dailymail.co.uk

Moliere's misery love company - especially Keira's

Damian Lewis as Alceste - Moliere's Misanthrope - looks on disdainfully as two photographs illustrate what he regards as the shallowness of society.

The actor stars in an updated version of The Misanthrope by Martin Crimp, in which he plays a contemporary playwright distracted by a flirty American starlet played by Keira Knightley, who will be making her debut in an ensemble led by Damian that also includes Tara Fitzgerald (seen in both photographs with Keira) and Dominic Rowan.

'This Misanthrope is angered by everything he sees around him and yet, at the same time, you might say he's one of the great romantics in literature,' Damian told me.

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metro.co.uk

Damian Lewis: Keira is fabulous

Damian Lewis is positive that Keira Knightley will do a terrific job when she makes her debut on the West End stage.

The Band Of Brothers star will be appearing alongside the British actress in the West End production of Moliere's comedy The Misanthrope, which opens in December.

"She's got quite a successful acting dad and playwright mum, so she can handle herself - Keira is fabulous, she's an absolute sweetheart - she's looking forward to it as well so we're going to have fun," he said.

He added: "I'm very excited about doing The Misanthrope - massively. We did the photo call for it the other day, and it made it very real, very exciting."

And Damian joked that he wouldn't mind the paparazzi attention.

"If I can get in and out the stage door every night without fighting, I'd feel hurt - I'd be insulted," he quipped.

:: The Misanthrope will be at the Comedy Theatre from December 17.

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The guardian

Life: the end

Will you miss offbeat US detective drama Life starring Damian Lewis?

Life came to an end last night. Thankfully there wasn't an extinction-level event, just the finale of ITV3's Life. Still, it was sad in its own way.

I like Damian Lewis as an actor (Great in Band of Brothers). I also think that the show was quirky enough to be a bit different and had a good ensemble cast: Adam Arkin as sidekick Ted was in his best role since he was President Bartlett's therapist; Donal Logue's Capt Tidwell could've been a really interesting character; and I know a lot of people who found Sarah Shahi, how shall we say, pleasant to watch.

But Life's ratings for its first series weren't that special. It got a second season mainly because of the writers' strike and when it failed to grow it was canned by NBC. It can't have helped that Shahi got pregnant and had to be filmed at strange angles throughout the second series (mostly on the phone at a desk in a surreal FBI office).

The producers must have known that the writing was on the wall because the second half of the second series featured little character development and a mad rush towards a strange conclusion. We did at least get closure of sorts. But were you satisfied? Did you care?

dailymail.co.uk

The hot ticket starring Keira Knightley that's made a million

Every theatre owner in London has been studying how the production marking the stage debut of Keira Knightley managed to take nearly £1million in just four days.

That's a phenomenal amount for a straight play.

Huge-budgeted musicals can take that amount in 24 hours - but that comes after the product has been advertised in newspapers and magazines, and on radio, TV and the internet.

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thefirstpost.co.uk

Knightley sells £1m in tickets, but isn’t top billing

Evidently, having such a bankable and beautiful star has helped the box office. But director Thea Sharrock, who has also worked with Daniel Radcliffe on a successful production of Equus, is adamant that it is Lewis, best known for his role in Band of Brothers, who will have top billing. "I signed up to work with Damian Lewis because it's brilliant to get him back on stage. And along the way we happened to get Keira Knightley, which is fantastic and I'm very excited but, you know, it's in that order."

Read entire article at thefirstpost.co.uk

femalefirst.co.uk

Knightley's Director Defends Stage Debut

She will appear alongside Damian Lewis and Tara Fitzgerald in the play,which is scheduled to open in the British capital on 17 December (09).

But director Thea Sharrock is adamant the production will not trade on the actress' high profile.

She says, "It's not the Keira Knightley show. She's the leading lady because she has the biggest female role, but she's not the lead part. This is Damian's show. I signed up to work with Damian Lewis because it's brilliant to get him back on stage. And along the way we happened to get Keira Knightley, which is fantastic and I'm very excited but, you know, it's in that order".

Read entire article at femalefirst.co.uk

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star-ecentral.com

Such is Life

And, of course Lewis who is absolutely awesome in the lead role – not since Hugh Laurie’s House (in House MD) has someone managed to make eccentricity that’s bordering on being obnoxious so adorable. That’s got to count for something right?

Then why was Life cancelled? Sigh.

Unlike last season where we had to more or less wait till the end of the season to find out details about the conspiracy (that got Crews imprisoned), in Season Two, bits of the puzzle are unravelled each week (or every couple of episodes) and we discover that all is not as straighforward as Crews first assumes.

Read entire article at star-ecentral.com

dailymail.co.uk

Born to do it: Keira Knightley makes debut in a West End scoop

Keira's right - it's not the Keira Knightley show. She's the leading lady because she has the biggest female role, but she's not the lead part. This is Damian's show. It's not the Keira show!', says the actress who may have the role of leading lady because she has the biggest female role, but she's not the lead part. This is actor Damian Lewis's show.

It's not the Keira show!', says the actress, who has a small role

'I signed up to work with Damian Lewis because it's brilliant to get him back on stage. And along the way we happened to get Keira Knightley, which is fantastic and I'm very excited but, you know, it's in that order.'

However, both Damian and Sharrock were clearly thrilled to be working with Keira because, however small her name is on the marquee, her star power will bring in punters.

Read entire article at dailymail.co.uk

broadwayworld.com

Knightley Joins Lewis In THE MISANTHROPE At The Comedy Theatre, Opening December 17

Damian Lewis leads an outstanding ensemble with Tara Fitzgerald, Keira Knightley, Dominic Rowan and Tim McMullan in Martin Crimp's blistering version of Molière's greatest comedy, The Misanthrope. Directed by Thea Sharrock, the play opens at theComedy Theatre on 17 December 2009 with previews from 7 December 2009.

Transported from 17th century Paris to modern-day London, Alceste (Damian Lewis) is a famous British playwright disillusioned and angry with the hypocrisy, shallowness and vanity of the contemporary world. Vowing to reject society, Alceste's plans are derailed when he falls madly in love with Jennifer (Keira Knightley). An ambitious American film star and darling of the social scene, she may prove to be his biggest challenge yet.

Read entire article at broadwayworld.com

kansascity.com

‘The Baker’: Hit man story warmed over | 2 stars

There’s a streak of black humor here, inasmuch as the locals are an amoral bunch who, having discovered Milo’s profession, try to use his deadly services to settle old debts. But as he becomes part of the community, they rally around him.

“The Baker” is an iffy affair made palatable mostly by Lewis’ lead performance, an attractive blend of naivete and deadly efficiency. But we’ve seen it before.

Read entire article at kansascity.com

blog.mlive.com

The International Film Festival: Believe it or don't

The wild card in this deck is a King of The Cell Block (Lewis), a sinister man of few words, who has no interest in rotating back to the real world, where he is nothing. Given his appearance, Lewis does not have to say a thing to establish himself as one of the most ominous presences to be seen on screen this year.

Read entire article at blog.mlive.com