair.

You finished your meal and asked Remus if he could bring you another blanket, he quickly went to get you one.

“Scoot over,” he said. You were confused but did as you were told.

“Remus, I don’t want to get you to get sick!” you protested, not because you didn’t want to cuddle with him, but because you really didn’t want to get him sick.

“Don’t worry Y/N, I’m a healthy wolf.” He said with a lopsided grin.

“That was one of the worst wolf jokes…What would the guys say? You can kiss your comedy club goodbye.”

“Well aren’t you the funny one tonight.” And so you spent the rest of the night bantering and laughing. He had his arm around you, protecting you from the world, your head on his chest. You fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

 She is the river flow in Orwell

And tin wind chimes used for doorbells

Fields and trees and her smell, fill my lungs

Spent my summer time beside her

And the rest of the year the same

She is the flint that sparks the lighter

And the fuel that will hold the flame

Oh roses roses laid upon your bed spread

Oh my, hold this, oh this, I know

 Not that Remus needed any confirmation that he was in love with you, but the moment he took a whiff of his Amorentia potion, the smell of your shampoo, chocolate, and caramel coffee overwhelmed his senses and prompted a deep blush to cover his pale face.

“So does it smell like my sister’s fruity shampoo or no? perhaps like the sickly sweet coffee she drinks?” Sirius said as he smirked at Remus knowingly.

“Not now Sirius…”

“I’m just saying, I wouldn’t mind having you as a brother-in-law.”

Remus, Sirius and James left Potions class, both of them were teasing Remus but stopped once they sat down in the Great Hall next to you and Lily. You happily waved to the boys and after a few minutes someone tapped your shoulder. You saw Sirius glaring at whoever was behind you and how Remus had a confused looked on his face.

“Y/N Black.” Called the voice from behind you.

“Lucius Malfoy.” You said as you turned around, of course you would have recognized that snobbish voice anywhere. You had been introduced to the Malfoy family when you and Sirius started Hogwarts but since you three were sorted into rivaling houses, the pureblood friendship that your parents had hope for had vanished. Or so you had thought.

“Will you do me the honor of accompanying me for a short walk?” he said offering you his hand while throwing your brother a condescending smirk.

“What if I say no?”

“Trust me, this is not an offer you can refuse, darling.” The way he said darling made your skin crawl, you decided to go with him just so he would leave you alone. Your friends threw you worried glances and you saw how James had to place a hand on Sirius’s shoulder to stop him from attacking Malfoy, you also noticed how Remus was also glaring at Lucius. Yeah, it was better to humor the Malfoy snob than have Sirius expelled because of a fight.

After a few minutes of  walking in silence, Lucius spoke up.

“I don’t understand why you mingle with those sorts of people.”

“Well, one of them is my brother.” You said curtly.

“But the mudbloods, Lupin and the Evans girl?”

“What about them?”

“As if you don’t know what I mean, with such a pretty face, being a blood traitor is something I could easily ignored.”

“Excuse me?” you said, stopping in the middle of the hallway.

“All I’m saying is that out of you and your so called brother, the only one worth saving and keeping pure is you. What do you say if we got to know each better at the next Hogsmeade visit? “When hell freezes over, Malfoy.” And with that you spun around and went straight to the Gryffindor common room, no longer hungry.

Once your friends got back and saw you sitting by the fire with a scowl on your face they knew that whatever Malfoy wanted was nothing good, and they were right.

“So, what did that git want?” Sirius asked as soon as he spotted you.

“He basically told me that I should consider the Black family ‘motto’ and that by dating him I could atone for being a blood traitor.” The room went silenced as you said, good thing it was only the marauders, Lily and you in the common room because you didn’t want anyone else to witness Sirius’s reaction. In an instant he drew out his wand, James tackled him as Remus shouted expelliarmus.

“HOW DARE HE? JAMES GET OFF ME, I NEED TO GO AND KILL THAT WEASEL.” James was currently sitting on top of Sirius, Remus had his wand with a scowl on his face and Lily just looked apprehensively at the situation.

“Sirius, I said no, he’s a horrible human being. I mean he basically told me what mother is always telling us, to remain pure. I’m not stupid, I obviously turned him down.” You said, putting on a smile for your brother so he could calm down.

You all calmed Sirius down, and soon enough him and James were planning a prank on him while Remus watched you carefully. You were far too quiet and he was starting to worry.

You excused yourself and headed towards the astronomy tower. Lucius words did get to you, it hurt that he spoke of your brother and of your friends in such a way, especially of Remus. You didn’t even realize that hot tears were cascading down your cheeks, it wasn’t until someone placed a handkerchief on your lap that you looked up and were met with a familiar pair of green eyes.

“Thank you.”

“Always.” Remus murmured as he pulled you into a hug, your tears soaking his dark red sweater, as he rubbed soothing circles on your back.

In that moment you fell harder for him, if that was even possible. 

A couple of weeks passed after the Lucius incident, and soon enough the whole school found out that you had turned down one of the most prominent pure blood heirs. Sure enough, Lucius would throw snide remarks your way whenever he would see you, usually you didn’t let that bother you, although Sirius hexed him at least five times over the past two weeks, whereas Remus didn’t like you being alone in fear that the spiteful Slytherin would hurt you in anyway.

Remus and you were making your way towards the library, it was a Wednesday night but the full moon fell on a Friday this month so you had to rearrange your weekly study date. You were laughing at something Remus said when you were harshly shoved aside by someone’s shoulder, your books flew out of your arms and next thing you know, Remus had Lucius pinned down against the wall, wand drawn out and pointed menacingly towards his neck.

It took you a good five minutes to coax Remus off of the now scared looking Lucius. As soon as Remus lowered his wand, he ran off.

“Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you did he?” Remus asked, scanning you over for any sign of injuries.

“You could’ve gotten expelled if you attacked him! What were you thinking?” you asked with a voice full of worry. Remus started laughing.

“Moony! This isn’t funny!”

“Love, I would get expelled in a heartbeat if it meant that no one would ever hurt you.” You didn’t know what to say, his eyes shone with sincerity and love. It was in that moment that you realized that the boy in front of you saw you the same way that you saw him. You hugged him tightly and he did the same, he looked down and asked you if you were really okay, instead of responding, you acted on instinct. Heart hammering wildly, you rose on your tiptoes and kissed his lips. You heard him gasp into the kiss but he started kissing you back in a heart beat, you were both smiling into the kiss once you realized that you both felt the same way.

“I guess we ought to thank that git for this, huh?” Remus said as he took your hand into his.

