Imelda Staunton and two-time Tony nominee Conleth Hill to Star in Albee鈥檚 Virginia Woolf?
In one of the many tributes to Edward Albee, who died September 16, , 鈥淲ith America currently engaged in its own form of post-truth politics, now seems the perfect time to revive Albee鈥檚 enduring masterpiece about the danger of living in a world of illusions.鈥�
will begin at the West End鈥檚 Harold Pinter Theatre February 22, with Staunton in her first stage role since starring in Gypsy in the West End opposite two-time Tony nominee Conleth Hill (Stones in His Pockets, The Seafarer), under the direction of James Macdonald. Staunton and Macdonald previously worked together on an Almeida production of Albee鈥檚 A Delicate Balance in 2011. Reviewing that performance, The Observer鈥檚 Kate Kellaway remarked at the time, 鈥淪taunton鈥檚 Claire is a tiny, accordion-playing alcoholic who seems to have a bad smell under her nose and a bitter taste in her mouth. When drunk, she is queenly but, the morning after, is reduced to a smudge.鈥� That seems like good preparation for playing Martha.
Sheridan Smith to take Funny Girl on the road.
Though Sheridan Smith missed around eight weeks of performances of the current West End run of Funny Girl at the Savoy Theatre鈥攁fter withdrawing from the show to be treated for exhaustion, following what was described at the time as an erratic performance during which the curtain was brought down early鈥攕he is more than making amends now. She is set to reprise her performance as Fanny Brice at 12 regional cities, including Manchester, Milton Keynes, Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Newcastle, Southampton, Bradford, Southend, Cardiff and Dublin. (The production will also tour to Stoke, Aberdeen, Woking, Canterbury, Glasgow, Nottingham and Llandudno, with casting for those dates still to be announced.)
As Alistair Smith, editor of the U.K. trade newspaper The Stage, , 鈥淪mith has come in for some flak in the tabloid press recently, and it sounds as if her life away from the theatre has been difficult in the past year. So, she could have been forgiven for wanting to draw a line under the production after it shuts in the West End later this month. This makes it especially impressive and admirable that a young, in-demand star of stage and screen would commit to a tour. It would be great to see more stars of her calibre, in the peak years of their career, following Smith鈥檚 example. If the whole theatre industry is going to thrive, the very best of it needs to be seen across the UK鈥攏ot just in London.鈥�
Reviews: No Man鈥檚 Land.
In 2013, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen first performed the respective roles of Hirst and Spooner in Harold Pinter鈥檚 1975 play No Man鈥檚 Land on Broadway in repertoire with a previous production of Waiting for Godot they had originated in London in 2009; now, London is getting the chance to see No Man鈥檚 Land, too, as the two veteran actors, now 76 and 77, respectively, are playing it at the West End鈥檚 Wyndham鈥檚 Theatre鈥攃oincidentally the West End home, too, when John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson transferred from the National to the West End in the original production.
It opened officially September 20, and Benedict Nightingale鈥攏ow retired from The Times鈥攃ame out of retirement to assess it for London鈥檚 Evening Standard and, , 鈥淐an two of our era鈥檚 theatrical knights bear comparison with their great predecessors? The answer given by Sean Mathias鈥檚 revival is, yes, they certainly can... what I鈥檒l remember is a last tableau: two very different but equally broken old men jointly staring into an irrecoverable past. Gielgud and Richardson. And now, superbly, McKellen and Stewart.鈥�
In The Guardian, Michael Billington鈥攁n acknowledged expert on Pinter who was also his biographer鈥攚ho was also at the play鈥檚 1975 premiere, , 鈥淭his is not only the most poetic of Pinter鈥檚 plays, it is also one that offers great opportunities for actors which Stewart and McKellen richly seize. It is well-known that the names of Hirst and Spooner derive, respectively, from famous Yorkshire and Lancashire cricketers. Stewart and McKellen also hail from opposite sides of the Pennines which makes for an intriguing vocal blend. But they also play off each other beautifully.鈥�
Reviews: Good Canary.
John Malkovich has previously appeared on the London stage in the British premiere of Burn This at Hampstead Theatre in 1990 and again, more recently, in The Infernal Comedy at the Barbican in 2011; but now he has made his directorial debut at the helm of the English language premiere of Zach Helm鈥檚 Good Canary at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, where it opened officially September 21.
Malcovich, who previously directed it in French and Spanish versions in France and Mexico, , 鈥淧rincipally, initially, everything in London starts with the writing and the writers. There has just been an incredible long, strong and profound tradition of great theatre writing. It just goes on and on. Every year there鈥檚 another discovery or two or three or five. There are wonderful directors and actors and designers and technicians here, many of whom I have worked with over the years and it鈥檚 a great tradition. If I get the chance to direct again in London I absolutely would want to do that too.鈥�
Malkovich鈥檚 contribution drew praise from the critics, with that his staging is 鈥渋mmaculate鈥� and going on to say, 鈥淭he designs by Pierre-Fran莽ois Limbosch are a thing of beauty: they use projections of New York streets and cafes with painterly precision. The acting is also exemplary.鈥�
Noting that it was directed by John Malcovich, Daily Telegraph critic Dominic Cavendish exclaimed, 鈥淥MG! THE John Malkovich鈥� and dubs him 鈥渢he great Malko,鈥� saying that he 鈥渦shers in pleasing shivers of excitement at the start by voicing the switch-off-your-phones announcement with creepy politesse.鈥�
Reviews: Father Comes Home from the Wars.
Suzan-Lori Parks鈥� 2014 Father comes Home From the Wars, which originally premiered at the New York Public Theatre in 2014, has now arrived in London, opening officially September 22 at the Royal Court, again directed (as in New York) by Jo Bonney. , 鈥淚t runs for three hours, and I found it totally compelling鈥� It may be an unfashionably long evening鈥攂ut it captures the complexity of a civil war where black Americans found themselves fighting on opposing sides and where, although freedom was the ultimate goal, its achievement was fraught with hazards that continue to this day.鈥�
鈥渁n immensely arresting and impressive piece of work.鈥�
Production and casting news:
A new production of Richard Harris鈥� play Stepping Out鈥攚hich subsequently became a feature film starring Liza Minnelli and Julie Walters鈥攊s to be revived in the West End, when musical-theatre-actress-turned-director Maria Friedman鈥檚 new production, premiering in Bath from October 12, 鈥� Jeremy Irvine, who starred in Steven Spielberg鈥檚 film War Horse, is to join Ed Harris and Amy Madigan in the West End transfer of the New Group鈥檚 production of Sam Shepard鈥檚 Buried Child, 鈥� While a new production of Rent will mark the 20th anniversary of the show鈥檚 premiere in London in December at the St James Theatre, Anthony Rapp鈥攖he show鈥檚 original Mark Cohen鈥攚ill be .
For further news鈥�
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