Paul Mescal headlines National Theatre's bold new season as Stormzy debuts for ground-breaking collaboration
For the actor, the National Theatre season represents both a homecoming and a significant step forward in his already impressive career. Having trained at The Lir Academy in Dublin and earned early acclaim for stage work including The Plough and the Stars at the Lyric Hammersmith, the actor has long been regarded as one of Britain's most exciting theatrical talents.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
Ncuti Gatwa regenerates into Olly Alexander as the NT's ‘Importance of Being Earnest' transfers to London's West End
Ncuti Gatwa's time on Doctor Who proved to be pretty brief. But he didn't put his feet up in the gap between his two seasons – theatre was his first love and he got straight back on that stage last Christmas to star in the National Theatre's hallucinogenically camp take on Oscar Wilde's classic 'The Importance of Being Earnest', the first the NT had staged since the '80s. The Max Webster-directed production was a roaring great hit and now it's set to transfer to the West End, replacing Mischief Theatre's ' The Comedy About Spies ' at the Noël Coward Theatre. Gatwa's not coming along though: whether he'd have been up for it is a moot point, as he's already busy starring in the RSC's new West End play Born with Teeth. However, a fine replacement has been found for the role of young 'bachelor' about town Algernon Montcrieff: it's Olly Alexander, who hasn't been in Doctor Who but did make his name as actor in ' It's A Sin ', another show by Russell T Davies. Wilde's play is very much an ensemble affair and there is no news on further casting at this stage, though we dare to dream that the mighty Sharon D Clarke will return as the formidable Lady Bracknell. If you want to know a little more about what the production was like last time, then read our four-star review here. The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2025.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Olly Alexander lands West End role in The Importance of Being Earnest
Singer and actor Olly Alexander has said he has "come into a different space in my life", as he announced a new West End stage role after recently parting ways with his record star will appear in the National Theatre's production of The Importance of Being Earnest when it transfers to the West End in will be his first acting role since It's A Sin, Channel 4's acclaimed 2021 drama about the Aids crisis, for which he was nominated for a Bafta Award."I'd recently been thinking that I'd love to act again," he told BBC News. "I'd come to the end of my record contract, and I have a bit more breathing space to try a few different things and not feel, oh, well I have to deliver an album to my record label." Alexander will take over from Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, who starred in The Importance of Being Earnest when it opened at the National Theatre in 2024. He will play Algernon when the production transfers to the Noel Coward Theatre in London."What's not to love?" Alexander asked. "It's such a brilliant play, Oscar Wilde's most celebrated comedy. I saw the National production and thought it was fantastic, and this opportunity came along and I jumped at the chance." Alexander shot to fame when his band Years & Years won the BBC Sound of 2015 poll and went on to have hits such as King and Shine, and score a number one later went solo, although continued to perform as Years & Years, and scored another top-charting album in 2021. He has performed with Sir Elton John and Kylie Minogue, and was the UK's Eurovision entrant last after his most recent album Polari, released in February, reached number 17, Alexander announced his departure from his record label."They aren't dropping me, they just aren't renewing my contract," he explained at the time. "It's OK and honestly for the best. I've been on a pretty terrible deal for 10 years. It's time I do something new. But I'll still make music in the future."Reflecting on his first decade as a pop star, Alexander told the BBC: "With music, there's an intensity to the way I've been working and putting albums out, promoting and touring. I definitely want to take the foot off the gas in terms of that intensity." He still occasionally works on music, but has "not been putting pressure on myself... I just do what feels good and feel very lucky that I have this other strand of acting that I'm able to explore".Alexander said he felt he had "learned so much" over the last decade about the way he likes to work. "But for me," he continued, "a lot of the reason I think the [music] industry has changed so much is that it's set on this model which is very antiquated now, and it's not kept pace with the times. "Lots of artists have this direct link with their audience via social media. They want their music out quickly. The whole model of promoting it - three singles into an album, then you tour the album, then move onto the next one - it's not really working like it did."He noted that record labels could historically make an album a success because they were "able to pour a lot of money into something"."They just can't do that now. Everything has changed. But I think that is exciting for lots of reasons, and it is an exciting place for artists, even though it's harder to break through." He concluded: "If I go back into it, it'll be because I think it's fun and something I want to do, and not think too much about how it's going to perform. "That's pretty much how I try to always feel, but you're in an environment where you have a lot of other stakeholders, and people telling you it needs to be this or that, and there's always that tension." For now, he is focusing on performed in 1895, The Importance of being Earnest follows two male friends who adopt fictional personas. The farcical comedy unfolds with mistaken identities and makes generous use of clever wordplay."In a nutshell, it's a comedy about two quite ridiculous young men and the double lives they lead," Alexander explained. "They do that to avoid their social obligations, and they both invent these aliases called Ernest, while they try and woo and marry these two young women. "But really, it's a comedy that skewers society's expectations, makes fun of class and what society expects of us, and what roles we're expected to perform." 