“I would say yes but he’s already too full of himself…”

Later on that night when you came back to the common room, hand in hand, the whole room did a double take from your faces to your intertwined hands.

“IT WAS ABOUT DAMN TIME!” Sirius shouted as he and James came sprinting down the stairs. Lily squealed as both you and Remus blushed furiously.

“Now Remus, I know that you could easily tear me apart with your furry little problem and all, but if you hurt my sister…” Sirius said, smiling at the both of you. Remus simply chuckled and shook his hand. The rest of the night was spent as usual, only this time around Remus didn’t let go of your hand at all.

Well I found love in the inside

The arms of a woman I know

She is the lighthouse in the night that will safely guide me home

And I'm not scared of passing over

Or the thought of growing old

Because from now until I go

Every night I'll kiss you you'll say in my ear

Oh we're in love aren't we?

Hands in your hair, fingers and thumbs baby

I feel safe when you're holding me near

Love the way that you conquer your fear

You know hearts don't break around here

Oh yeah yeah

Many full moons had passed as you and Remus began dating, the current one came and went, you still weren’t allowed to accompany the rest of the guys into the shrieking shack but you waited for them to return so you could tend to Remus’s injuries. It was around dawn when Remus came stumbling in, dark circles under his eyes, but overall it didn’t look as bad as other moons. You gently dabbed at the wounds on his face and tucked him in. As you were about to leave he grabbed your wrist.

“Stay with me, love? I missed you.” You nodded, a loving smile on your face.

A few minutes passed by, you thought he had fallen asleep but you were surprised when he nudged you.

“I love you.” He said as he kissed the top of your head with a smile.

“I love you too, now get some rest, I’ll be here when you wake up.” You answered back, snuggling closer to him as he wrapped his arm around you.

You both fell asleep intertwine in each other’s warmth and love.

I feel safe when you're holding me near

Love the way that you conquer your fear

You know hearts don't break around here

Oh yeah yeah

You know hearts don't break around here

Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah

[njawaidofficial]

'The Crown' Leads Pack of BAFTA TV Craft Awards Nominees

https://styleveryday.com/2018/03/22/the-crown-leads-pack-of-bafta-tv-craft-awards-nominees/

'The Crown' Leads Pack of BAFTA TV Craft Awards Nominees

2:21 AM PDT 3/22/2018 by Alex Ritman , Georg Szalai

The British Academy unveiled its behind-the-camera nominees on Thursday, with Netflix’s royal drama earning seven, and Tom Hardy’s ‘Taboo’ claiming six.

The Crown is leading the race following Thursday’s BAFTA TV Craft Award nomininatons, celebrating behind-the-camera talent on the small screen in 2017.

Netflix’s acclaimed royal drama emerged with seven nominations, closely followed by the BBC’s Tom Hardy-fronted dark period series Taboo, with six. The Netflix/BBC domination continued further down the pack, with Black Mirror, Blue Planet II and Peaky Blinders landing five nominations each.

  This year’s ceremony will be held at The Brewery, London on April 22 and will be hosted by Stephen Mangan.

Here are the complete nominations:

Writer: Drama Charlie Brooker – Hang The DJ (Black Mirror) Nicole Taylor – Three Girls Peter Morgan – The Crown Steven Knight – Peaky Blinders

Writer: Comedy Daisy May Cooper, Charlie Cooper – This Country Paul Coleman, Peter Kay, Sian Gibson – Peter Kay’s Car Share Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney – Catastrophe Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith – Inside No. 9Production Design 

Deborah Riley, Rob Cameron – Game of Thrones Joel Collins, Phil Sims – USS Calllister (Black Mirror) Martin Childs – The Crown Pat Campbell – The State

Entertainment Craft Team  The Voice UK Strictly Come Dancing World War One Remembered: Passchendaele One Love Manchester

Director: Fiction  Jane Campion – Top Of The Lake: China Girl Mackenzie Crook – Detectorists Paul Whittington – Little Boy Blue Philippa Lowthorpe – Three Girls

Director: Multi-Camera  Chris Power – Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway James Morgan – Wild Alaska Live Julia Knowles – World War One Remembered: Passchendaele Nikki Parsons – Strictly Come Dancing

Director: Factual  Anna Hall – Catching A Killer Charlie Russell – Chris Packham: Asperger’s and Me Will Yapp – The Real Full Monty Xavier Alford – Drugsland: Heroin Love Story

Photography & Lighting: Fiction Adriano Goldman – The Crown (Episode 4) Johann Perry – Against The Law Mark Patten – Taboo Stephan Pehrsson – USS Callister (Black Mirror)

Photography: Factual  The Detectives: Murder On The Streets Storyville, Last Men in Aleppo The Fight For Mosul (Dispatches) Blue Planet II (One Ocean)

Editing: Fiction  Andrew McClelland – Line Of Duty Dan Roberts – Peaky Blinders Pia Di Ciaula – The Crown Úna Ní Dhonghaíle – Three Girls

Editing: Factual  Anna Price – Louis Theroux: Dark States Ged Murphy – David Bowie: The Last Five Years Matt Meech – Blue Planet II (One Ocean) Nigel Buck – Blue Planet II (The Deep) Will Grayburn – Chris Packham: Asperger’s and Me

Costume Design Alison McCosh – Peaky Blinders Jane Petrie – The Crown Joanna Eatwell – Taboo Michele Clapton – Game of Thrones

Make Up & Hair Design Chrissie Baker – The Miniaturist Jacqueline Fowler – Gunpowder Jan Archibald, Erika Okvist, Audrey Doyle – Taboo Loz Schiavo – Peaky Blinders

Original Music  Jocelyn Pook – King Charles III Katya Mihailova – Born Free: Saving Russia’s Whales Max Richter – Taboo Nico Mulhy – Howards End

Sound: Fiction  Peaky Blinders Sherlock Taboo The Crown USS Callister (@blackmirror)

Sound: Factual  World War One Remembered: Passchendaele Mountain: Life at the Extreme Blue Planet II (Coral Reefs) David Bowie: The Last Five Years The Grand Tour 

Breakthrough Talent  Bernard MacMahon, Allison McGourty – Arena, American Epic, The Sessions Charlotte Wolf – Inspector George Gently Daisy May Cooper, Charlie Cooper – This Country Tom Pursey – Fighting Cancer: My Online Diary

  PGM.createScriptTag("//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.6&appId=303838389949803");

[houstonlocalus-blog]

Depth Charge: The Best of The Week

DJ Shadow, Photo: Magnum PR

  The summer sun has definitely risen over Houston, and it certainly doesn’t feel like it will set any time soon. Fortunately, this week you have more than enough options of cool events to choose from where the atmosphere is light and the air conditioning is on overdrive. Sets from DJ Shadow, Reckless Kelly, and Matthew Sweet will all be on hand while locals like Ruiners, Talking Forever, and Days N’ Daze will all fill the spaces in-between. Houston, here’s how to spend your paycheck this week.

