Dateline October July, 2000
Guardsman closes
The revival of Molnar's The Guardsman at the Albery is to close on 28th October. The production, which opened on 11th October, posted its early closing notice just two days into the run and had been booking until 25th November.
This is the quickest any West End production has posted closing notices for a long time.
The Guardsman is directed by Janet Suzman and stars Greta Scacchi.
RSC Stratford winter season
The Royal Shakespeare Company's repertoire for their winter season in Stratford will be as follows:
Tantalus opens in Denver this month
John Barton's epic Tantalus, developed over a period of 15 years with the RSC, is to premiere at the Denver Centre for the Performing Arts, in a production by Sir Peter Hall, on 28th October. Running at over ten hours and using a company of 29, the production will transfer to the UK in January. It will have a short national tour before opening at the Barbican on 30th April.
Anger over Day-Lewis lead in Beckett bio-pic
A row has blown up in Ireland over the casting of British actor Daniel Day-Lewis as Samuel Beckett in a new film. Described by one outraged Beckett fan as being "as Irish as spaghetti", Day-Lewis has an Irish passport and lives in Ireland. Opponents of the casting feel that a "real" Irish actor such as Liam Cunningham should get the part.
Beckett, of course, lived for much of his life in France.
Possibly coming to the Almeida
Rumour has it that two plays to be included in the Alemeida's season at its temporary home in King's Cross are Chekhov's Platonov adapted by David Hare and The Faith Healer by Brian Friel.