"Ah, Hastings, you are full of the charitable feelings for the young ladies who are beautiful, hmmm? As for me, I am always full of the charitable feelings to the old ladies that have the maladies." - Hercule Poirot
"Yes, quite as I expected. There are distinct social possibilities in your profile. The two weak points in our age are its want of principle and its want of profile. The chin a little higher, dear. Style largely depends on the way the chin is worn. " - Lady Bracknell
David Suchet, who portrayed Agatha Christie's fictional Belgian detective for a quarter of a century, will play Oscar Wilde's Lady Bracknell in a new West End production of The Importance Of Being Earnest this summer.
This could be interesting...
The Importance Of Being Earnest will be at the Vaudeville Theatre from 24th June to 7th November 2015.
Hello Jon,
ReplyDeleteOh, this seems to be a truly perfect casting!
David Suchet is a delight and is such an accomplished actor. Lady Bracknell will be a perfect role for him. We can hear the voice now! Haaaaannnnddddbaaaaggggg!
I suspect he'll be more Dame Joan Plowright than Dame Edith Evans... Jx
DeleteHmmmmm, sure wish I could get across the pond and see this.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with most male "stunt casting" of Bracknell is that there's often no point to it. If you're depriving any number of actresses-of-a-certain-age a crack at one of the great roles of all time, you really have an obligation to bring something fresh to it, which I've yet to see happen.
Edward Hibbert did a Bracknell here a few years ago, as did Ellis Raab before him, and both gave us standard issue Dame Edith versions, so what was the point? Suchet is an interesting actor, so I'm hopeful he'll do something with it we haven't seen before.
And for what it's worth, my husband (a Broadway director before his retirement) always wanted to do an Earnest with a Bracknell who wasn't a total gorgon but still had some sex appeal -- his prototypes (twenty years ago) being Geraldine McEwan or Felicity Kendall -- and his reasoning being that her imperiousness wouldn't necessarily preclude her still having some heat.
Interesting idea, I think...
We shall indeed have to wait and see if Mr Suchet does the "archetypal Dame Edith" or something else entirely...
DeleteThe very thought of Felicity "I got my first tattoo at the age of 63" Kendal taking the role, however, gives me the shivers...
Jx
I saw Mr Suchet interviewed on the TV here at the demise of his lengthy role of Hurcule, He seemed very keen to take on the role of Lady Bracknell. He said that he would try to bring something new to the role...I guess that remains to be seen... Perhaps Lady Bracknell will appear with a neat little "Poirot" tash
ReplyDeleteI always imagined Lady Bracknell having a bit of a tache... Jx
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