  Wednesday you can get started at Toyota Center for the Korean hip hop of G-Dragon. Probably because I don’t listen to pop radio, I wasn’t really aware of this guy’s existence until now. However, he’s a pretty big deal based on his collabs alone with the likes of Diplo and Missy Elliot. His last release was 2013’s COUP D’ETAT, and he’s known for a crazy live show. The all-ages show has doors at 7 pm and tickets between $65.50 and $219.

  Over at Walter’s, Chicago’s High Spirits will bring their charged-straight-ahead rock sounds to life. Playing about as traditional metal-toned rock as it gets, these guys are known for a high energy live show. Their latest, Motivator, is pretty solid, and it should remind you of the band Scorpions. The metal of Chicago’s Bible Of The Devil will be on as direct support, while Houston’s The Satanic Overlords of Rock N’ Roll will bring their high energy on as openers.  The all-ages show has doors at 8 pm and a $10 cover.

  On Thursday you can get started over at The Secret Group for the video premiere party of Pecos Hank’s new video for the track “Drive Under The Moon.” There will be other videos leading up to it as well. It should be pretty cool as he is a storm chaser, so who knows what the video is like. The Free show is all ages and has doors at 6:30 pm.

  Behold The Brave, Photo: Big Hassle

  The gritty indie pop of Nashville’s Behold the Brave will bring their infectious sound upstairs to White Oak Music Hall. Sounding like a more youthful version of Kings of Leon, this four-piece dropped a pretty catchy record this year called Behold The Brave that you should definitely give a listen to. Colorado-based alt rock two-piece In The Whale will bring their high energy, garage-infused sound on as direct support as openers for the all-ages show, with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $10 and $13.

  Out at Joke Joint Comedy Showcase, the always funny Joe List will bring his Boston-based comedy to town.  List is a total riot. He’s been on Last Comic Standing, Conan, and The Late Show with David Letterman, and his latest album, Are You Mad At Me?, is a laugh from start to finish. As per all of these shows, two of Houston’s better comics will serve as feature act and host. The 18 & up show has doors at 7 pm and shows throughout the weekend as well, with tickets between $11 and $16.

  Only Beast, Photo: Overholser Photography

  Over at Satellite Bar, Austin five-piece Darkbird will bring their catchy sound to all who attend. This band defines themselves as a traditional rock band, but with the synths on their latest release, I Remember Feeling My Fingers Slip, they’re nothing if not a rock band with a catchy sound. Their singer, who has mesmerizing vocals, is alone worth making it out for. The electrifying energy of Houston’s Only Beast should captivate all as direct support, while Slow Future will go on prior. The Dream pop of Houston’s Quel Night will open the all-ages show that’s free for adults or $5 for the kids, with doors at 8 pm.

  Continental Club will host the blues-heavy sounds of Danielle Nicole. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her, but she’s an award-winning blues musician that can really bring it, and her album, Wolf Den, definitely backs that honor up. The 21 & up show has doors at 9 and tickets for $10.

  Reckless Kelly, Photo: New Frontier Touring

  On Friday you could begin at The Redneck Country Club for the alt-country of Austin’s Reckless Kelly. Around for right at twenty years, these guys have become well known for their energetic shows and deep tracks. Their latest album, last year’s Sunset Motel, was their most focused to date. There’s no word of support or openers, but that could change on the show with doors at 6 pm and tickets between $35 and $45.

  Over at Revention Center, you can catch the massively popular hip hop of Logic. Geez, what happened? It seems like a couple of years ago this guy was playing small nightclubs and now he’s getting bigger and bigger by the day.  His latest, Everybody, does hold some strong rhymes, and his live show is pretty legit. Brooklyn’s Joey Bada$$ will be on as direct support, while Big Lenbo will open up the all-ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $105 and $129.

  The Cave Singers, Photo: Big Hassle

  Rockefeller’s will have a barn burner when Buxton returns for a show at the iconic venue. The five-piece has never really disappointed in a live setting, and while they’re starting work on a new album sooner than later, their last release, Half A Native, was one of the best albums to come off the New West roster in years. The beautiful, melodic harmonies of Seattle’s The Cave Singers will be on as direct support and openers for the all-ages show, with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $12 and $15.

  In the ballroom at Warehouse Live, Nigerian-born Afro-Pop rapper Mr Eazi will bring his sound all the way from Ghana. Here in support of this year’s Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1-Accra To Lagos, this guy drops true jams that should get the whole room dancing. There’s no word of support or openers, but that could change on the all-ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $30 and $40.

  At Dan Electro’s you could get all psych heavy when VaudeVillain swings by to perform. The Houston four-piece mixes bluesy undertones into their traditional psych sound, and they’re definitely worth checking out. Houston’s Bernie Pink will be on as direct support and opener for the 21 & up show with an $8 cover and with doors at 9 pm.

  Sherita Perez, Photo: Overholser Photography

  In the Foundation Room at House of Blues, you can have some fun times with the Gulf Coast indie folk of Sherita Perez and The Cosmic Cats. Possibly one of the hardest working artists in town right now, Perez will sing songs from her latest release, H-Town Love, alongside favorites old and new. The 21 & up show has a closing set from DJ Simyu. The doors are at 9 pm and it’s free.

  At Continental Club the long running get down series of Fistful of Soul will take place. Dropping some of your favorite soul jams, the show has DJ sets full of feet-moving jams that are hard not to adore. The show is free, it’s 21 & up, and it gets going around 10 pm.

  On Saturday you could start off at Cactus when Buenos Diaz swings by to perform songs from his new album, Buenos Diaz. Currently switching between guitarist for Alejandro Escovedo and solo artist, this guy makes music that’s catchy, almost like if Elvis Costello was born on the Gulf Coast. And with jams like “San Fransymphony,” and “Move On,” he might be your favorite Houstonian turned Austinite. The all-ages event gets going around 3 pm, there’s gratis beer for the adults, and it’s free.

  Ruiners, Photo: Keith Hatch

  Later on at The Secret Group, the Berkeley pop punk of Mom Jeans will swing by to play.  The popular four piece who has two new things to plug like this year’s Split with Graduating Life and last year’s best buds, has become known for a fun and energy heavy live show. Fresno’s Graduating Life will be on as direct support while the lo-fi sounds of Houston’s Cancer Kittens will go on prior. The highly energetic punk of Houston’s Ruiners will also be on hand while the emo of Houston’s Talking Forever will blow the roof off the venue by opening things up.  The all ages show has doors at 6 pm with tickets between $8 and $10.

