‘I never really understand genre’ the writer of The Third Day on why he refuses to define his new series
almost 5 years in The guardian
From comedy to drama, Dennis Kelly’s CV is as colourful as it gets. With his latest outing available now on Sky, TV critic Abigail Chandler reflects on a successful career spent breaking the mould
Let’s talk about range. Few writers can jump from hilarious female-led comedy to dark conspiracy theory drama, and then move on to a glorious Roald Dahl musical. Dennis Kelly can. Now, the writer behind Utopia and Pulling is back with The Third Day, an unclassifiable drama/mystery/horror starring Jude Law. “I never really understand genre, it’s confusing”, Kelly says, which may go some way towards explaining his eclectic CV. He is interested more in telling a good story than in what form or genre that story takes.
The Third Day is an atmospheric, disorienting tale split into three distinct but interlinked parts. Summer, led by Law; Winter, led by Naomie Harris; and Autumn, a one-off as-live theatrical broadcast on Sky Arts (Saturday 3 October), masterminded by theatre icons Punchdrunk. As the show’s co-creator, Punchdrunk founder Felix Barrett had the ideal creative partner in Kelly. “He was the perfect match. Because he’s a theatre playwright as well, we have that common language,” says Barrett. Continue reading...
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