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Willy Russell
William Russell (born 23 August 1946) is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works are '' Educating Rita'', '' Shirley Valentine'', '' Blood Brothers'' and '' Our Day Out''. Early life Russell was born in Whiston, Lancashire (which is now Merseyside). On leaving school, aged 15, he became a women's hairdresser, eventually running his own salon, until the age of 20 when he decided to go back to college. This led to him qualifying as a teacher. During these years, Russell also worked as a semi-professional singer, writing and performing his own songs in folk clubs. At college, he began writing drama and, in 1972, took a programme of three one-act plays to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where they were seen by writer John McGrath, who recommended Russell to the Liverpool Everyman, which commissioned the adaptation, ''When The Reds…'', Russell's first professional work for theatre. Career Russell's first play was ''Keep Your Eyes Down'' (1971), writte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whiston, Lancashire
Whiston is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. Previously recorded within the historic county of Lancashire, it is located east of Liverpool. The population was 13,629 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 14,263 at the 2011 Census. A new village, Halsnead Garden Village, was approved with government support in 2017 and will be located in the Halsnead area of the town. The new village will contain over 1,500 houses, a primary school, a country park, and various community and leisure facilities. Construction is estimated to cost around £270 million. History The first record of Whiston comes in 1245, being rendered as "Quistan" and being within the West Derby Hundred in Lancashire. Archeological evidence such as a Neolithic polished hand-axe and mesolithic tool fragments suggest that the region was host to pre-historic settlement up to 12,000 years, ago while other archaeological finds include remnants of a Roman tile works ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
One For The Road (Russell Play)
''One For The Road'' is a comedic play by Willy Russell, written in 1976 and published in 1980. The script was revised and updated by Russell in 1985 and the rights are held by Samuel French Ltd. It is not to be confused with the Harold Pinter play of the same name. It was originally entitled ''The Tupperware Man'' (in reference to a comedic speech from Dennis over dinner at the beginning of Act II) and performed under this name until a legal threat from Tupperware. It then became 'Painted Veg And Parkinson'. The cast of four comprises Dennis Cain, his wife Pauline, later joined by Jane and Roger, and the setting is a bungalow in Castlehills, a fictional new middle-class housing development in the north of England. ''Standard'', 28 March 2002 The cast await ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Connie (TV Series)
''Connie'' is a 1985 British television drama series. Produced by Central Television for the ITV Network, it starred Stephanie Beacham in the title role. 13 episodes were made which were broadcast throughout the summer of 1985. Series history Written by Ron Hutchinson as a dry commentary on Thatcherite values in the 1980s, the series was set in the East Midlands garment industry and tells the story of a woman returning to the United Kingdom from Greece after eight years in self-imposed exile. She is determined to claw back control of her chain of high street clothes shops that are now controlled by her stepsister, and also get her foot back into the "House of Bea", a family-owned garment factory run by her father and stepmother, which is now losing money. The series is chiefly memorable for the high-octane performance of Stephanie Beacham as the eponymous Connie, snarling her way through such camp, metaphorical 1980s capitalistic dialogue as "My spoon is going into the gravy, m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades and is considered a British cultural icon. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Michael Caine, numerous awards including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. As of 2017, the films in which Caine has appeared have grossed over $7.8 billion worldwide. Caine is one of only five male actors to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in five different decades. In 2000, he received a BAFTA Fellowship and was Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, knighted by Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II. Often playing a Cockney, Caine made his breakthrough in the 1960s with starring roles in British films such as ''Zulu (1964 film), Zulu'' (1964), ''The Ipcress ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shirley Valentine (film)
''Shirley Valentine'' is a 1989 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert. The screenplay by Willy Russell is based on his 1986 one-character play of the same title, which follows middle-aged Shirley Valentine in an unexpected discovery of herself and the rekindling of her childhood dreams and youthful love of life. Pauline Collins reprises the title role as middle-aged housewife Shirley, which she had previously played in the stage production in London's West End and on Broadway, and Tom Conti plays Costas Dimitriades, the owner of a Greek tavern with whom she has a holiday romance. Plot Shirley Valentine is a bored 42-year-old working class Liverpudlian housewife whose life and initially enriching marriage has settled into a narrow and unsatisfying rut, leaving few genuine friends and her childhood dreams unaccomplished and she feels as if her husband and children treat her more like a servant. When her flamboyant friend Jane wins a trip for two to Gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Educating Rita (film)