  At Walter’s the acoustic crust punk of Days N Daze will be on hand to kick off yet another tour. This band tours more than pretty much everyone else in Houston, and since they’ve travelled across Europe to high praise, you should at least check out their latest release Crustfall.  The punk of Giant Kitty will be on hand as direct support while the power violence of D.D.A. will go on beforehand.  The hardcore of Houston’s Crawler will open the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets for $7.

  If you’d rather chill, then you could head to 3708 Main above Tacos a Go Go to shop for vintage wares at the Milk+Honey Vintage Grand Opening party.  Alongside carefully curated items, Rowdy Leather, Space City Mod Vintage, Lee Lewis Designs and many more will have items for sale.  There’s also gratis Topo Chico and Oasis Brewery beer on hand (more information here), with things starting around 7 pm for the Free event.

  Warlung, Photo: Kevin Adoor

  Satellite Bar will host the controversially named throwback desert psych metal of Portland’s Black Pussy. Here in support of this year’s Power, I’d be lying if I said that these guys weren’t impressive live. One of the strongest new bands in town, Warlung will bring their stoner metal on as direct support, and they’re a band you need to see for yourself. The doom metal of Houston’s Doomstress will get things started for the all-ages show with doors at 9 pm and a free cover for the adults, or $10 for the kids.  

  Over at Numbers you can catch the dark industrial electronica of Pig. A mainstay of the Wax Trax label due to the work with KMFDM, Pig never really got that big, but instead had a devoted fanbase that never waned. Their latest release, last year’s The Gospel, is their best to date, and it should be interesting to catch in person. California’s Julien-K will be on as direct support, while the electro pop of Florida’s Ghostfeeder will open the all-ages show with doors at 9 pm and tickets between $16.50 and $20.

  On Sunday you could head to House of Blues to catch the one and only DJ Shadow. Possibly one of the best — if not the best — modern era DJs to scratch a record, this guy drops the hammer when he performs. His latest release, The Mountain Will Fall, is his best in a good while, and it’s definitely worth making it out for. Mophono will bring his San Francisco hip hop on as opener for the all-ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets for $25.

  Cymbals Eat Guitars, Photo: Eric White

  Upstairs at White Oak Music Hall, the indie rock of New York’s Cymbals Eat Guitars will swing by. Since their critically acclaimed debut in 2009, these guys have remained pretty solid in their albums, and their latest, Pretty Years (2016), is as solid as it gets. Not to mention, their live shows are always worth making it out for. The indie pop of Austin’s Palo Duro will open the all-ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $10 and $13.

  At The Heights Theater nineties alt rock favorite Matthew Sweet will swing by for the first time in a very long time. I’ve long maintained that Sweet is one of the most underscored artists of the nineties, with hits like “Girlfriend,” and “Sick of Myself.” In fact, his albums 100% Fun and Altered Beast are two of the best albums you’ve probably never heard. He’s back with a new album, this year’s Tomorrow Forever, that’s pretty amazing.  Maryland’s Tommy Keene will open things up for the all-ages show with doors at 7:30 pm and tickets between $22 and $34.

  Astragal, Photo: Astragal

  Satellite Bar will have the indie rock of Brooklyn’s Oshwa. Full of gritty guitar and some of the strongest vocals you’ll hear in a good while, there’s no wonder that critics are in love with what she does, especially on last year’s almost symphonic release I We You Me. Houston’s Two Star Symphony will bring their lushly crafted sounds on as direct support, while the energy-heavy indie rock of Astragal will get the all-ages show started. The doors are at 8 pm and the show is free for adults or $8 for minors.

  At Rudyard’s the San Antonio-based garage rock of The Rich Hands will be on hand to perform. These guys make music that’s a bit like fifties doo wop mixed with garage, and their album Take Care from this year is hard not to love. San Diego’s Bad Kids will bring their surf punk on as direct support, while California’s Fake Tides will open the all-ages show with doors at 8 pm and tickets between $8 and $10.

  Sleeptalk, Photo: The Artery Foundation

  On Monday the indie pop rock of LA’s Sleeptalk will bring their latest singles to life at Walter’s. Those singles, tracks like “Bright Eyes” and “Young,” to name a few, are super catchy to say the least. The alt rock pop of Houston’s Moth Wings will be on as direct support, while Dallas’ Quiet Please will open things up. The all-ages show has doors at 7 pm and tickets between $10 and $12.

  That’s about it for this week. No matter what you decide to do, remember to stay hydrated, stay dry, and that drinking like an adult is what’s best for everyone.

  Depth Charge: The Best of The Week this is a repost

[ithappenedinadreamcomic-blog]

It Happened in a Dream! Part 2: Senpai Noticed (Finally)

Keywords: emo soldiers, the manic pixie dream girl trope, Star Wars, Star Trek references, shenanigans

Genre: Crack fiction, Comedy, Original Story, Original Characters in Canon Universe

Characters: Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, General Hux, Supreme Leader Snoke, OCs

Rating: PG to PG-13

Trigger Warnings: Cursing, violence sometimes, sexual innuendos

Captain Phasma gave Melanie the option to return to her quarters to “freshen up” before reconvening for lunch. Phasma may have suggested as such because Melanie was not dressed to impress anyone, in her t-shirt and worn-out jeans (particularly not higher-ranking officials like Commander Kylo Ren), regardless of their being authentically Terran. Melanie took the hint and returned to her room to change.

Rather than deck herself out in her finest Elegant Gothic Lolita frillies, however, she opted for an even worse outfit choice. If the First Order thought they could control Melanie's behavior in any way, they had another thing coming. Somehow Melanie had escaped a Trump presidency, but she was not about to bow to another fascist government in his absence!

Melanie selected an oversized purple sweater with a giant cat face patch plastered to the front, a pleated skirt colored with a pink and purple space pattern, ripped and faded pink leggings, and black combat boots. She put on her best 90s accessories, mussed her curly auburn hair with a spritz of hairspray, and forwent makeup entirely.

“Whoa, gurl, you a hottie,” she said to the mirror, shooting finger guns at herself, and departed for the mess hall.

A pair of Stormtroopers passed Melanie punch-dancing down the hallway, and glanced to one another in confusion. Melanie Vasquez was sure to make some lucky scientist's research dissertation, hands down, a bestseller. In the end, it took Melanie about fifteen minutes of aimless wander-dancing to find the mess hell.

