"What You Will" Opening Night

Judi Dench and Ian McKellen attended the opening night of "What You Will" at the Apollo Theatre. The three worked together with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Roger and Ian recently worked together on "Waiting for Godot".

Pictures at What's On Stage.

"What You Will" Reviews

"For any Londoners who missed Rees’s 2010 outing in Waiting for Godot opposite Sir Ian McKellen, this may be the first opportunity in a long while to watch this likeable, vital actor in anything more substantial than The West Wing or Grey’s Anatomy. It’s a chance worth taking. This may not be the didactic equal of Callow’s The Man From Stratford, but it’s a lot more fun and a good deal shorter – surely both virtues of which Shakespeare himself would have approved."

Alexandra Coghlan reviews Roger's show for the Arts Desk.

Michael Billington reviews the show for The Guardian:

"As anyone who saw him play the title role in Nicholas Nickleby will recall, Rees had a great gift for physical speed and swiftness of thought on stage. Lithe as ever in his middle years, he retains those attributes. Even if he occasionally lapses into the odd habit of unearned emphasis on a single word ("But, soft, what light through yonder window breaks"), it is still a pleasure to hear him speaking Shakespeare's words with darting urgency. He is also very moving when he talks about his late father's impact on his Hamlet, and very funny on his apprenticeship in the back row of the Shakespearean chorus (his "four years as a mime artist with the RSC"). It is pleasant to spend time in Rees's engaging company, but I yearned to know more about how the modern actor gets to grips with playing Shakespeare."

The full review is at: The Guardian.

"What You Will" Interview

Matt Wolf interviews Roger on the occasion of his return to the London stage with "What You Will" for Broadway.com. One of the things they talk about is the way the show came about:

Roger: "I was doing an evening of modern poetry for the Folger Library in Washington DC, run by my friend Beth Emelson, and she said to me, “You really ought to be doing something on Shakespeare since we’re the nest of everything Shakespearean here at the Folger.” It’s a place where you can actually hold David Garrick’s script for Hamlet in your hand. So I found myself assembling materials and some anecdotes, and the result has proved to be lovely; people quite like it.
"

You can read the full interview at Broadway.com.

20 Questions

In the run up to the opening of "What You Will" at the Apollo Theatre in the West End Roger has answered 20 questions for What's On Stage. The interview can be read at 20 Questions.

Elementary

Roger will appear in the new CBS Sherlock Holmes drama "Elementary". The series stars Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as his partner Joan Watson. The series premieres on September 27. More information at Entertainment Weekly.

What You Will

Roger is bringing his evening of Shakespeare to the West End. He will appear for three weeks, from 18 September to 6 October at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue.

For more information and tickets check the production website at: What You Will.

Primrose Path at the Guthrie

Roger talks about his new project for the Guthrie Theatre. He will be directing Crispin Whittell's adaptation of "The Primrose Path" by Turgenev.

Video at YouTube.

Meeting Rick Elice

There is a nice piece on the New Yorker website on how Roger first got to meet and then got to know his partner Rick Elice.

Tony Nomination

Roger has received a Tony nomination for his work as director with Alex Timbers on "Peter and the Skycatcher". The show received a total of nine nominations. Tony award night is June 10.

For Roger's reaction check Broadway.com.

Starcatcher Playbill

The playbill for "Peter and the Starcatcher", along with many details about the production, can be found in the Playbill Vault.

Starcatcher Opening Night

Roger attended the opening night performance and party at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre last night. Party pictures are at Broadway.com.

Starcatcher Pictures

A small picture gallery of "Peter and the Starcatcher" is available at Broadway.com.

More Press Pictures

Broadwayworld.com has published pictures of the press event, including some more pictures of Roger.

Press Meeting Starcatcher

Roger attended a press meeting for "Peter and the Starcatcher" yesterday. There is a photo gallery at TheaterMania.

Starcatcher Trailer

A trailer for "Peter and the Starcatcher is now available at Broadway.com.

"Peter and the Starcatcher" Cast Details

Casting details of the Broadway transfer of "Peter and the Starcatcher" have been published. The original off-Broadway cast is to move to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Full story at Broadway.com.

"What You Will" in Florida

Roger will perform his one man Shakespeare show at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre on February 29. For more information and tickets see their website at Orlando Shakepeare Theater.

Submissions Only!

Roger appears as himself in "Y'all Were Great!", the fifth episode of the second season of the online sitcom "Submissions Only!" You can watch the episode by checking the website: Submissions Only!

Starcatcher Transfers to Broadway

"Peter and the Starcatcher" is set to transfer to Broadway. Peter will begin previews at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on March 28 and open on April 15, co-directed by Roger and Alex Timbers. No casting has been announced.

Full story at Broadway.com.

"The Addams Family" to close

The Addams Family has announced that the show will close at the end of the year. The last performance will take place on New Year's Eve. Roger and Brooke Shields will stay with the show until the end of the run.

Also see: Broadway.com.