Review: Charlie Condou in The Crucible

A guest blog post from Coronation Street Blog reader Glenn Meads who last night went to the theatre to see Corrie's Charlie Condou (Marcus Dent) in The Crucible.
"A host of current and former Corrie stars came out in force yesterday night, to support Charlie Condou, as he trod the boards in a new touring production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.

Kate Ford, Dolly-Rose Campbell and Sair Khan, were just some of the cast members who had a night away from the cobbles, to watch this stirring, classic play.

The first thing to note, is how powerful this piece is. In a world of alternative facts, Trump, Brexit, the recent French Elections, and our upcoming General Election, The Crucible could not be more timely.

The play focuses on the Salem Witch trials, but Miller cleverly uses this backdrop as an allegory for McCarthyism, as he was questioned and convicted in 1956.

You may know the film version, which starred Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder, but The Crucible belongs on stage, as it is only here that the claustrophobia of a small town turning in on itself can be truly examined and experienced, by the audience.

John Proctor (Eoin Slattery) and his wife Elizabeth (Victoria Yeates) are drawn into this moral panic, and their lives are turned upside down, when young Abigail Williams (Lucy Keirl) makes allegations, involving the devil.

To truly capture the hysteria that envelopes this small tight knit community, less is more effective. Here, the performances sometimes are a tad too ‘shouty’ at times. And, audience members sometimes giggle where thy should be aghast. And the ‘haunting’ music feels more appropriate in a film like The Omen, as it tells you what to think.

But, the two leads are completely convincing and Lucy Keirl is excellent as the young manipulator. As for Charlie, he completely immerses himself in the role of Reverend Hale. His diction is spot on throughout, and he shows versatility, within a complex role of a man torn between his faith and the will of the people. From the minute, he steps onto the stage, the play goes into fourth gear, as he has excellent stage presence.

As much as I love Coronation Street, it is always great to see what a cast member did previously, and catch up with where they are now, following their exit. Charlie is equally at home on stage and in film. And here, he proves that and has the chance to show fans of the show, a play they might not have seen before.

And, apart from a few misjudged moments, this production of The Crucible is gripping and as relevant today, as it always was.

Glenn Meads

The Crucible is at the Manchester Opera House until 13 May, and continues touring the UK until 17 June as follow:

• Manchester Opera House,  buy tickets here
• Birmingham - June 5-10, buy tickets here. 
• Glasgow - June 12-17, buy tickets here

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Charlie Condou on Coronation Street: "I loved that show"

Charlie Condou, who played midwife Marcus Dent on Coronation Street, was interviewed on ITV's Good Morning Britain this week. 

Charlie is currently on stage in London at The Crucible, playing witch-hunter Reverend Hale. The play goes on tour and you can see the tour dates and find out more here.

When asked on GMB, as most Coronation Street ex-actors are asked once they leave the show, if he'd like to return, this is what Charlie said:

"They were very nice when I said that I wanted to leave and they said 'the door will be open, we're not killing you off' so I would imagine the option's always there.

"I don't think it's right for me at the moment... but never say never. I loved that show."

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Charlie Condou joins Rocky Horror cast

Charlie Coudou, who played Marcus Dent in Coronation Street, has returned to the role of The Narrator in cult musical The Rocky Horror Show.

He’ll be amongst the cast when the show returns to the Grand Theatre in Leeds for a special Halloween residency from October 31 to November 5.

Charlie said: "I'm so excited to be returning to the cast of the Rocky Horror Show to play The Narrator - I had such a fantastic time playing the role earlier this year so I was thrilled to be invited back. It's such an iconic show, I'm looking forward to re-joining the wonderful cast and to seeing the brilliant audiences - who I am sure will again be keeping me on my toes."


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Charlie Condou gets wed

Charlie Condou, who played Marcus Dent on Coronation Street, was married yesterday.

Our hearty congratulations go to Charlie, who married his partner Cameron Laux, on Monday 8 June.

In a post on his Facebook page Charlie revealed, via Attitude magazine, “Exactly 10 years ago, Cam and me had our first date. Today we’re getting married. We haven’t told anyone because we don’t want a fuss. Just doing it quietly with the kids and a few close family peeps. Exactly the way we always wanted.”

Charlie Condou has been a vocal LGBT activist throughout his acting career. He and Laux have two children, conceived through IVF with actress Catherine Kanter, and have been fierce advocates for same-sex parenting.

About bloody time too https://t.co/9Vz4HCogWe

— Charlie Condou (@Charliecondou) June 8, 2015

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Charlie Condou stars in stage comedy at Southwark Playhouse

Charlie Condou, who played Coronation Street's Marcus Dent, will lead the cast of the UK premiere of comedy Next Fall at the Southwark Playhouse.