“What'd I miss?” she asked Frank, scooting her butt onto the surface of a table rather than sitting in a chair like a proper Terran lady.

Frank sighed. “Melanie, you are quite late. We are lucky that Commander Ren has not yet arrived, or you would have gotten all of us in trouble.”

“Relax, Darth Prozac isn't going to get mad. Trust me.”

“Who?”

“You know, Villain McNiceHair.”

Frank stared blankly.

Melanie snorted. “C'mon, Frank. You just mentioned him. Commander Ren.”

“That is not my name,” Frank stated. “Melanie, in all seriousness, you cannot call Commander Ren such names. You cannot. We have political immunity for the most part, yes, but if you truly offend him, it will all be for naught. He can easily ask for your head.”

“Oh, he can have a whole lot more than my head,” Melanie said.

“Excuse me?”

“What? I didn't say anything.”

As if on cue, Captain Phasma sidled up to the seated Terran and the perplexed Ethereum hovering next to her. “I have just received word that Commander Ren is on his way. He should be here in a couple of minutes. Prepare yourselves for a brief introduction upon his arrival.”

“Haha, brief,” Melanie laughed.

Captain Phasma raised her eyebrow.

“So, Captain Helmet, tell me a little about yourself,” Melanie said. “Have you been working for the Order long?”

“I grew up in the Order,” Phasma said, ignoring Melanie's new nickname for her.

Melanie considered asking if she had been abducted from Coruscant as a child, but thought better of it. She nodded instead.

“Captain Phasma is a very decorated officer,” Frank said, “She is third in command, under General Hux and Commander Ren.”

“Right, that is an accomplishment,” Melanie said with a grin. “You go, girl.”

Phasma appeared to be on the verge of smirking, but she battled with the angle of her mouth in an effort to maintain neutrality. Perhaps she often wore a helmet because she was more emotionally expressive than Armitage Hux or Kylo Ren, and as such, was far less immune to Melanie's antics. That, or she could hide her biological sex under the silver armor and flashy cape.

“I hear that you are a chemical engineer on your planet, Ms. Vasquez,” Phasma said. “You must be intelligent...For a Terran.”

“Ouch, so close to a compliment,” Mel laughed. “I guess I have to try harder if we're going to be friends.”

Phasma blinked. “Friends?”

“Well, obviously. I'm going to need friends if I'm going to be in Sky River for a while.” Melanie smiled  brightly at the Amazonian soldier, who was taller than her even while sitting on a high table.

“I am not sure if that is...allowed.”

“It will be.”

“Oh?” was Phasma's simple response. And she did not have time to add to it, as the metallic doors to the mess hall slid ajar.

Melanie's heart skipped a beat, but she did not glance over her shoulder to see who entered the room. She already knew. The game had started at last. It was happening. Oh Emperor Palpatine, it was finally happening!

Captain Phasma straightened and saluted with one hand. Her other hand clasped her helmet to her side. “Commander Ren, welcome.”

No response. But Melanie heard the rustle of fabric moving up from behind her. She sat awkwardly still and rigid, but her lips split into an enormous grin. As Commander Ren approached, she felt the tendrils of an invisible force prodding her mind suddenly. Or, more accurately, the Force. It was a bizarre sensation. Midichlorians were not a part of her biology because the Force did not exist in the Milky Way, so she wondered how it was possible for her to feel it at all.

“Captain Phasma.”

Melanie shivered. She glanced furtively to her right, amber eyes falling to Kylo Ren's dark boots, and looked away. So close. It took all of her willpower to keep her mind from plunging straight into her fantasies and revealing everything. Instead, Melanie considered manatees. What is it like to hug a manatee? Also, do fish dream? Did thoughts linger behind their cold, dead eyes?

Kylo Ren bristled at the sight of Frank. Frank appeared none too pleased as well.

“Faseemke'Sahndhran,” Kylo Ren's robotic voice said. “It has been a while.”

Frank's wispy head inclined. “Commander Ren. I hope you are well.”

“I am sorry to make you wait. I have just returned from a mission,” said Ren. There was a drawn out, pensive silence. “Is this the Terran?”

Every nerve of Melanie's body sang triumphantly.

“Yes. Subject #347. She arrived here three months ago, and we have been preparing for her debut ever since.”

“Hm.”

Melanie bit down a smile, keeping her eyes firmly glued to the ground. What about jellyfish? They didn't have brains. Did they think?

“Melanie, please introduce yourself to Commander Ren.” Frank's voice wavered. He sounded nervous.

Captain Phasma tilted her head, regarding the frozen Melanie. “It is possible she is frightened by the mask,” she offered.

Kylo Ren hesitated, but a mechanic hiss a few moments later alerted Melanie to his decision.

“What is your name, Terran?” asked Kylo's deep, humanoid voice.

Melanie summoned up her courage, and stared straight into Kylo Ren's ultra-broody, yet glorious face.

He was incredibly pale, and extremely handsome despite his too-big noise and various moles dotting his skin. His thick brow was furrowed at her, forehead wrinkled deep with thought, or maybe frustration. And God, his hair. He had sultry, ebony waves of hair down to the base of his neck. He met her gaze with coal-black eyes, and held it with an effortless, immense power. Melanie nearly swooned clear off of the table. She immediately snapped her thoughts away from his appearance and to... Eels! Weren't eels technically snakes?

“Melanie...” Frank nudged Melanie's shoulder with an airy arm. “Please answer Commander Ren.”

“Melanie Vasquez,” she said abruptly. “My name is Melanie Vasquez.”

Melanie tried to remind herself that none of this was real. As hot as Kylo Ren seemed, he was only a figment of her imagination. It was just her coma fantasy, trying to indulge her with fan service.

“Melanie Vasquez,” Kylo repeated. He kept staring--no, glaring--at her. And God, was he tall. Taller than Phasma by a couple of inches, at least. Melanie was only, like, 5'3”!

“Call me 'Mel',” she said. She suddenly grinned.

Frank was clearly taken aback by the drastic change in Melanie's behavior. He tried to carry the conversation further. “Do you have any questions for Melanie, Commander Ren?”

“Has she been questioned?” Kylo asked, turning to Phasma. She nodded.

“Then, no. I have other matters to attend to. After I eat, I will be on my way.”

“What do you like to eat, Kylo?” Melanie asked.

Kylo Ren did a double take of Mel. He frowned.

