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Front Row: Alan Cumming; Marlowe's Edward II; new feminist comedians

Alan Cumming; Marlowe's Edward II; new feminist comedians

05/09/2013

BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Alan Cumming; Marlowe's Edward II; new feminist comedians

National Theatre's Edward II reviewed; Alan Cumming on his new film; new feminist comedy.

Alan Cumming on his new film, Any Day Now; the verdict on a bold new staging of Marlowe's Edward II; how female comics make feminism funny; new art inspired by the Victorians.

With Kirsty Lang.

Skinny jeans, phone calls and cameramen recording intimate footage all appear in a mediaeval setting, in a new National Theatre production of Christopher Marlowe's Edward II. Making his debut at the National Theatre, director Joe Hill-Gibbins adds a modern twist to this erotic and brutal play, which stars John Heffernan in the title role. Jerry Brotton reviews.

Alan Cumming stars in the film Any Day Now, set in the late 70s and based on a true story about a gay couple who become guardians of an abandoned young boy with Down's Syndrome. Everyone's delighted with the progress the child makes under their care - until the fact that they're gay becomes public knowledge. Alan Cumming discusses institutional homophobia both in the story and today, working on the US TV hit series The Good Wife - and cabaret-singing with Liza Minnelli.

The exhibition Victoriana: The Art Of Revival features new art inspired by the Victorian era, with pieces from 28 artists including Grayson Perry, Paula Rego, and Jake and Dinos Chapman, and work ranging from ceramics to photography to taxidermy. Rachel Cooke reflects on what 21st century artists take from the 19th century.

As the dust settles on this year's Edinburgh Fringe, one of the biggest stories to emerge from the festival was the rise of feminist comedy, culminating when Bridget Christie won the Fosters Comedy Award for her stand-up show, A Bic For Her. Nadia Kamil and Mary Bourke, who both brought feminist shows to Edinburgh this year, discuss how they went about making feminism funny.

Producer Rebecca Nicholson.

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