The play portrays the ups and downs of a couple with opposing religious views. The play runs at the Southwark Playhouse from 29 September to 25 October 2014 (previews from 24 September).

Find out more here.

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Is Coronation Street in the doldrums?

It's a question us fans are often asking. There's a strange divergence of opinion at the moment, splitting Corrie viewers. While some people think Coronation Street still has more highs than lows, others are seriously concerned that the Street is in trouble.

My views are well known on the whole. I think Corrie is still the best continuing drama on British television featuring some bona fide telly legends, some great acting and some funny, poignant writing. However I also think it is shown too often each week which cannot help but harm the quality of Corrie's overall output. I also think the cast is far too large and while some characters dominate for months on end others barely get a look in.

I think some storylines go on far too long while others disappear without trace far too soon. Some of the writing is brilliant yet some in uneven and I question some situations and the actions of certain characters. I worry that the competition for ratings is pushing our favourite programme into areas of desperation previously unheard of - everything is dramatic and explosive when simple human dramas used to suffice.

Each new Corrie producer has their own favourite actors and that can be both good and bad for the show. The past year of Corrie output makes it abundantly clear to me who those are. I know Corrie has done well at awards ceremonies but when you look at the outcomes most of the prizes have gone to Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson. Richly deserved, but take them out of the equation and what does that leave us with?

The introduction of new characters to a long running, ongoing drama can be tricky. Introduce too many at once and viewers feel all at sea and can't take to them. Bring them in too slowly and people get bored very quickly. The past year has seen the introduction of several new characters and on the whole I'm struggling to take to many of them. I know I must give these things time but many of them just don't feel like Corrie to me. Too many characters these days are too easily interchangeable with other programmes in the genre. Corrie used to lead the way with character development and character driven drama but now I fear this has been lost.

While many new characters have been added to an already bulging cast, too many others have been lost and in some cases it's just been such a puzzling waste. Charlie Condou decided to leave his role as Marcus Dent. Fair enough, however Marcus has been woefully underused in recent times. A normal, down to earth intelligent guy was suddenly cheating on his partner with someone he would previously have crossed the street to avoid. Not good enough. 

Dennis Tanner, one of Corrie's originals from 1960 was brought back, married off and given nothing to do. A criminal waste of Philip Lowrie's wonderful acting talents and a vital, tangible link to Corrie's golden age gone, just like that. Not good enough. Lloyd's daughter Jenna, brought in to give Craig Charles' brilliant character some family and some depth. Mismatched with Sophie Webster and there was no going back. Surely the writers could think up something else for Krissi Bohn to do apart from dish up beans in the background of other people's scenes? Whole stories of father and daughter connecting were left untouched by the writers. She'll be gone soon too. Not good enough. 

While there doesn't appear to be time to do these characters or actors justice, other stories drag on forever. Nick has become the new Demon David. Childish pranks and general unpleasantness instead of covering the serious topic of his rehabilitation. Tina's demise took month after month to reach a climax and the aftermath will be with us until Christmas. The Windass dramas show no sign of letting up despite being centre stage since the turn of the year. And Tracy keeps on being Tracy without any significant comeuppance. 

I know times change, viewers want different things and television companies face new pressures and an ever-changing climate but certain aspects of Corrie must remain the same for it to be Corrie.  

If I want depressing murder and mayhem, I'll watch EastEnders. If I want teenage screechy angst and pantomime performances, I'll watch Hollyoaks. I don't want these dubious qualities creeping into my Corrie. I want comedy. I want pathos. I want real, believable drama. I want characters I can root for and get behind, not characters that irritate and have me reaching for the remote control or my DVD boxed sets. I want the modern day equivalent of Hilda quietly grieving for Stan. I want the modern day equivalent of Bet painting on her barmaid's smile to mask her pain. 

I know this will be controversial for some but I write this because I love my Corrie and I want it to be the best it can be. 

There's still enough about Coronation Street to keep me watching. I think. 


Follow me on Twitter @GraemeN82


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Charlie Condou and partner in All Star Mr and Mrs

Charlie Condou, who plays Coronation Street's Marcus Dent, has today been revealed at No. 18 in the World Pride Power List 2014.  He works closely with Stonewall, the Albert Kennedy Trust and the Terence Higgins Trust.

He's also appearing this week on All Star Mr and Mrs with his partner Cameron.  The show is on ITV on Wednesday 2 July at 8pm.

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Charlie Condou films his final scenes as Marcus Dent

Charlie Condou, who played Marcus Dent, has now left Coronation Street after filming his final scenes last week.