“Please ignore her, Commander Ren!” Frank pleaded, floating in front of Melanie and raising his ghostly arms in alarm. “Terrans are very chatty, and her, especially so. I admit, it can be obnoxious! Go eat, please. Pay her no mind.”

“No,” Mel said. She crossed her arms like a petulant child. “I want to talk to him.”

“Subject #347, stop. Commander Ren is very busy. He does not have time to entertain you.”

“Yes he does.”

“Melanie!”

Kylo Ren held up a gloved hand abruptly to silence Frank.

“What?” he asked, fixing her with his dark eyes once again. “What is it that you wish to say?”

Melanie Vasquez immediately broke into song. She held her arms out on either side as she raised her voice. Everyone in the mess hall stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the impromptu Terran songbird.

She was not particularly good at singing, either.

“Hey little mooonster, I got my eye on yoouuuu~

Where are you gooooing, where are you running toooo?

I got love on my fiiingers, and lust on my tooongue!

You say you've got nooothing, so come out and get soo~oome.

Heartache to heartache, I'm your wolf, your woman!

I say run, little mooonster, before you know who I am!”

Phasma and Kylo Ren's jaws both dropped, even as the song continued Frank's would have, too, if he'd had one. This crazy Terran was actually serenading Commander Ren!

When Melanie finally finished, Kylo Ren said nothing. The astounded onlookers noted that it was the first time they had ever seen their commander rendered speechless.

Melanie took advantage of Kylo Ren's muteness and pointed her index finger directly in his face. He flinched back an inch, but otherwise remained dumbfounded.

“KYLO REN, I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!” Melanie yelled. “AND THAT'S WHY I, MELANIE VASQUEZ OF THE PLANET EARTH, CHALLENGE YOU--”

The entire room gasped.

“--TO SURVIVE ONE ROMANTIC DATE WITH ME!”

The room gasped louder.

Captain Phasma stared blankly, shell shocked. Frank, despite having any facial features whatsoever, appeared to be on the brink of fainting. The other Ethereum some tables away huddled closer, whispering among themselves. Every other soldier and First Order official in the mess hall could not seem to decide whether to laugh or cry. No one, Terran or other, had ever openly flirted with their genocidal commander before.

Was this a moment for the Sky River history books?

Maybe. Maybe!

Kylo Ren's eyelids fluttered in confusion.

Oh, no! Had the Terran successfully broken him?!!

“I....I do not understand,” he said finally.

First this 'Melanie Vasquez' had sung nonsense to him, and now she was...Asking to court him? What?

“Just think about it,” Melanie said, “I mean, I'm only the least threatening person in this room! It's not like you have anything to lose!”

Kylo Ren staggered back a couple of steps. His right hand flew to his forehead. He rubbed his temples, trying to formulate a response. He had been challenged many times before, but this? This was different. What were her intentions? Should he attempt to probe her mind with the Force again? He had only seen absurd images and content there so far, but surely there was something logical underneath all that!

Commander Ren had been quiet too long. He had to say something. Anything. And so he attacked the first flaw that came to mind: her appearance. Tacky, whimsically-colored clothing, frumpy animal tunic. Unladylike posture, sitting disrespectfully on a First Order table. Short stature, pudgy build. Sunken, tired eyes. No makeup. Unkempt, boyish hairstyle. Somewhat adorable—wait, what?! No!

“...And you challenge me to this...'Date'...While dressed like that? How dare--”

“Hey, it's better than what I was wearing yesterday!” Melanie said.

Kylo Ren paused. He lowered his hand.

“...What were you wearing yesterday?”

“A tiger onesie.”

Kylo Ren narrowed his eyes.

“What is...a 'tiger onsie'?”

“Oh, it's a jumpsuit you wear while sleeping, shaped like a cute animal from my planet!”

'…What?'

Frank immediately blocked Melanie from Kylo Ren's sight. He addressed her frantically.

“Subject #347, I believe we have overstayed our welcome. We should return to our research vessel now. Besides, you need to rest! Today must have been an ordeal for you.”

“Ugh, really?” Mel asked. “Boooooriiiinnnng. Ohhkaaayy... If I must.” She glanced towards the fourth wall and winked.

Melanie hopped off the table and made a show of dusting herself off. “Well, Darth Prozac, it's been real. We will meet again, since I need to get that answer from you soon.” She headed for the exit with Frank and a cluster of worried Ethereum on her tail.

“W-Wait a minute,” Kylo Ren called after them, in a voice too weak to be heard.

And with that, Melanie Vasquez and her alien entourage was gone, leaving everyone in the room to wonder what had just happened...Including Commander Kylo Ren.

[londontheatre]

Casting is today announced for Fanny & Alexander at The Old Vic. Legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece Fanny and Alexander is adapted for the stage by BAFTA award-winning writer Stephen Beresford and directed by Old Vic Associate Director Max Webster, opening on 1 March 2018 with previews from 21 February 2018. The cast includes Penelope Wilton, Thomas Arnold, Lolita Chakrabarti, Kevin Doyle, Karina Fernandez, Annie Firbank, Matt Gavan, Tim Lewis, Gary MacKay, Gloria Obianyo, Vivian Oparah, Michael Pennington, Hannah James Scott, Jonathan Slinger, Catherine Walker and Sargon Yelda.

‘There should be no shame in us taking pleasure in our little lives.’ Amongst the gilded romance and glamour of 1900s Sweden, siblings Fanny and Alexander’s world is turned upside down when their widowed mother remarries the iron-willed local bishop. As creative freedom and rigid orthodoxy clash, a war ensues between imagination and austerity in this magical study of childhood, family and love.

Penelope Wilton plays Mrs. Helena Ekdahl. Her extensive theatre credits include Taken at Midnight (Theatre Royal Haymarket/Chichester Festival Theatre) for which she won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in 2015, Delicate Balance, Heartbreak House, The Deep Blue Sea (Almeida), The Family Reunion, The Chalk Garden – winning her the London Evening Standard Award Best Actress in 2008, John Gabriel Borkman, Little Foxes (Donmar Warehouse), The House of Bernarda Alba, Tess, Piano, The Secret Rapture, Major Barbara, Much Ado About Nothing, Man and Superman, Betrayal, The Philanderer, Sisterly Feelings, Landscape (National Theatre), Hamlet, Tishoo (Wyndham’s Theatre) and Women Beware Women (RSC Swan Theatre). Television includes Brief Encounters, Downton Abbey, Miss Marple: They do it with Mirrors, South Riding, Doctor Who, The Passion, Five Days, The Whistle-Blower, Wives and Daughters, Half Broken Things, Celebration, Ever Decreasing Circles. Film work includes Guernsey, Zoo, The BFG, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Belle, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The History Boys, Pride and Prejudice and Shaun of the Dead.

