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Don Carlos May Play Broadway in Late Fall

By: Mar. 28, 2005
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Written by Maya Cantu

The hit London production of Schiller's Don Carlos will most likely come to Broadway late this fall.

Directed by Michael Grandage and starring Sir Derek Jacoby, the historical tragedy opened on February 3rd at the West End's Gielgud Theatre to a robust box office intake--earning 300, 000 pounds ($560, 000) in the first week of March alone. Produced by Matthew Byam Shaw, ACT Productions and Matthew Mitchell, the show's cast also features Richard Coyle, Claire Price, Una Stubbs, Ian Hogg and Elliot Cowan.

The tale of royal intrigue concerns the Spanish king Philip II, whose throne and marriage bed are both compromised by his ambitious son, Carlos. The new translation by Mike Poulton has shortened the running time of the theatrical marathon--it now clocks in at a mere 3 hours.

Grandage directed Jacobi once before in a 2001 production of The Tempest; both collaborations originated in productions at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre. Artistic director at the same theatre, his credits include Edward II, Merrily We Roll Along, Henry IV, After Miss Julie, Caligula and Suddenly Last Summer. Grandage directed the well-received Donmar Warehouse production of Grand Hotel in December of 2004, and will also stage the West End revival of Guys and Dolls that is to star Ewan McGregor.

Jacobi, considered one of the finest working classical actors, made his most recent West End appearance in Hugh Whitemore's God Only Knows in 2001. He played the title role in the 2000 Broadway revival of Uncle Vanya, and won a 1985 Best Actor Tony for his Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. His other credits include extensive work with The National Theatre (after having been discovered by Sir Laurence Olivier), and he has played the title roles of Cyrano de Bergerac, Oedipus Rex and King Lear, among many other classics. Film credits include roles in Gladiator, Gosford Park, and the 1976 BBCG miniseries I, Claudius.

Freidrich Schiller belonged to the school of German romantic drama known as Weimar Classicism. Other Schiller plays include The Robbers, Passion and Politics, Mary Stuart, Joan of Arc and Wallenstein.

The Gielgud Theatre production of Don Carlos is booking until April 30th.




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