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current news…

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What Rupert is up to…

Rupert is:

  • possibly? probably? hopefully! appearing in performances of The Show Must Go On! concert at the Palace Theatre on 13-15 November 2020 and 20-24 January 2021. This is a collection of cast performances from various West End shows, including Dear Evan Hansen, with profits going to Acting For Others and The Fleabag Support Fund. There’s no specific cast lists yet, so stay tuned! More info and ticket sales here.
  • unfortunately on an expected holiday! Dear Evan Hansen, along with other West End shows, has closed down for now, due to the current pandemic. I’m so sorry for everyone affected by this closure, including the theatre staff as well as the cast and the audiences.

Please follow our Twitter account for this site: @withlove70ways!

The following entries have been updated:

Continue reading current news… →

appearances

All I Want For Christmas Is Theatre (2020)

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The Dear Evan Hansen West End cast – including our beloved Rupert – is part of this socially distanced concert on thespie.com. Global digital tickets are available to buy online, which give you access for 7 days.

There is a brief clip of Rupert talking with castmate Jack Loxton, saying he’s looking forward to seeing people again without it being… strange. Then the DEH cast sing “Merry Christmas, Everyone”.

Thanks to Bunnysworld for the heads-up! ♥

Screen captures shared with the greatest respect but without permission.

film

The Secret Garden (2020)

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Rupert plays the role of Marcus in this new adaptation of the novel The Secret Garden, directed by Marc Munden. Colin Firth stars as Lord Archibald Craven and Julie Walters as Mrs Medlock.

Marcus is the main character Mary’s father, and we only see him during a few flashbacks, but Rupert is as charming as ever!

BBC Merlin fans will recognise one of the filming locations as Puzzlewood, as featured in the banner above.

Release of the film was significantly delayed, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More info available on IMDB.com.

Screen captures used with the greatest respect but without permission.

causes

Open letter re support for UK theatre (2020)

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An open letter has been sent to the UK Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Secretary of State for Culture, that begins: “We are concerned that British theatre is on the brink of ruin.”

There are reports that 70% of theatre venues will run out of money by the end of 2020 due to the restrictions necessary in response to the current pandemic. The letter calls for the UK government to help support the theatres and their workforce, and ensure the future of the theatre industry.

Rupert has signed the letter, along with his fellow nominees for the Olivier Awards. This includes a number of Rupert’s Dear Evan Hansen colleagues, Cassidy Janson (in Company with Rupert) and Colin Morgan (in Merlin with Rupert).

At this stage, the Dear Evan Hansen production is closed until 1 August 2020, and has been since mid March.

You can read commentary and the text of the letter at WhatsOnStage, The Guardian, and other news sites.

random

Rupert Young is my Favourite Doctor Who (2020)

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The inimitable Noodle Snake recorded an amusing podcast which all began with her purchase of a Showmasters poster featuring our own dear Rupert.

Listen in to all the confusions of her Quest to work out why the poster credits Rupert with work in both Merlin and Doctor Who! This very website receives several honourable mentions!! I feel like we’ve punched through to the next level of fame!!! (Or was that infamy?)

Thank you kindly, Noodle mate! I was in need of cheering up today, for sure. ♥

appearances

Mental Health Awareness Month (2020)

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Rupert, along with other members of the Dear Evan Hansen family, took part in this video supporting Mental Health Awareness Month.

There is also a link to an open letter you can sign,  which asks world leaders to “protect and scale up mental health support in all COVID-19 responses”.

Rupert’s part in the script is: “Our world is not equipped to respond to this global mental health crisis. It wasn’t before the pandemic, and it isn’t now.”

You will be found.

appearances

Quiz Night with Bradley James (2020)

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Our awesome King Arthur, Bradley James, hosted an online Merlin quiz – partly to help entertain us during the COVID-19 quarantine and partly to help raise money for a noble cause. He invited the Knights of the Round Table to participate, so we ended up blessed with a mini online convention, with special guests Rupert (Sir Leon), Tom Hopper (Sir Percival), Tomiwa Edun (Sir Elyan) and Eoin Macken (Sir Gwaine).

The chosen charity was Redemption Paws @RedemptionPaws, a Toronto-based non-profit organisation focused on helping dogs in disaster situations. We raised over $15,000 (Canadian) for them, which is utterly awesome!

Bradley kindly uploaded a recording of the quiz to his YouTube channel, which was such a relief to people like me who regretted missing out on the fun! (I live in Australia, and I unwisely let the 4 a.m. start time dissuade me from participating.) Here’s the link:

Rupert was, of course, his usual funny and charming self, and proved himself delightfully human to boot! I mean to say… drinking what appeared to be a beer, saying “fuck”, and announcing he was off to have a wee. You’d be forgiven for thinking he isn’t a minor deity after all! I love the quarantine beard, but his lovely hair is still short, as contractually required by Dear Evan Hansen.

It was a joy to see all the knights gathered together once more, and to see them enjoying not only their own company but also ours. Tomiwa used a few Merlin and location photos as his background. Rupert changed his shirt a few times, as did Bradley – and Eoin gradually stripped away layers to reveal something pink and sultry… Oh my. The Merlin Family Rules!

The quiz had some easy questions, but also some harder ones. I think I would have got all but 2 or 3 – but who knows what silly choices I might have made at that time of the morning! Most people did very well, with only a handful of questions attracting a number of “alternate” choices.

I’ve included some screen captures below, but of course please do yourself the proverbial favour and watch the video itself.

Thank you, everyone, for taking part!

Rupert, soon after he was introduced, and still making sure his settings were right.
One by one the Knights arrive – and change shirts and beanies…
pro photos

Dale McCready’s Merlin Archive (2020)

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The lovely Dale McCready, Director of Photography for a massive 42 of the 65 episodes of Merlin,  has been sharing her awesome behind-the-scenes photographs from across all five seasons of the show. You can find Dale’s Merlin Archive here on her website. She has kindly made all the images available for our use, with a request for credit where possible.

While this is a real gift for us fans, unfortunately it’s due to a difficult situation. The COVID-19 quarantine means that Dale and most other people working in the entertainment industry are (at least temporarily) out of work. Hence Dale had the time to devote to this task! If you can afford to help Dale get through this period by sending support via Paypal.Me, that would be wonderful – and every little bit helps!

I’ve taken the liberty of copying across most of the photos of our Rupert for this site. However, it is of course worth visiting and browsing Dale’s Merlin Archive yourself. There are 13 pages of photos, and some videos on the last page. You’ll find many other beauties and items of interest, including some fascinating notes on filming generally and cinematography specifically.

Please note: The photos below and in the banner are all © Dale McCready 2012, and available under a public use licence.

Thank you again, Dale! ♥