Thomas Arnold plays Carl Ekdahl/Mr. Landhal. His theatre credits include Oslo, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Cyrano De Bergerac, Mourning Becomes Electra, Three Sisters and The Stoppard Trilogy (National Theatre), The Kid Stays in the Picture (Royal Court), Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (2015 – The Old Vic), Hamlet, Orlando (Manchester Royal Exchange), A Door Must be Open or Shut (King’s Head Theatre), Outlying Islands (Bath Theatre Royal), and Poor Mrs Pepys (New Victoria Theatre). Television credits include Broken, The Missing, War and Peace, Call the Midwife, Wolf Hall, Director, Bert & Dickie, Midsomer Murders, This is England, Broadside, Demons, Miss Marple – Towards Zero, The Last Detective and Abolition. His film credits include The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, Far from the Madding Crowd, Posh, The Fifth Estate, Thor 2, Kon Tiki, One Day, Made In Dagenham, Robin Hood, Me and Orson Welles, The Duchess, The Golden Compass and Cromwell and Fairfax.

Lolita Chakrabarti plays Alma Ekdahl/Helena Vergérus. Theatre credits include Gertrude in Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company/RADA), Last Seen (Almeida), which Lolita also wrote, Free Outgoing (Royal Court/Edinburgh Festival), John Gabriel Borkman (Donmar), The Great Game: Afghanistan (Tricycle Theatre), The Waiting Room and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (National Theatre). Television credits include Delicious, Born to Kill, Beowulf, My Mad Fat Diary, Jekyll and Hyde, The Casual Vacancy and The Smoke. Writing credits include Red Velvet (Tricycle Theatre 2012 and 2014, St Ann’s Warehouse New York 2014, The Garrick Theatre 2016). Red Velvet was nominated for nine awards. Lolita won the Charles Wintour Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright 2012, the Critics Circle Most Promising Playwright Award 2012 and the AWA Award for Arts and Culture in 2013.

Kevin Doyle plays Bishop Edvard Vergérus. Theatre includes: NSFW, Spur Of The Moment (Royal Court), One For The Road/Victoria Station (Young Vic), The White Guard, Mutabilitie (National Theatre), For King And Country (Touring Partnership),Three In The Back, Two In Head, The Mob, A Hole In The Top Of The World (Orange Tree Theatre), Comedy Of Errors (Southampton), Henry V, Coriolanus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Artistes and Admirers, Romeo and Juliet, A Woman Killed With Kindness, Henry IV Parts I & II, Kissing The Pope, Twelfth Night, The Plantagenets, The Plain Dealer (all For The RSC), The Crucible (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Much Ado About Nothing (Queen’s Theatre and tour), Therese Racquin (Chichester Minerva Theatre),Othello (Bristol Old Vic), The Admirable Crichton, Great Expectations and Cymbeline (Royal Exchange).

Television includes Happy Valley, Reg, Downton Abbey, A.D – Beyond the Bible, The Crimson Field, Snodgrass, Open Doors, The Accused, New Tricks, Room at the Top, Scott & Bailey, Law and Order, Vexed, Survivors, Five Days, Paradox, Silent Witness, The Tudors, Till We Die, George Gently, Sleep With Me, Heartbeat, Belle De Jour, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Dalziel and Pascoe, Casualty, The Royal, New Street Law, The Brief, Brief Encounters, Afterlife, Big Dippers, The Rotters Club, Blackpool, Midsomer Murders, Family Business, Murphy’s Law, Silent Witness, The Lakes, Holby City, At Home With The Braithwaites and Badger. Film includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Social Call, Good and The Libertine.

Karina Fernandez plays Lydia Ekdahl/Justina. Her theatre credits include Mare Rider (Arcola Theatre), There is a War, Edgar and Annabel (National Theatre), Bites (The Bush Theatre), Blue Hart (Royal Court), Cahoot’s Macbeth (King’s Head Theatre), Crocodile Seeking Refuge (Lyric Hammersmith), Dealing with Claire (Union Theatre), Macbeth (Bristol Old Vic), Trips (Birmingham Rep) and Wedding Day at the Cro-Magnons (Soho Theatre). Television credits include Holby City, Quick Cuts, A Touch of Cloth II, A Young Doctor’s Notebook, The Blind Man of Seville, My So Called Life Sentence, Twenty Twelve, My Family, Happy Birthday Shakespeare, Married. Single Other and The Forsythe Saga. Her film credits include Sense of an Ending, Pride, Untitled 13, Now is Good, Another Year, Happy Go Lucky, Gabriel and The Return and Daphne.

Annie Firbank plays Vega/Blenda Vergérus. Her theatre credits include Richard III (Arcola/Madrid), Oresteia, Macbeth (Almeida Theatre), Who Do We Think We Are?, Roundelay (Southwark Playhouse/Visible Ensemble), The Crucible (The Old Vic), To Kill a Mockingbird, Three Sisters, An Ideal Husband, Separate Tables, Habitat (Royal Exchange, Manchester), The Golden Dragon, Orpheus, The Belle Vue, Ion, Celestina (ATC), Billy Liar, A Working Woman, Macbeth (West Yorkshire Playhouse), An Argument About Sex (Tramway/Traverse Theatre), Only the Lonely, Death of a Salesman (Birmingham Rep), Becket (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Maps of Desire (Wonderful Beast), The Hollow Crown, Henry V, The Comedy of Errors (RSC), Much Ado About Nothing (Cheek By Jowl), Hedda Gabler (ETT/Donmar Warehouse), The Invisible Woman (Gate Theatre), The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet (Acter-USA), Mary Stuart (BAC), A Handful of Dust (Shared Experience), High Society (Victoria Palace), The Passion, Julius Caesar (National Theatre), Twelfth Night, Richard III, and Anthony and Cleopatra (Stratford, Ontario). Television includes New Tricks, Midsomer Murders, East Enders, Elizabeth I, Doctors, Kavanagh QC, Heartbeat, Heart of the Country, Growing Rich, Poirot, Mother Love, Hotel du Lac, Flesh and Blood, Lillie, The Nearly Man, Crown Court and Persuasion. Film credits include Anna and the King, Strapless, A Passage to India, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sunday Bloody Sunday, A Severed Head, Accident, The Servant and Carry on Nurse.

Matt Gavan plays Michael Bergman/Aron Retzinsky. His recent theatre credits include King Lear (The Old Vic). His film credits include Murder on the Orient Express and Goodbye Christopher Robin.

