Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Monday, November 2, 2015

David Arquette to serve as grand marshal of McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade

The parade, which features marching bands and giant helium balloons, travels on State Street from Congress Parkway to Randolph Street and is scheduled for 8-11 a.m. Nov. 26. 
WGN TV will air the event live. The Black Ensemble Theater, Goodman Theatre and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey are slated to stage performances. 
The Willis Clan, a family band whose tragedy helped expose Illinois corruption, is also slated to perform.  
David is to star in "Sherlock Holmes" at the Oriental Theatre from Nov. 24-29.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

David Arquette stars in new stage production of Sherlock Holmes

David Arquette might be better known as a TV and film actor from such projects as Scream, but this month he hits a T.O. stage to star as Britain’s most revered sleuth, Sherlock Holmes. 
The production runs from Oct. 27 to Nov. 8 at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, www.mirvish.com.

How are you feeling about portraying such a well-known character onstage? 
I’m very nervous! I’m excited, as well, but he’s just such a loved character, I feel a responsibility.… It’s thrilling! I mean, to be able to sort of make it my own. One thing I have been doing is listening to a lot of the books on tape because you get the accent as well, so you get to listen to some real proper English and sort of learn to speak in that accent.
So, you’re putting the accent on? 
Yeah, you have to put the accent on! You don’t wanna show up with an American accent playing Sherlock Holmes! It’s an interesting take on it, but it’s not our take.
 What did you think when you were asked to play Sherlock? 
Well, they had first approached me to play Watson, and the more I read it, I was, like, I’m more the quirky, kind of crazy Sherlock to be honest.
So you definitely wanted this role
Yeah, absolutely! I mean, I love Watson. He’s such an incredible role, but I just felt like my kind of idiosyncracy was just matched better with Sherlock.  

Sherlock’s character has always had a dry sense of humour, are you planning on putting your own David Arquette spin on things? 
Yeah, it certainly feels that way! I mean, the relationship between the two in general, with Watson and Sherlock, is always sort of tense and funny. It’s a real interesting dynamic. Their relationship is definitely comedic. There is a lot of ripping on each other. There is a lot of humour, though, and there’s a lot of humour in him just being a unique person. 

We’re used to seeing you on the big screen. How does performing theatre differ for you from film when it’s live and there is no do-over? 
Well, those will be some of the funnier moments. That’s when you really need to be comfortable in your acting and you have to be able to think on your toes. Hopefully everyone comes with a good attitude, maybe goes to dinner first and has a couple drinks! 

While you’re here in T.O. is there anything in particular you will want to see or do in Toronto? 
“There’s always really wonderful restaurants. Every time I go there, I’m amazed by the culture and the different areas you can go to and get traditional food. So I always like seeking those places out. Whenever I travel, wherever I travel, I like to find some of the oldest restaurants in the city. I just like how people continue tradition that way.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

