Kevin Spacey gives his successor Matthew Warchus the thumbs up at the Old Vic
Less than two days after the star-studded gala to bid farewell to Kevin Spacey at the Old Vic, his successor Matthew Warchus is making headlines with an inaugural year-long season and commanding statement of intent. It’s undoubtedly a whole new era down Waterloo way – the award-laden Young Vic down the road, be warned. Warchus is coming for your gongs!
For my own analysis of Warchus’ announcement(s) today, read today’s other posting. Below I’ve rounded up top quotes and headlines from other sources.
[button link=”https://www.terripaddock.com/matthew-warchus-brings-real-star-quality-and-a-major-rebrand-to-his-first-season-at-the-old-vic/” color=”default” size=”large” target=”_blank” title=”Matthew Warchus’ inaugural Old Vic season” gradient_colors=”,” gradient_hover_colors=”,” border_width=”1px” border_color=”” text_color=”” shadow=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″]For my analysis and full season details, click here.[/button]
Quote Unquote: Matthew Warchus
In a press statement
“After 25 years of freelance directing, I unexpectedly find myself running my favourite theatre in the world. Or, if you like, my two favourite theatres since the Old Vic can now transition with relative ease between London’s best in-the-round space and the traditional, magnificent end-on auditorium. During my tenure I look forward to playing seasons in both of these great configurations.
“My first season demonstrates our aim to present more productions per year, of wide-ranging work, in a ‘something for everyone’ approach which reflects my own eclectic tastes and love of this unique and uplifting art form. In its dazzling history, The Old Vic has been home not only to great acting but also to dance, musical extravaganzas, vaudeville and spectacle. This diverse heritage is a big part of my inspiration going forward.
“When Lilian Baylis ran the Old Vic she kept a sign over her desk which read ‘Dare, always dare!’. Taking my cue from her, my goal is to programme invigorating seasons which are, by turns, surprising, smart, adventurous, and fun. Come and join in.”
In the Independent
“You can’t overestimate what Kevin did. This was a theatre that was about not to exist 12 years ago. He and [chief executive] Sally Greene saved the theatre.”
“I’m allergic to hype…I’ll hide behind the work, which is my preferred place. I’ll be slightly invisible and hopefully the work will be what keeps the spotlight on this theatre.”
In the Telegraph
“Lately, [the Old Vic] has felt like a posh theatre. But part of its heritage has been quite iconoclastic, rule-breaking and sometimes cutting edge. Even when Laurence Olivier was here with Tyrone Guthrie [in the 1930s] he was doing quite radical, adventurous work.
“So part of the brand refresh is to try to conceive of an artistic powerhouse that is unintimidating and unpretentious – not so populist that it doesn’t do anything great, and certainly not catering to the lowest common denominator.”
On the BBC
On Groundhog Day: “It’s a film which says a lot about life: how little time there is to become the best version of yourself. It is big and meaningful.”
On Official London Theatre
“I wanted to increase the number of productions in a year. Shortening the runs means more work and more contrasting kinds of work. But by increasing the number of shows you decrease the number of weeks that each show runs for. That suddenly means that instead of trying to look for shows that can do 12 weeks in a 1,000 seat theatre – and that excludes a whole lot of work that you can’t possibly risk – suddenly you’ve got a five-week run here and a five-week run there, and it’s legitimate and viable to programme a bit more adventurously in those areas. On the other hand, when you’ve got something that’s a bit more of a sure thing, you’ve only got six or seven weeks for it, which is a bit of a problem.”
Further season details are available at www.oldvictheatre.com.
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