Tim Lewis is in the Ensemble. Theatre includes The Elephantom, War Horse (National Theatre/West End), The Man of Mode (National Theatre) The Edge (UK tour), The Hudsucker Proxy (Nuffield Theatre/Liverpool Playhouse), At The End Of Everything Else, Something Very Far Away (Unicorn Theatre) The Guinea Pig Club, (York Theatre Royal), The Railway Children (Waterloo Station Theatre), and Romeo and Juliet (Birmingham Rep/UK tour). TV credits include Mr Selfridge, Five Daughters, and Coming Up: The King. Film includes A Night in Hatton Garden, A Congregation of Ghosts and In the Dark Half.

Gary Mackay is in the Ensemble. His theatre credits include Farm Boy (Mercury Theatre), ‘Art’ (The Old Vic), Run for Your Wife (Vienna English Theatre), Let The Right One In (NTS/West End/New York), The 39 Steps (UK tour), The Madness of George III (West End/UK tour), The Signal Man (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds), Little Otik (NTS/UK tour), When Five Years Pass, The Highway Crossing (Arcola Theatre), Lark Rise to Candleford (Finborough Theatre) and Julius Caesar (Barbican Theatre). His television credits include Derren Brown’s – Twisted Tales, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Lip Service, Hollyoaks, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Half Moon Investigations and Francis. His film credits include E=Motion, He Who Dares 2, The Magic Flute, The Devil’s Chair and Broken.

Gloria Obianyo plays Petra Ekdahl/Pauline/Ismael Retzinsky. Her theatre credits include The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Donmar Warehouse), The Wild Party (St James’s Theatre), The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic), Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and The Happy Warrior (Bromley Churchill Theatre). Her television and film credits include Good Omens and High Life.

Vivian Oparah plays Maj. Her theatre credits include An Octoroon (Orange Tree Theatre). Her television credits include Class, and she is set to appear in The Rebel and film Teen Spirit.

Michael Pennington plays Isak Jacobi/Death. His theatre credits include The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, The Cosmonaut’s Last Message to the Woman he Once Loved (Donmar Warehouse), King Lear (UK tour), She Stoops to Conquer (Theatre Royal Bath), A Winter’s Tale (Garrick Theatre), Richard II (RSC), Dance of Death (Gate Theatre), Judgement Day (The Print Room), Anthony and Cleopatra, The Syndicate, The Master Builder, Collaboration and Taking Sides (Chichester Festival Theatre). Michael’s television credits include Endeavour, Father Brown, Silent Witness, Holby City, The Tudors, Lewis, Waking the Dead and The Bill. His film credits include The Iron Lady and Return of the Jedi.

Hannah James-Scott is in the Ensemble. Her theatre credits include Powerplay (Hampton Court), Translations (Sheffield Crucible/Rose Theatre) and LoveBites (Southwark Playhouse). Her film credits include Crumble and Empty.

Jonathan Slinger plays Gustav Adolf Ekdahl. His theatre credits include Trouble in Mind (Print Room), Plastic (Theatre Royal, Bath), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Urinetown (St. James Theatre/Apollo Shaftesbury), Hamlet, The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, Henry VI parts 1, 2 & 3, Henry V, Richard II, Richard III, The Homecoming, Macbeth (RSC), The Gods Weep (RSC/Hampstead Theatre), Power, The Duchess of Malfi, and The Coast of Utopia (National Theatre). Recent television credits include Kiri, Nelson in his Own Words, Foyle’s War, To The Ends of the Earth, Vexed and Paradox. His film credits include The Taking, Harmony, A Knight’s Tale, Forgive and Forget and The Last September.

Catherine Walker plays Emilie Ekdahl. Her theatre credits include Hedda Gabler (Abbey Theatre), A Streetcar Named Desire, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Uncle Vanya (Gate Theatre), Play (Barbican/Gate Theatre), The House (Abbey Theatre), Terminus (Abbey Theatre/Young Vic), Blackwater Angel (Finborough Theatre), What Happened Bridgie Cleary (Peacock Theatre), John Bull’s Other Island (Tricycle Theatre), Wild Orchids (Chichester Festival Theatre), Stairs to the Roof (Minerva Theatre), Richard II, Henry V, A Month in the Country, Troilus & Cressida (RSC) and Sive (Palace Theatre). Her television credits include Versailles II/III, Acceptable Risk, Rebellion, Critical, Strike Back, The Clinic, Life of Crime, The Silence, Lewis, Bittersweet, Northanger Abbey, Waking the Dead, Animals, Holby City, Passengers On Board and Sweeney Todd. Her film credits include Delinquent Season, Cellar Door, We Ourselves, Dark Song, Patrick’s Day, Debris, Dark Touch, Easier Ways to Make A Living, Leap Year, Cromwell, Losing Her, Perfect Day: The Funeral, Conspiracy of Silence and The Favourite.

Sargon Yelda plays Oscar Ekdahl. His theatre credits include King Lear (The Old Vic), Forget Me Not (Bush Theatre), Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, Dara, Emperor and Galilean, Mother Courage and her Children, Stovepipe (National Theatre), The Internet is Serious Business (Royal Court), Incognito (Bush Theatre), Moby Dick, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (Arcola Theatre), Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, The Tempest (RSC) and When the Rain Stops Falling (Almeida Theatre). His television credits include The Strike Series: The Silkwork and Cuckoo’s Calling, Innocent, Zen, Compulsion, Midnight Man and Saddam’s Tribe. His film credits include Spectre, Dead Cat and Close.

The role of Fanny will be played by Zaris Angel Hator, Amy Jayne Leigh, Molly Shenker and Katie Simons, and the role of Alexander will be played by Guillermo Bedward, Kit Connor, Jack Falk and Misha Handley, who will alternate performances.

Adaptation Stephen Beresford Director Max Webster Set Designer Tom Pye Costume Designer Laura Hopkins Composer Alex Baranowski Lighting Designer Mark Henderson Sound Designer Tom Gibbons Casting Jessica Ronane CDG Director of Movement Toby Sedgwick Illusion Ben Hart Baylis Assistant Director Tatty Hennessey

FANNY & ALEXANDER Based on ‘Fanny and Alexander’ written and directed by Ingmar Bergman Adapted by Stephen Beresford Directed by Max Webster Wed 21 Feb–Sat 14 Apr 2018

BUY FROM AMAZON.CO.UK Fanny And Alexander [DVD] Kristina Adolphson (Actor),‎ Börje Ahlstedt (Actor),‎ Ingmar Bergman (Director, Writer)

http://ift.tt/2iiTKXu London Theatre 1