Latest news with #MatthewWarchus
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NEWS OF THE WEEK: Susan Sarandon 'terrified but excited' to make London stage debut
The Thelma & Louise actress is set to star in Tracy Letts' drama Mary Page Marlowe at The Old Vic theatre in September. She and Andrea Riseborough will play the titular character at different ages alongside other actresses in the production, which spans 70 years in the life of an accountant and mother of two in Ohio. "I'm so honoured to be asked to be in a play during Matthew Warchus' final season at The Old Vic. Terrified but excited," the Oscar winner said in a statement.
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Susan Sarandon ‘terrified but excited' to star on London stage
Susan Sarandon has said she is 'terrified but excited' to make her UK theatre debut in the play Mary Page Marlowe at London's Old Vic. Sarandon will star opposite acclaimed actor Andrea Riseborough in Pulitzer Prize-winning Tracy Letts' play this autumn. Advertisement Described as a 'vivid, time-jumping mosaic of one woman's life', Sarandon and Riseborough will both play Mary at different ages over 70 years, with further casting to be announced. Sarandon, who won the best actress Oscar for Atlantic City, has performed on Broadway – but has never trod the boards in the UK before. Oscar-nominated Riseborough, who has starred in films including The Long Walk To Finchley and To Leslie, is returning to the stage after 15 years. Sarandon said: 'I'm so honoured to be asked to be in a play during Matthew Warchus' final season at The Old Vic. Terrified but excited.' Advertisement The production will take place completely in-the-round, with the 200-year-old auditorium transformed to create a new seating configuration that will surround the stage. Old Vic artistic director Matthew Warchus said: 'I'm delighted to be kicking off my final season at this wonderful theatre with this sensational new play from one of America's greatest living writers. 'And what a privilege to be featuring two such superlative actresses, Susan and Andrea, on the Old Vic stage – along with a large cast and creative team abounding with exceptional talent. 'I'm also really excited to be returning The Old Vic auditorium to perhaps my favourite configuration, and look forward to welcoming audiences to an unforgettable year of fully in-the-round, immersive, 360 degree performances.' Advertisement Riseborough said: 'It's an honour to be taking on the role of Mary – amongst others – in Tracy Letts' poignant play, alongside the extraordinary Susan Sarandon. 'I'm so very grateful to be working with Matthew again and thrilled to finally work at The Old Vic, a beautiful space. I look forward to us all bringing life to Matthew's remarkable vision for the play.' Mary Page Marlowe premiered at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 2016 and opened off Broadway in 2018. It will run at the Old Vic from September 23 to November 1. Advertisement Tickets are now on sale for members and will go on general sale from midday on Friday.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Susan Sarandon ‘terrified but excited' to make UK theatrical debut in September
Susan Sarandon is to make her UK theatre debut alongside Andrea Riseborough, when the pair portray the same woman at different ages, in Tracy Letts' drama Mary Page Marlowe. The play will be staged this autumn at the Old Vic in London by Matthew Warchus, in his final season as artistic director. Several actors portray the title character, which is described as a 'time-jumping mosaic' spanning 70 years in the life of an accountant and mother of two in Ohio. It marks a high-profile return to the stage for Sarandon, who made her Broadway debut in 1972 in An Evening with Richard Nixon and … by Gore Vidal before her breakout film role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. By the time she was next on Broadway, in Exit the King in 2009, she was a household name and five-time Oscar nominee (who won for Dead Man Walking). Sarandon said: 'I'm so honoured to be asked to be in a play during Matthew Warchus's final season at the Old Vic,' adding that she was 'terrified but excited'. Riseborough, similarly better known as a film star, has not acted on stage for 15 years. Her last major London role was in Ivanov opposite Kenneth Branagh at the Donmar Warehouse in 2008. She recently appeared in Warchus's screen version of Matilda the Musical. Riseborough said: 'It's an honour to be taking on the role of Mary – amongst others – in Tracy Letts' poignant play, alongside the extraordinary Susan Sarandon. I'm so very grateful to be working with Matthew again and thrilled to finally work at the Old Vic, a beautiful