''Educating Rita'' is a 1983 British comedy-drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert with a screenplay by Willy Russell based on his 1980 stage play. The film stars Michael Caine, Julie Walters, Michael Williams and Maureen Lipman. It won multiple major awards for best actor and best actress and was nominated for three Academy Awards. Caine and Walters both won BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for best actor and actress. The British Film Institute ranked ''Educating Rita'' the 84th greatest British film of the 20th century. Plot Susan (who initially calls herself Rita), a 26-year-old working-class hairdresser, is dissatisfied with the routine of her work and social life; she is reluctant to have a child, fearing it will tie her to the same monotonous routine for life, and she yearns to escape to something more profound, without exactly knowing what that is. She seeks to better herself by signing up for and attending an Open University course in Literature. Susan's assigned O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in Manhattan. The ceremony is usually held in June. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances. One is also given for regional theatre. Several discretionary non-competitive awards are given as well, including a Special Tony Award, the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, and the Isabelle Stevenson Award. The awards were founded by theatre producer and director Brock Pemberton. They are named after Antoinette "Tony" Perry, an actress, producer and theatre director who was co-founder and secretary of the American Theatre Wing. The trophy consists of a spinnable medallion, with faces portraying an adaptation of the comedy and tragedy masks, mounted on a black base with a pewter swivel. The rules for the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broadway Theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of Broadway theaters, extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatre'' as the proper noun in their names. Many performers and trade groups for live dramatic presentations also use the spelling ''theatre''. or Broadway, is a theatre genre that consists of the theatrical performances presented in 41 professional Theater (structure), theaters, each with 500 or more seats, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District and Lincoln Center along Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Broadway and London's West End theatre, West End together represent the highest commercial level of live theater in the English-speaking world. While the Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway thoroughfare is eponymous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pauline Collins
Pauline Collins (born 3 September 1940) is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973) and its spin-off '' Thomas & Sarah'' (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography ''Letter to Louise''. Collins played the title role in the play '' Shirley Valentine'' for which she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress, and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She reprised the role in the 1989 film adaptation of the play, winning the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also starred in the television dramas '' Forever Green'' (1989–1992) and '' The Ambassador'' (1998–1999). Her other film appearances include ''City of Joy'' (1992), '' Paradise Road'' (1997), '' Albert Nobbs'' (2011), ''Quartet'' (2012), and ''The Time of Their Lives'' (2017). Early life and career Collins was born on 3 September 1940 in Exmouth, D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, but they were renamed in honour of the English actor of the same name in 1984. The awards are given annually to individuals involved in West End productions and other leading non-commercial theatres based in London across a range of categories covering plays, musicals, dance, opera and affiliate theatre. A discretionary non-competitive Special Olivier Award is also given each year. The Olivier Awards are recognised internationally as the highest honour in British theatre, equivalent to the BAFTA Awards for film and television, and the BRIT Awards for music. The Olivier Awards are considered equivalent to Broadway's Tony Awards, France's Molière Award, Spain's Premios Max and Australia's Helpmann Awards. Since inception, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Kingston
Mark Kingston (18 April 1934 – 9 October 2011) was an English actor who made many television and stage appearances over his 50-year career. Biography Kingston's father was a blacksmith and he attended Greenwich Central School and trained as an actor at LAMDA, he then appeared in repertory theatre and at the Old Vic with Vivien Leigh. He played the lecturer Frank in the original stage production of '' Educating Rita'' with Julie Walters. On television he had significant roles in ''United!'', '' Beryl's Lot'', '' A Voyage Round My Father'', '' Shine on Harvey Moon'', and other productions. His film career included roles in ''Invasion'' (1965), '' Love Is a Splendid Illusion'' (1970), '' Hitler: The Last Ten Days'' (1973) as Martin Bormann, '' Saint Jack'' (1979), '' Lady Oscar'' (1979), ''Sphinx'' (1981) and ''Give My Regards to Broad Street'' (1984). Kingston also appeared in an episode of ''Birds of a Feather'' as Sharon's ( Pauline Quirke) Lover (1990). He died at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julie Walters
Dame Julia Mary Walters (born 22 February 1950), known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Olivier Award. Walters has been nominated for two Academy Awards across acting categories—once for Best Actress and once for Best Supporting Actress. She was honoured with the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement in 2014. She was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 for services to drama. Walters rose to prominence playing the title role in '' Educating Rita'' (1983), a part she originated in the West End production of the stage play upon which the film was based. She has appeared in many other films, including '' Personal Services'' (1987), ''Prick Up Your Ears'' (1987), '' Buster'' (1988), '' Stepping Out'' (1991), '' Sister My Sister'' (1994), '' Girls' Night'' (1998), '' Titanic Town'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
