Old Vic Announces Star-Studdied Schedule for the First Half of 2009
One of the most prestigious theatres in the West End has announced their up-coming schedule for the new year - and quite a time it promises to be too!
The Season kicks off with an in-the-round version of the new play Complicit. Directed by Kevin Spacey himself, this powerful new work by Joe Sutton focusses on the current political climate in America and assesses the systems that govern the people of the US. Pulitzer Prize winning author Ben Kritzer is hauled before the Supreme Court Special Prosecutor during a grisly inquiry and certain truths that he holds about himself and his country are forced under abject scrutiny. Vastly critically acclaimed, Sutton's work is fast establishing itself on both sides of the Atlantic as some of the most powerful and poignant drama being written today. Spacey had this to say last week:
"We've had such a great experience with The Norman Conquests [his previous foray into directing at the Old Vic] that I am thrilled to get a chance to direct Complicit in-the-round. It is truly an inspirational space and I am delighted to stage a new work there."
February sees Brian Friel's Oliver Award-winning lament Dancing at Lughnasa return to the London stage for the first time since its premiere in 1990. Starring Andrea Corr in her debut West End role and Niamh Cusack, Friel's touching play about a tiny Irish village in the 1930s is a powerful exploration of family and duty and is set to be one of the Old Vic's most anticipated productions.
Ex-RSC director and Hollywood Oscar-winner Sam Mendes is also booked to direct a piece for the Old Vic next year. In charge of a new version of Chekov's The Cherry Orchard by celebrated contemporary playwright Tom Stoppard, Mendes will debut at the theatre in the spring.
Finally, the Old Vic are happy to announce that their 24 Hour Plays Gala will be returning for its fifth year in 2009. A collection of 40 world-renowned actors, directors and writers will get together and produce six short plays in an intensive period of just 24 hours. Past participants have included Ralph Fiennes, James Nesbit, Rosamund Pike and Jim Broadbent, so expectations are certainly high!
We here at Show and Stay® will of course keep you up to date with the developments at the Old Vic so keep logging on to find the latest West End theatre news!
Published by
: Nathan Brooker
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