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What do architect Frank Gehry, artist Kerry James Marshall, Tony-winning director Rachel Chavkin and Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo have in common? They are all artist collaborators on five newly commissioned works that the Broad Stage announced Wednesday would premiere over the next three seasons.
The Santa Monica stage’s partnerships include a diverse mix of performers, directors, choreographers, composers, librettists and arts venues. They signal a re-imagining of what the Broad Stage can do and the kind of work it will present in a post-pandemic world, said Rob Bailis, the company’s artistic and executive director.
“I think we’re going to see an explosion of joy and energy and innovation coming from that tension of being held back for so long,” Bailis said of the coming work. “As a field, we’re not going back to anything we knew before. We’re stepping boldly into the future, and artists are going to lead the way.”
Last modified on Sun 14 Mar 2021 11.28 EDT
Following the death of her mother, Cass is falling to pieces â a fact that this adaptation of an inventive stage play explores through the device of having two actors simultaneously playing the same character. Norah Sadava and Amy Nostbakken wrote the play and jointly star as Cass; Nostbakken also contributes the filmâs haunting and rather lovely score. I wonder if the dual performance might have had a more forceful impact in the stage incarnation; nevertheless, the film is undeniably potent in its account of the shattering force of grief.
Available in virtual cinemas and on demand
Grace
John Simm stars as Roy Grace, a troubled detective superintendent haunted by the disappearance of his wife, in this two-part thriller adapted from Peter James’s bestselling novels. After his dangerous police methods are questioned, Grace’s job is on the line.
Sunday 14 March, 8pm, ITV
Money Heist creators Alex Pina and Esther Martínez Lobato deliver another pulpy Spanish action thriller. After best friends and sex workers Coral, Wendy and Gina make a desperate run for freedom, they are tracked by their pimp and his henchman on a chaotic journey that solidifies their bond.
Friday 19 March, Netflix
Season three of the action-packed sports docuseries chronicling the high-stakes world of big money and even bigger egos in Formula 1 tackles the great leveller of the Covid-19 pandemic. With racing halted on the eve of 2020’s Australian Grand Prix, we follow the drivers through their limbo to Lewis Hamilton’s astonishing seventh world title.
Last modified on Fri 12 Mar 2021 04.36 EST
Why have one actor play your lead character when you could have two? Thatâs the central conceit of this distinctive Canadian indie, written by the actors in question, Amy Nostbakken and Norah Sadava, and adapted from their stage play. They are both Cassandra, a disorganised woman in Toronto thrown into crisis by the death of her mother. Unlike movies with similar conceits â Luis Buñuelâs That Obscure Object of Desire, for example, where two actors alternated in a role â Mouthpiece keeps both women on screen at all times. As a reflection of a fractured mental state, itâs an effective device, although the relationship is not sharply defined. Sometimes they are like best friends or sisters, in playful internal dialogue; others they are in good cop/bad cop opposition, or even conflict. Sometimes their movements are identical (they trip over their scarves in synch, for example); at others they appear to be autonomous.