'Delightful mischief' The previous production of the show, starring Gatwa, received a positive reception from critics. "There is an elegance to the nudge-wink references and it is a production with just the right amount of delightful mischief," wrote the Guardian's Arifa Akbar in a four-star Daily Mail's Patrick Marmion awarded five stars, describing the "sparkling new production" as a "witty reboot"."Yes, liberties are taken," he said. "But that is surely the best way of blowing the dust off this national treasure."In a three-star review, the Telegraph's Dominic Cavendish described the show as "defiantly bold, but more playful than antagonistic", although he added he wasn't sure the new iteration "adds much" to the original. In the play, nobody except Jack and Algernon know about their alter-egos - something which would be much more difficult to pull off now in an age of smartphones."It'd be impossible!" Alexander laughed. "Our every movement is captured, so there's less room to invent aliases and lead double lives, which in some circumstances is probably for the best. "What's brilliant about the play is it's set 100 years ago, at a time that feels so different to where we are now, but the themes are so timeless."Alexander last appeared in the West End in 2013, before becoming famous as a pop star, with a relatively small role in Peter & Alice alongside Dame Judi Dench. In 2024, Alexander finished in 18th place at Eurovision with his track Dizzy, in a tricky year for the contest which was partly overshadowed by controversy surrounding Israel's year's entrants, girl group Remember Monday, ended in a similar position, finishing 19th. Alexander praised their performance, adding that he "hopes to meet up with them soon and we can exchange stories"."But," he added, "I think I'll still be processing and reflecting [on Eurovision] for a long time." The singer is excited to be returning to the West End, not least because it will mean performing continuously in one venue."I spent a lot of my previous years moving around, touring, which is so fun and amazing," he reflects. "But I also very much appreciate staying in one place now."Having a home in London with my partner, my cats, just trotting off to the theatre every night - that just sounds like the most wonderful existence."
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
600 apply for the 16 places on Trinity acting course that launched Paul Mescal's career
Record numbers have applied this year for the 16-place acting programme at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) that helped launch the stellar career of Gladiator II star Paul Mescal . The Lir Academy on Thursday confirmed that it has received 600 applications for its prestigious Bachelor in Acting course—a record and a 10% increase on the 545 applications received last year. Advertisement A spokeswoman for The Lir said: 'We did see a surge in numbers after the success of Normal People. This coincided with Brexit and the point at which we became the only English-speaking conservatoire in the EU. 'The continued success of Paul Mescal—along with numerous other graduates—has increased awareness of our programmes and supported the trend of growth in application numbers.' Paul Mescal, who was nominated for an Oscar, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Acting in 2017 from The Lir Academy at Trinity College and rose to prominence with the April 2020 lockdown release of Normal People. Other notable Lir alumni include Alison Oliver, Zara Devlin, Clinton Liberty, Ella Lily Hyland, Éanna Hardwicke, Danielle Galligan, Frank Blake, Kwaku Fortune, Aggie O'Casey and Patrick Martins. Advertisement To select the 16 successful applicants, The Lir conducts auditions in Dublin or via Zoom in the first two rounds for overseas candidates. Confirmation of the record applicant numbers comes alongside the release of minutes from a TCD Finance Committee meeting, which confirm that Trinity has granted The Lir a two-year loan repayment hiatus. At the end of September 2023, The Lir (officially Trinity College Dublin Academy of Dramatic Art Company Limited) owed €496,554 to the college. The academy recorded an income of €2.908 million in 2023 and a modest surplus of €16,357. TCD Provost Dr Linda Doyle chairs the Finance Committee. The minutes record that The Lir CEO, Gemma Bodinetz, highlighted the academy's strong financial performance, including projected fee income for 2024/25 and further expected increases. Advertisement While The Lir is performing well, the committee noted that reinvestment in the academy is limited by the need to prioritise repayment of the working capital loan and to meet significant rises in utility and operational costs. Lifestyle Leaving Cert: Teacher says many students found tod... Read More In approving the loan hiatus request, the committee acknowledged The Lir's positive repayment history and prudent financial management. Commenting on the decision, Ms Bodinetz said: 'The Lir Academy has an excellent financial performance record, and we recognise the act of faith that Trinity College Dublin has placed in us by agreeing to our request. 'The decision to request the hiatus was taken to allow for additional financial flexibility so that we can further realise our ambition to achieve significant strategic aims. 'Our intention is to invest the retained surpluses in staff salary increases, programme resources, and new revenue streams. This will leave us in a more robust position to resume payments in 2027.'
