Great Performances » acting

Macbeth: Watch the Full Program

chie witt — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:10:19 +0000

Watch the full film of Rupert Goold’s Macbeth starring Sir Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood below.

Following a London West End run in December 2007, a sold-out limited engagement at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in March 2008, and a subsequent eight-week run on Broadway, director Rupert Goold’s gripping stage production of Macbeth was filmed for television at the end of 2009. Patrick Stewart in his triumphant, Tony-nominated performance as the ambitious general, and Tony-nominated Kate Fleetwood as his coldly scheming wife. On March 31, 2011, Macbeth was the proud recipient of a George Foster Peabody Award.

Macbeth: A Conversation with Sir Patrick Stewart

colin fitzpatrick — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:52:19 +0000

In an interview with award-winning journalist Paula Zahn, Sir Patrick Stewart discusses what attracted him to the role of Macbeth, the innovative creative process of working with director Rupert Goold, his co-star Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth, his character’s descent into darkness, and some performance advice he received from another famous Macbeth, Sir Ian McKellan.

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Hamlet: Interview with Sir Patrick Stewart

colin fitzpatrick — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:31:19 +0000

Great Performances interviewed the recently-knighted Sir Patrick Stewart about playing the roles of Claudius and the Ghost in the upcoming GP special Hamlet to air on PBS stations nationwide on April 28th at 8 p.m. (check local listings). While in California in January promoting the broadcast, Stewart talked about the process of creating a modern adaptation the play, how the cast created their characters, and what he hopes viewers will take from watching David Tennant and Gregory Doran’s Hamlet. THIRTEEN’s Jitin Hingorani narrates to give a sneak peak at the film.

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King Lear: Interview with Sir Ian McKellen on playing King Lear

colin fitzpatrick — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:23:34 +0000

Sir Ian McKellen discusses how Trevor Nunn’s set design seeks to preserve the original intention of Shakespeare, performing Shakespeare for the camera, the task of performing King Lear’s transformation from King into madman, the significance of Lear’s relationship with the gods, and how playing Lear, the “Everest” of Shakespeare, often is considered the summation of an actor’s career.