The real-life dame and on-screen dowager countess, who has died aged 89, earned fame in her 70s and 80s for blockbuster roles. But her early work at the National Theatre marked her out as a talent for the agesDame Maggie Smith’s trophy cabinet reflected her extraordinary achievements across theatre, film and television – and in the biggest arenas of British and US culture, from the BBC to Hollywood, the West End to Broadway. A measure of her versatility and durability is that, in the 1960s, she played nine major roles in the formative years of the National Theatre, but also, from the start of the 2000s, appeared in five series of Downton Abbey, the ITV Sunday night series that became one of the biggest popular hits of the new millennium.Her role in that show was Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, who lived in such a bubble of exclusive comfort that, in trademark one-liners, she would drawl in mystification, for example: “What is a ‘weekend’?” That acerbic superiority was a signature throughout Smith’s career, including the part that brought her first Academy award in 1970, against a shortlist also featuring Liza Minnelli and Jane Fonda, for the title role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, adapted from Muriel Spark’s novel about a maverick, arrogant schoolteacher in Edinburgh. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-09-27 13:37:47 UTC ]
Sales of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playscript (Little, Brown) have been “incredible” according to Waterstones, while Foyles deemed it “the fastest-selling book we’ve ever sold” after fans flocked to midnight openings around the country. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In spite of tepid critical reaction to 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two,' which became available to the public at precisely 12:01 a.m. on July 31, the book seems to have hit its high sales performance expectations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Central London was once again full of wizards, Harrys, Hagrids and Hermiones last night (30th July) as Waterstones Piccadilly and Foyles on Charing Cross Road held extravagant parties to celebrate Little, Brown’s publication of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child– surely already the fastest... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A look back at the magical journey through Harry Potter's history leading up to the release of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child". Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Local fans of the "Harry Potter" books and films series are gearing up this weekend for something they've long yearned for — one more journey to the wizarding world."Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," a book edition of a play debuting this weekend at London's West End Palace Theatre, will be... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2016-07-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Katherine Cowdrey on returning to the magic of Harry Potter as an adult with the "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" play. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reviews for the upcoming 'Potter' stage play are so far very positive. What about the show has so impressed reviewers? Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The verdict is in for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", with reviewers hailing the two-part play "a dazzling duel of light and dark" (the Guardian), "a triumph" (the Telegraph), and "a magical experience tailor made for the stage, filled to the brim with fan service" (the Independent). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter fans, booksellers, and librarians are getting ready to party like it's 2007: Scholastic is prepping to release 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two' on July 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers are hoping that the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child later this month will offset the negative impact economic uncertainty has had on footfall following the Brexit vote. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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They were supposed to be a secret, but when word leaked that the new "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" in London was using real owls during performances, fans of the saga went wild on social media. Alas, the owls have officially flown the coop before the blockbuster West End production... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Theatre critics have responded enthusiastically to the first part of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which previewed at London’s Palace theatre last night (7th June). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Retailers are plotting a range of spellbinding evenings across the UK ahead of the release of JK Rowling’s "eighth Harry Potter book”, the play script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Little, Brown). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s been 19 years since the events of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and boy does it show. The first images of upcoming West End stage play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” written by English playwright Jack Thorne and based on a story from Thorne and “Potter” scribe J.K. Rowling,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of JK Rowling’s much-loved books jump 133%, boosted by illustrated edition, contributing to 8% profit rise at publisherHarry Potter is still working his magic for the publisher Bloomsbury after nearly 20 years, with sales more than doubling over the past year thanks to a new illustrated... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Big Green Bookshop is to donate all profits from the sales of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Little, Brown) to local schools to enable them to buy books for their libraries. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British surveillance agency GCHQ intervened with the launch of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday is likely to draw huge crowds, including adults who grew up reading the books by J.K. Rowling and teens who watched the eight movies that followed. If you plan to brave the Potterfest, here are some... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A chair that author JK Rowling sat on while writing the first two Harry Potter books is sold at a New York auction for nearly $400,000 (£283,000). Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In hero-quest terms, the recovery of the Sorcerer's Stone was Harry Potter's first big win, even though he didn't get to keep it. By the time Harry woke up after his first battle with You Know Who, the stone, with all its life-extending and gold-producing properties, had, in fact, been destroyed.... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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