space.' Warchus called Letts 'one of America's greatest living writers' and said the play would be staged in-the-round – as will all the productions in his final season. Mary Page Marlowe will run from 23 September to 1 November. Letts is best known for his Pulitzer winner August: Osage County, which was directed by Anna D Shapiro in a Chicago Steppenwolf production that played at London's National Theatre in 2008. Shapiro directed the premiere of Mary Page Marlowe for the Steppenwolf theatre in 2016. In his review, the New York Times critic Charles Isherwood wrote: 'Some may find the play's form frustrating; I found it beautiful and affecting, like flipping through a friend's photo album in no particular order, finding some faces familiar, others unexpected. And then you come upon someone entirely unknown – who obviously meant much to your friend – and you realize, with a pang of sadness, that your knowledge of even those closest to you will always be fragmentary and incomplete.' This will be the play's UK premiere. Letts said: 'From my first experiences as a playwright here 30 years ago, to the run of August: Osage County at the National, London is an integral part of my development as an artist. I'm deeply gratified to have Mary Page Marlowe at the Old Vic, directed by Matthew, featuring these remarkable actresses. A genuine thrill.' Warchus will step down from the Old Vic in September next year, when he will be succeeded by Rupert Goold, who in turn will be replaced in the top job at the Almeida theatre by Dominic Cooke.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Susan Sarandon ‘terrified but excited' to make UK theatrical debut in September
Susan Sarandon is to make her UK theatre debut alongside Andrea Riseborough, when the pair portray the same woman at different ages, in Tracy Letts' drama Mary Page Marlowe. The play will be staged this autumn at the Old Vic in London by Matthew Warchus, in his final season as artistic director. Several actors portray the title character, which is described as a 'time-jumping mosaic' spanning 70 years in the life of an accountant and mother of two in Ohio. It marks a high-profile return to the stage for Sarandon, who made her Broadway debut in 1972 in An Evening with Richard Nixon and … by Gore Vidal before her breakout film role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. By the time she was next on Broadway, in Exit the King in 2009, she was a household name and five-time Oscar nominee (who won for Dead Man Walking). Sarandon said: 'I'm so honoured to be asked to be in a play during Matthew Warchus's final season at the Old Vic,' adding that she was 'terrified but excited'. Riseborough, similarly better known as a film star, has not acted on stage for 15 years. Her last major London role was in Ivanov opposite Kenneth Branagh at the Donmar Warehouse in 2008. She recently appeared in Warchus's screen version of Matilda the Musical. Riseborough said: 'It's an honour to be taking on the role of Mary – amongst others – in Tracy Letts' poignant play, alongside the extraordinary Susan Sarandon. I'm so very grateful to be working with Matthew again and thrilled to finally work at the Old Vic, a beautiful space.' Warchus called Letts 'one of America's greatest living writers' and said the play would be staged in-the-round – as will all the productions in his final season. Mary Page Marlowe will run from 23 September to 1 November. Letts is best known for his Pulitzer winner August: Osage County, which was directed by Anna D Shapiro in a Chicago Steppenwolf production that played at London's National Theatre in 2008. Shapiro directed the premiere of Mary Page Marlowe for the Steppenwolf theatre in 2016. In his review, the New York Times critic Charles Isherwood wrote: 'Some may find the play's form frustrating; I found it beautiful and affecting, like flipping through a friend's photo album in no particular order, finding some faces familiar, others unexpected. And then you come upon someone entirely unknown – who obviously meant much to your friend – and you realize, with a pang of sadness, that your knowledge of even those closest to you will always be fragmentary and incomplete.' This will be the play's UK premiere. Letts said: 'From my first experiences as a playwright here 30 years ago, to the run of August: Osage County at the National, London is an integral part of my development as an artist. I'm deeply gratified to have Mary Page Marlowe at the Old Vic, directed by Matthew, featuring these remarkable actresses. A genuine thrill.' Warchus will step down from the Old Vic in September next year, when he will be succeeded by Rupert Goold, who in turn will be replaced in the top job at the Almeida theatre by Dominic Cooke.
