Local News from Marbletown, Rochester, & Rosendale
Director: Simon Stone Run Time: 104 min. Release Year: 2026
Starring: Andrew Scott, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Luke Thompson, Olivia Colman
*Hudson Valley Premiere*
Based on the tragic yet deeply inspiring true story of famed Scottish actor Ian Charleson, he is portrayed by the breathtaking Andrew Scott. Riding the lingering success of the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire (1981) while secretly battling AIDS, Charleson is called upon to replace Daniel Day-Lewis as Hamlet at the National Theatre in London. Despite his deteriorating health, the heralded, charismatic actor is determined to extend his stage life and do whatever it takes to perform until the very end, bolstered by his friends and theatre family. “The show must go on” is a mantra this real-life hero embodied until his final days and death on January 6, 1990.
Directed by Simon Stone, Scott embodies the role in an extraordinary, powerful, and delicately nuanced performance guaranteed to leave viewers with tear-streaked eyes and a warm smile. Elsinore premiered at Telluride Film Festival, recently won the International People’s Choice Award at Toronto International Film Festival, and will also screen at BFI London Film Festival. – Amir Bogen