Charlie has played Marcus for four years over two stints, but announced in November 2013 that he would be quitting to spend more time with his family.

Charlie tweeted a photo of Coronation Street pub The Rovers Return's sign, captioned "Over and out".

He lives in London with his partner Cameron Laux and their children Hal and Georgia, but recently told the Daily Mirror his commute to Manchester was becoming too much.

He said: "It was just getting too difficult. Georgia is at an age now where she was saying, 'How long are you away for this week?' and 'When are you going to be back, Daddy?'

"At my busiest I was getting home late on a Friday night and going back to Manchester on Sunday afternoon. I just wasn't getting that time with my kids."

I'll miss Marcus, he was one of the quiet men of soap.  But I never did like him and Todd together.

I also liked Charlie Condou.  He was one of the Coronation Street actors on twitter who interacted positively with his fans.  Nice!

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Charlie Condou admits Maria and Marcus were never meant to last

Recently at the TRIC awards, Charlie Condou spoke to someone from BANG Showbiz about his current storyline to do with his affair with Todd Grimshaw. He admitted that Marcus loves Maria but knew it wouldn't end well. So it will prove when Maria walks in on Todd and Marcus next week. Marcus and Maria are meant to be viewing another house. Todd knows this and manipulates the situation so that he and Marcus are alone in the house. The inevitable happens just as Maria walks in, exactly as Todd had planned.

Charlie thinks Marcus realizes what Todd is up to on some level. "I think he's not stupid, Marcus ... he's already getting a sense that he's being played, and I think that comes out quite quickly. Todd knew that Maria was coming, but Marcus is very attracted to Todd and there's a lot of chemistry there, he can't keep away from him. It's head and heart in a lot of ways ... I think he's trying to fight off the inevitable. There's going to be a lot of heartache coming in the next few weeks."

Maria is going to take this very badly and may even come close to a breakdown, if the spoilers are correct. We know this will soon lead to Charlie Condou's exit from the show, more's the pity. There's been a lot of exits lately and a few more to come.


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Just what would attract Marcus to Todd?

There are some strange couplings occurring in Weatherfield at the moment - Peter and Tina, Dennis and Gloria - and now it would appear, Todd and Marcus. It looks like Todd's persistent unpleasantness is about to finally pay off.

Yes, Marcus and Todd are going to get it on. I think we all saw it coming as soon as the newly nastified Todd reappeared from that London with a chip on his shoulder (sadly not from the much missed Jackson's Chippy). The Marcus and Maria pairing was a brave attempt at trying something different, instead of the now standard coming out storyline, we had a going back in plot instead.

However after the initial bluster of sulky Sean and a Rovers brawl it all seemed to die a death as they quite clearly didn't know how to develop them further.

I think it was clear that sooner or later Marcus would question his sexuality again, it was bound to happen. I think he loves all the aspects of life with Maria - they get on well and have the family life he craves, but there is something missing. I don't think any of us thought it would end up being Todd in his current vile, manipulative variation. I hope at some point in the future we are given an explanation of what has happened to Todd to turn him into such an unpleasant character. I really liked him the first time round even though he was initially saddled with Sarah-Lou. I think it is really interesting to see how much Jason has matured while Todd has become quite the opposite.

So what could possibly attract Marcus to Todd? It's not his sparkling personality and Emily Bishop-like benevolence that's for sure. Part of it could be Todd's relentless pursuit - I guess many people would be susceptible to that. However it does seem quite far fetched that one minute Marcus and Maria are playing happy families and planning their life in a new home and the next, Todd is inviting Marcus up the Grimshaw staircase. Marcus is a sympathetic, empathetic character at a time when Corrie isn't exactly chock full of them. He's also always been portrayed as smart and well-educated. Would he really not see through Todd's mind games? Or is the truth that he has seen through them and wants to go for it anyway?

I guess time will tell. However the one thing we do know is that this story will end with us saying goodbye to both Marcus Dent and his portrayer, Charlie Condou. This is such a shame, although I understand why Condou might want to try other things. Marcus has been another character with great potential that has sadly never fully been realised, mainly due to a lack of screen time. Let's hope this final storyline does both the character and the actor justice.

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Charlie Condou reveals why he's leaving Coronation Street

There's a long interview in today's Mirror with Charlie Condou, who talks about leaving his role as Marcus Dent in Coronation Street.

Charlie says he decided to leave Corrie to spend more time with his family.  Charlie says: “It was just getting too difficult. Georgia is at an age now where she was saying, ‘How long are you away for this week?’ and ‘When are you going to be back Daddy?’ At my busiest I was getting home late on a Friday night and going back to Manchester on Sunday afternoon. I just wasn’t getting that time with my kids.”

