Alan Rickman In 'Seminar': The Playbill Highlights (VIDEO)

Our favorite acid-tongued professor is back!... sort of. Alan Rickman stars as an intimidating teacher in Theresa Rebeck's Broadway play, "Seminar," bringing back fond memories of his turn as another intimidating teacher, Professor Snape. The play marks Rickman's return to Broadway -- his last role was in 2002's "Private Lives," which is currently undergoing a revival starring Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross. He's been keeping busy on the stage elsewhere, though, most recently starring in Henrik Ibsen's "John Gabriel Borkman" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

In Playbill's highlights from "Seminar," Rickman retains his shtick as a fearsome-yet-droll authority figure, playing teacher to a bunch of young novelists in a writing seminar -- Jerry O'Connell ("Stand By Me"), Lily Rabe ("The Merchant of Venice), Hamish Linklater ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") and Hettienne Park ("iHo"). Teacher torture makes for riotous, sitcom-like laughter from our live studio theater audience in the highlights below.

WATCH:

Comments

[lionhearted1]

10:52 AM on 11/23/2011

Alan Rickman is one of those artists that would seem "born to the breed".Fiercely intelligent, an exquisite voice, and a large complex persona...the very opposite of "one-note" performers.I saw him onstage,in "Dangerous Liasons" years ago. He dazzled, like a slowly turning chandelier in a room aflame. He's more like a series of nuanced chord structures...many notes vibrating.Aren't most artistic giants like that?Mozart is Mozart is Mozart... but what a range of expression. Mike Nichols said of great actors, but in particular of Meryl Streep, that her scope of humanity is enormous, and what she does is shift things around at the molecular level, a shift of soul to reveal an already fully understood human being. It's Meryl, but she's walking around in shoes that she shares with her character. That's Rickman. And Olivier. And Scofield. And Redgrave.And Blanchett.Etc.
One-note? Hardly.One note personas?Look to the Republican debates...

[roydoe]

12:59 PM on 11/22/2011

He has one note. He plays it well. He is a genius with that one note. But don't ask him to play another note.

[-swift]

02:06 PM on 11/22/2011

Uh, really? Because he's played a mean teacher twice?

Pick a few of these: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000614/

Try Galaxy Quest or Love Actually. By Grapthar's Hammer...

[roydoe]

02:26 PM on 11/22/2011

I've seen many of his films and MY opinion is he is a one note actor.

[Brent Millar]

02:58 PM on 11/22/2011

So, I'm guessing you're no fan of Jack Nicholson either, or Joe Pesci, Jimmy Stewart, Samuel Jackson or Robert DeNiro?

Tell you what, go take an acting class sometime. When you finally get the idea that you're actually "reacting" and not "acting", perhaps you'll change your opinion.

By the way, we all have one note, and we all play it, every single day...

[roydoe]

05:40 PM on 11/22/2011

I've taken Stanislavsky theory, so I am versed in motivations, reactions and action.
Did I not say Rickman was a genius? The genius is that he plays that one note so well that most people don't notice it's all he plays. Gary Cooper was a genius, too. All the actors you referenced are genius actors, as well.

So, I take your point. But I won't change my opinion.

[Tulka2]

11:22 PM on 11/20/2011

He was an emotive darling when he was young too.

http://www.alan-rickman.com/

[Columbosraincoat12]

06:25 PM on 11/20/2011

I saw him in his debute American film, Die Hard, as the totally charming Euro-villian, Hans Gruber.
He was so hysterically funny, you wanted him to kill Bruce Willis and run away with all the 'bearer bonds'. T'is pity the producers killed Hans off as nobody could replace his wit and deadly charm in those awful DH sequels.
I played and replayed his scenes over and over again, the vcr nearly broke.
One of these days, I hope that I get to see this wonderful performer live on stage.

Way to go AR!

[shantiquax]

01:47 PM on 11/21/2011

Yes, yes...I wanted him to get away with it, too. Loved his American accent.

[Columbosraincoat12]

06:31 PM on 11/21/2011

One more thing....

Joel Silver, the producer could have made trillions vs millions by using just Rickman throughout the sequel franchise...I'd certainly be a repeat offender at the box-office.
However, being the talented actor that he is, and a Royal Shakespear Company Alum, by the picture...does Rickman look like he is still wearing a 'codepiece'? Or is it just my suspicious eyes?

[Konnie]

02:58 PM on 11/20/2011

AR is snark.

never give up - never surrender................

[franplatt]

02:07 PM on 11/20/2011

Can't wait to see this! AR is brilliant, and that voice - I would pay to listen to him read the phone book.

[Geri Kiefer]

01:01 PM on 11/20/2011

Love Alan Rickman. I first saw him in the movie, January Man and loved his artist. Then I saw Truly, Madly, Deeply and that sealed my fate. Everything he's done, he's done so well. I just wish I could see him in live theater. It would be such a treat.