AT HOME WITH ‘HOLMES’: DAVID ARQUETTE

A brooding man clad in a deerstalker cap and Victorian overcoat, with a watch fob, magnifying glass and pipe in hand is hunched over a lifeless body, police detectives hanging on his every deduction. These are the identifying characteristics of Sherlock Holmes, the famous sleuth created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle … but David Arquette? Not so much. The “Scream” actor, 44, has never solved a murder mystery, used forensic science or possessed an innate arrogance in his abilities. But it’s the offbeat qualities beneath Holmes’ cryptic exterior that match Arquette’s, making him the perfect fit to play the elusive Baker Street detective when “Sherlock Holmes” comes to Chicago’s Oriental Theatre next month.
“[Holmes] is working on a frequency that is different than the rest of the characters in the story,” Arquette says. “We share a quirkiness and oddball nature. I definitely look at things from a different perspective, and I think he does, too. I have a pretty good understanding of human behavior.”
As a fourth-generation actor, Arquette  who stars in the new western thriller, “Bone Tomahawk,” in theaters now caught the acting bug early, before gaining widespread attention for his roles in ’90s films like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Never Been Kissed” and “Scream.” Last year, he produced the syndicated game show “Celebrity Name Game” with his ex-wife Courteney Cox (the second season premiered last month).
Still, his true passion has always been the stage he’s acted in theater productions of “The Rocky Horror Show” and “The Female of the Species.”
 “Being able to entertain the audience right in front of you is really the roots of my family, going back to vaudeville,” Arquette says. “There’s something I really love about being able to have that interaction with an audience, [putting] on a crazy production that is nonstop and wild.” 
And “Sherlock Holmes” which runs November 24-29  is just the kind of eccentric production Arquette desires. Set in the backstreets of London, the story centers on Holmes, who’s tapped by Scotland Yard to resolve the disappearance of Lord Neville St. John. Alongside his friend Dr. John Watson (played by James Maslow of “Big Time Rush”) and St. John’s wife, Lady Irene (played by Renee Olstead of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”), Holmes sets out to crack the case.
For the most part, the play  directed by Andrew Shaver and written by Greg Kramer stays true to the original story penned by Doyle in the 19th century. But this modern, steampunk interpretation adds an extra dose of slapstick humor. 
“It’s not entirely the right analogy, but it feels like there are elements of ‘Monty Python’ in it; there are elements of ‘Airplane!’ There’s some real outlandish comedy in it, which is fun, because it’s typically something that’s done a lot straighter,” Arquette says. “It’s fun for the Watson and Sherlock relationship they’re at each other’s throats sometimes, but in a very humorous way.” 
 Though he found the dialogue-driven script and English accent challenging, Arquette’s love of suspense, crime and investigation helped him ease into the role.  
“I’m not the kind of person [who] needs all the answers … [but] I do like putting things together,” he says. “[Sherlock’s] obsession tends to be something that our society is a bit obsessed with now ‘CSI,’ profiling, ‘Dateline.’ … I actually love those shows. I’m obsessed with that kind of stuff.” 
Before diving into the play, the Virginia native took some time away from the media sphere, going on a hiatus from social media, and subsequently, his fans.
 “I originally left because people were just so mean,” he says. “I really take it personally; I couldn’t not obsess on it and write people back. There were rumors and people just talking trash  it wasn’t fun for me.” 
But last month, he rejoined Twitter with the intention of reconnecting with his longtime followers.
 “It’s really necessary in this day and age to connect with your fans and let them know what you’re up to, [because] it really is about the fans. I just try to not focus on the negative,” he says. 
It’s this same connection to the audience that he’s most looking forward to in the “Sherlock Holmes” production — not to mention, being able to come back to Chicago; he briefly lived in Evanston growing up. 
“I love Chicago. I love the people — they have a really great sense for comedy,” he says. “It’s been a dream of mine to perform in Chicago. … I hope people enjoy our interpretation of this classic story.” 
 Based on the evidence, it seems likely we will. 
"He’s definitely got some of my qualities. He’s a little bit of a rascal already, [and] he likes to have fun. He’s always on the move. —David Arquette on his 1-year-old son, Charlie West Arquette"

Gallery Links:

OK! TV With The Stars of Sherlock Holmes

David Arquette Starring As Sherlock Holmes In New “Off-The-Wall” Play

David Arquette was in Chicago on Thursday, to promote a new play hitting the Oriental Theatre next month. Arquette will star as Sherlock Holmes, the latest actor to take on the role of the iconic detective going back to Basil Rathbone. 
 “It’s quite a loved character, beloved character; so to be able to play him, the one thing you don’t want to do is let down the true Sherlock Holmes fans. So I think we’re true to the story, true to the character, but it is a humorous take on him. There’s some kind of off-the-wall comedy that’s involved with our production, which makes it unique.” 
 For Arquette, it will be something of a homecoming. He lived two years in Chicago as a young child, the son of improvisational comedian Lewis Arquette and grandson of Cliff Arquette, known to fans of “Hollywood Squares” as Charley Weaver. “Sherlock Holmes” will play the Oriental Theatre from Nov. 24 to Nov. 29."

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

David Arquette heading to Toronto for 'Sherlock Homes' production

David Arquette is set to star in late Canadian playwright Greg Kramer's production of "Sherlock Holmes" in Toronto. 
Starvox Entertainment says the "Scream" star will play the title role in the show, which will preview in Los Angeles before premiering at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre from Oct. 27-Nov. 8.
It will then go on a multi-city U.S. tour, with stops including Washington and Chicago. The award-winning play is an original adaptation inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales. 
It premiered at The Segal Centre in Montreal in 2013 under the direction of Andrew Shaver, who is behind this latest remount. 
The nine-person cast also includes Michael Trevino of "The Vampire Diaries" as Dr. John Watson. 
"I am beyond excited to play one of the most loved characters in all literature, stage and screen," Arquette said in a statement. "Some may think I'm an odd choice. I am. I'm odd but thankfully so is he."

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

David Arquette on The Pauly Shore Cast Show