So Charlie, who plays Corrie midwife Marcus Dent, will leave the show this summer.  The Mirror says that Marcus' departure will see him embroiled in a love triangle with Maria and Todd.

“It just gets darker and darker and I imagine Marcus and Todd will end up together,” says Charlie “This is soap and Marcus and Maria was never going to end well. There was going to be no happy ever after.”

Charlie reveals: “The producer said the door would be left open, so Marcus isn’t going to be killed off. That’s always a really nice thing to hear. I’m not under any illusions and saying I’m off to Hollywood. Obviously I want to do other things, but it’s nice to know that I could go back in the future.”

Read the full interview here.

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Charlie Condou to leave the Street

ITV have today announced that Charlie Condou is set to leave Coronation Street. His exit storyline will see Marcus falling for the recently returned Todd Grimshaw and doing what we've all been doing for the past year or so: questioning his relationship with Maria.

In order for the storyline to be fully developed, Charlie has agreed to stay on until early summer 2014 but has revealed that the producers will keep the door open for Marcus.

Speaking about the departure he had this to say: "I've had a fantastic time at Corrie but feel it's time for me to move on. I was only meant to return for three months and ended up staying for three years! The producers have been really supportive and are leaving the door open for Marcus which is great, and my exit will certainly be explosive."


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Britney Spears, Coronation Street fan

Something has either been lost in translation as Britney Spears arrived in London tonight, or Coronation Street has its newest celebrity fan:

Thankfully, all was made clear by Corrie star Charlie Condou on Twitter, who later posted: "she probably meant the Cory Monteith Glee special :-( "

If that's the case, Ms Spears should give Corrie a try anyway, especially after tonight's fantastic hour long special, don't you agree? The incident certainly got Twitter talking...

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Charlie Condou hosting Macmillan coffee morning, September 27

There's a lovely little piece about Charlie Condou, who plays Marcus Dent in Coronation Street, in today's Metro.

Charlie talks about his family, his parents and grandparents and his children and how he started in the acting profession.

He says: "I don’t have time to worry about what people think about my family as I’m too busy trying to bring up healthy, responsible human beings. Coronation Street has given me a profile and an opportunity for people to see that parenting is parenting, regardless of your sexuality.

Charlie is hosting a ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ on September 27 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

To register, visit www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee

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Hold The Front Page!

British tabloid journalism has had a very hard time of it in recent years.  There's been entire Parliamentary committees devoted to finding out if they're dodgy or not.  They've been called venal, cruel, vindictive, liars, and sometimes, just plain stupid.

It's pleasing to report that the Daily Star has bucked this trend with today's truly revelatory front page headline.

Thank you Daily Star.  It's absolutely new information that Charlie Condou (Marcus Dent) has two children.  I mean, one was born four years ago and one was born two years ago, but I understand you've probably been busy following the antics of "Big Bro": after all, no-one else in the UK is watching it.  You also probably missed his column about his family in the Guardian, which ran until 2012 and can be read in its entirety here, because, you know, it was in the Guardian, and you tend to avoid that paper.  They use some very big words.

You probably also missed tweets like this from Mr Condou himself:

Or this:

 

Or even failed to read his Twitter bio:

 

but I know this "journalism" lark is difficult.  You have to use a keyboard and stuff.  You have hundreds of words to bash out, pages to fill, captions to write under pictures of girls in bikinis bending over and upskirt pics of barely out of their teens starlets.   Research takes time and you can't possibly use something like, I don't know, Google, where autocomplete offers up:

This kind of in-depth investigative work is just too difficult for you.  You can't let it get in the way of informing us, the Great British Public, the absolutely vital information that "ACTOR HAS FUNCTIONING TESTICLES".  Now THAT'S front page stuff.

Kudos to you, Daily Star.  Kudos.

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Charlie Condou predicts more angst for Maria and Marcus

Charlie Condou is in Toronto this weekend making an appearance at the British Isles Show and he was interviewed on Toronto's City News yesterday. There's a video clip of it here.

He tells the interviewer that he doesn't know how the M&M affair will end but says there are some "big dramas" coming up and they revolve around the fact that Marcus is gay. He says that the support for the storyline has overall been positive and most of the objections have come from the gay community but it's absolutely not about someone who was gay being "switched" by the love of a good woman. It's about how sexuality can become blurred or confused sometimes.

When asked which character he'd love to take over he said he'd love to "be" Roy Cropper, a strange but endearing character.

The interview is great and Charlie is very well spoken and a wonderful advocate for Coronation Street! If you're in the Toronto region this weekend, visit the British Isles show and you might get to meet him! The schedule and further details is here.


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