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TV/ film/ video/ DVD Coriolanus A DVD capturing Berkoff´s stage version of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. Berkoff plays Coriolanus, a hero without the common touch.
Decadence 1994
East 1999
A live filming of the 25th anniversary revival at the Vaudeville Theatre, London in November 1999. Berkoff directs but does not act. Matthew Cullum is Les, Christopher Middleton is Mike, Tanya Frank is Sylv, Jonathan Linsley is dad and Edward Bryant (a man) plays mum. The play is a definitive performance, with the words and actions blending. The mime is always beautiful and at times spectacular. The sparse music, a piano played by Simon Sharp, is effective. Recommended.
Greek, an opera 1988
An opera by Mark-Anthony Turnage based on Berkoff´s play Greek. As well as a video (now out of print) the opera is available on CD. The opera works well with the mixture of East London and Greek Mythology fitting under Turnage´s music. If you like modern classical music and opera (as I do) you will like this adaptation. Turnage says: I just got stuck into cutting Berkoff's play and setting the lines almost as soon as I'd cut them. It was a strange way of working. Greek is a very wordy play, and the language is unbelievable - the opera libretto's tame by comparison. I had to match that language, that extraordinary combination of Shakespeare, colloquial English and cockney, and the sort of seaside humour that suddenly becomes incredibly lyrical.
Harry's Christmas 1982 In Free Association Berkoff says "[Harry's Christmas] was commissioned to open the new Limehouse TV studios on the Isle of Dogs". However because of its subject, suicide, it was never shown.
Metamorphosis 1986 Berkoff plays the father in this TV version of his play. Tim Roth is Gregor, with Linda Marlowe as the mother. Strangely this filming relegates the metal framework of the staging to the background (literally) so removing a lot of the physical acting and energy. The result is a poor stagebound production.Directed by Jim Goddard in 1986. A site visitor says "Metamorphosis film was very badly acted; the actors were all very naturalistic and were not really very grotesque at all".
Salome 1992 Filmed for television in the Ginza Saison Theatre, Tokyo in 1992. Directed by Berkoff who plays Herod. Salome is played by Myriam Cyr, Herodias by Carmen du Sautoy and Jokanaan (John the Baptist) by Mark Lewis. Salome is performed in slow motion, characters wafting across stage, as every word is savoured.
The video includes 10 minutes of Berkoff talking of the play "the language is like music and its very unusual to find a play which devotes itself to such intense poetic expression". Strangely Berkoff does not mention that the words are translations, Wilde having written the play in French. Berkoff also says "the play is about passion...conflict...people who love without restrictions. Recommended.
Shakespeare's Villains 2002
Berkoff´s one man show on DVD, directed by Frank Howson (who worked with Berkoff on the film Flynn). The films differs from the stage performance, omitting most of the Shakespeare performances and concentrating on the (superior) comments by Berkoff.
Silent Night The television version of Harry's Christmas for British Channel 4.
The Tell Tale Heart 1991 Berkoff stars in the one-man performance of Poe's story. A television production for British Channel 4 directed by Jon Felix.
The Tell-Tale Heart 2002
Berkoff´s solo performance of Poe's Tell-Tale Heart is available on video. It was filmed at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town in November 2002. It was shot for the video, with lots of close-ups and playing to the camera. It also includes a short interview with Steven about the performance.
The Trial 2002 Kafka´s The Trial adapted and staged by Berkoff.
West 1983 A television production by Berkoff of the play for Channel 4. It was originally commissioned, then rejected, by the BBC. |
