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| John Malkovich to make London debut as a theatre director | John Malkovich to make London debut as a theatre director |
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| The American actor John Malkovich is heading to the UK – not to the West End stage, but to make his London debut as a director at the Rose theatre in Kingston upon Thames. | The American actor John Malkovich is heading to the UK – not to the West End stage, but to make his London debut as a director at the Rose theatre in Kingston upon Thames. |
| Malkovich, completely unrecognised, slipped in for a look at the theatre a few weeks ago, and was delighted with the very plain theatre-in-the-round space, modelled on the ground plan of Shakespeare’s Rose: it reminded him of his earliest days with the Steppenwolf theatre company in Chicago. | Malkovich, completely unrecognised, slipped in for a look at the theatre a few weeks ago, and was delighted with the very plain theatre-in-the-round space, modelled on the ground plan of Shakespeare’s Rose: it reminded him of his earliest days with the Steppenwolf theatre company in Chicago. |
| Related: Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: a tribute to the power of the image | Related: Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: a tribute to the power of the image |
| “He still looks exactly like John Malkovich but nobody spotted him – it tends to be the voice that does it,” executive producer Jerry Gunn said. | “He still looks exactly like John Malkovich but nobody spotted him – it tends to be the voice that does it,” executive producer Jerry Gunn said. |
| “Funnily enough no, he didn’t know our theatre, but he knew the area slightly from filming The Libertine at Hampton Court. When he saw the space he and the designer really liked it.” | “Funnily enough no, he didn’t know our theatre, but he knew the area slightly from filming The Libertine at Hampton Court. When he saw the space he and the designer really liked it.” |
| Malkovich, whose award-festooned but eclectic career has included touring with orchestras and opera companies, fashion design, and an appearance in the 1999 film set inside his own head, Being John Malkovich, will direct Good Canary at the Rose this September. Although the play is set in New York, and written by the Californian Zach Helm, Malkovich has previously only directed productions of it in Spanish in Mexico, and French in Paris. | |
| He said: “I’m delighted to be working at the Rose and very pleased to be working again on Good Canary, and to be finally working on the play in its native language.” | He said: “I’m delighted to be working at the Rose and very pleased to be working again on Good Canary, and to be finally working on the play in its native language.” |
| The announcement is a considerable coup for the theatre, which despite its location in the outer suburbs has starry supporters including Sir Peter Hall as founding director, visiting companies including Peter Brook, and casts which have included Dame Judi Dench. Joely Richardson was one of the stars in last year’s sell-out revival by Sir Trevor Nunn of the epic Shakespeare compendium, The Wars of the Roses. Maxine Peake’s play Beryl has its London premiere there next month. | The announcement is a considerable coup for the theatre, which despite its location in the outer suburbs has starry supporters including Sir Peter Hall as founding director, visiting companies including Peter Brook, and casts which have included Dame Judi Dench. Joely Richardson was one of the stars in last year’s sell-out revival by Sir Trevor Nunn of the epic Shakespeare compendium, The Wars of the Roses. Maxine Peake’s play Beryl has its London premiere there next month. |
| Related: The Wars of the Roses review – Trevor Nunn's courageous remount of cycle is thrilling theatre | Related: The Wars of the Roses review – Trevor Nunn's courageous remount of cycle is thrilling theatre |
| Gunn said Good Canary arose out of worldwide interest in The Wars of the Roses, the first revival of a famous Royal Shakespeare production of the 1980s. | |
| “It was a theatre producer I was having a conversation with in Japan who mentioned that Malkovich might be interested in an English-language production, and that it might suit our theatre. I read the play and thought it was absolutely terrific, and when we contacted Malkovich he was immediately interested.” | “It was a theatre producer I was having a conversation with in Japan who mentioned that Malkovich might be interested in an English-language production, and that it might suit our theatre. I read the play and thought it was absolutely terrific, and when we contacted Malkovich he was immediately interested.” |
| Malkovich, known for his piercingly intense stage and screen presence, appeared as a serial killer at the Barbican in 2011 in in The Infernal Comedy, a piece written specially for him which also required a baroque orchestra and two sopranos, was described as “a disturbing and compelling evening”. | Malkovich, known for his piercingly intense stage and screen presence, appeared as a serial killer at the Barbican in 2011 in in The Infernal Comedy, a piece written specially for him which also required a baroque orchestra and two sopranos, was described as “a disturbing and compelling evening”. |
| The theatre only fully opened in 2008, after years of arguments over funding, and staged several productions in the half-finished concrete shell. It still has no regular Arts Council funding. Robert O’Dowd, chief executive, said it was a huge honour to continue to attract some of the most exciting talents of theatre and film. “We feel enormously privileged to have both John Malkovich making his London directorial debut … and another great American director Michael Rudman presenting his take on Arthur Miller’s classic All My Sons.” | The theatre only fully opened in 2008, after years of arguments over funding, and staged several productions in the half-finished concrete shell. It still has no regular Arts Council funding. Robert O’Dowd, chief executive, said it was a huge honour to continue to attract some of the most exciting talents of theatre and film. “We feel enormously privileged to have both John Malkovich making his London directorial debut … and another great American director Michael Rudman presenting his take on Arthur Miller’s classic All My Sons.” |
| Nunn, who had queues around the block for returns for his Wars of the Roses at the Rose – particularly for the days when the three plays were performed together in a Shakespeare marathon – will return in May to direct Shakespeare’s rarely performed King John. | Nunn, who had queues around the block for returns for his Wars of the Roses at the Rose – particularly for the days when the three plays were performed together in a Shakespeare marathon – will return in May to direct Shakespeare’s rarely performed King John. |