Spotlight

Language Matters

On the very first trip to London, one of the plays on our itinerary was David Mamet’s early masterpiece, American Buffalo. It is set in a junk shop and concerns three conniving thieves, each trying to con the other two. As such it is filled with terse, brutal and vulgar language. In fact, the play is famous for it. We had chosen to see this production because it starred the brilliant American actor, William H. Macy, and it was being performed in the intimate Donmar Warehouse, then under the directorship of the young Sam Mendes, who would go on to become one of the most influential stage and film directors of his generation.

Those of us who had organized the trip were a little concerned how some of the older people in the group would react to all the “C” and “F” bombs. Mamet’s profanity is not employed for shock value; it is integral to his characters, a kind of “iambic pentameter of the vernacular of the underclass,” as one of his collaborators has stated. After the performance, Alan Forsyth, one of the Mirvish staff on the trip, stood in the narrow front foyer of the venue as our group was filing out. When an octogenarian in the group came face to face with him, he asked her what she thought of the show. Without missing a beat, she said, “It was f***ing great.” That’s when we knew our group was adventuresome, sophisticated and witty.

Feb 11-18, London

Peggy For You
World premiere production, starring Maureen Lipman, at the Comedy Theatre

American Buffalo
Starring William H. Macy, at the Donmar Warehouse

The Lady in the Van
World premiere production, starring Maggie Smith, at the Queen’s Theatre

A Song at Twilight
Starring Corin Redgrave & Vanessa Redgrave, at the Gielgud Theatre

Aug 15-22, London

The Graduate
Starring Jerry Hall, at the Gielgud Theatre

Notre Dame de Paris
English-language premiere, starring Garou, Bruno Pelletier, Tina Arena & Daniel Lavoie, at the Dominion Theatre

The Tempest
Starring Vanessa Redgrave, at Shakespeare’s Globe

The Witches of Eastwick
World premiere production, starring Ian McShane, Lucie Arnaz, Joanna Riding & Maria Friedman, at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Oct 20-22, New York

The Full Monty
Broadway premiere production, starring Patrick Wilson & Andre De Shields, at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre

Proof
Broadway premiere production, starring Mary Louise Parker & Ben Shenkman, at the Walter Kerr Theatre

Feb 18-25, London

The Beautiful Game
World premiere production, at the Cambridge Theatre

Fallen Angels
Starring Felicity Kendal & Frances de la Tour, at the Apollo Theatre

Shockheaded Peter
At the Piccadilly Theatre

Medea
Starring Fiona Shaw, at the Queen’s Theatre

April 20-22, New York

Aida
Broadway premiere production, starring Heather Headley, Adam Pascal & Sherie Rene Scott, at the Palace Theatre

Moon for the Misbegotten
Starring Cherry Jones, Gabriel Byrne & Roy Dotrice, at the Walter Kerr Theatre

Aug 14-26, Greece

Medea
At the ancient theatre of Epidaurus

Oct 4-12, Dublin Theatre Festival

Woyzeck
At the Gaiety Theatre

Scaramouche Jones
World premiere production, starring Pete Postlethwaite, at the Samuel Beckett Theatre

A Whistle in the Dark
At the Abbey Theatre

Guess Who’s Coming for the Dinner
World premiere production by Roddy Doyle, Smock Alley Theatre

Oct 26-28, New York

The Producers
World premiere production, starring Nathan Lane & Matthew Broderick, at the St James Theatre

45 Seconds From Broadway
World premiere production, starring Marian Seldes & Lewis J. Stadlen, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre

Feb 20-27, London

Boston Marriage
Starring Zoë Wanamaker, at the New Ambassadors Theatre

Privates on Parade
Starring Roger Allam & James McAvoy, at the Donmar Warehouse

The Royal Family
Starring Judi Dench, Harriet Walter & Toby Stephens, at the Royal Haymarket Theatre

South Pacific
At the Olivier in the National Theatre

Oct 31-Nov 2, New York

Hollywood Arms
Broadway premiere production, starring Linda Lavin & Michele Pawk at the Cort Theatre

Dance of the Vampire
Broadway premiere production, starring Michael Crawford & Dame Edith Shorthouse, at the Minskoff Theatre

Jan 26-Feb 2, London

Anything Goes
Starring Sally Ann Triplett, John Barrowman & Dennis Quilley, at the Olivier in the National Theatre

Bombay Dreams
World premiere production, at the Apollo Victoria

The Breath of Life
World premiere production, starring Judi Dench & Maggie Smith, at the Royal Haymarket Theatre

The Vortex
Starring Francesca Annis & Chiwetel Ejiofor, at the Donmar Warehouse

Oct 24-26, New York

The Boy From Oz
Broadway premiere production, starring Hugh Jackman, Beth Fowler & Stephanie Block, at the Imperial Theatre

Avenue Q
Broadway premiere production, at the Golden Theatre

Spotlight

Ching Court In Bloom

On the walking tour of London’s Theatreland, we want to make sure we stop and learn about the rich histories of many of the theatres. Being in the heart of a major city like London can be tiring. But there is a quiet spot even in bustling central London where peace and quiet reign. It’s a triangular inner courtyard in Covent Garden’s Seven Dials called Ching Court. This location dates back more than 200 years and was built by the Comyn Ching Company, ironmongers that made many of the lamp posts, railings and gates for London’s prestigious buildings and parks in the 19th century.

When the company moved out in the mid-20th century, the three buildings that made up the company’s warehouse became decrepit, as did many others in the Covent Garden area. Luckily these were listed buildings and in 1982 smart developers recognized their importance and hired renowned architect Terry Farrell to repurpose them into apartments, offices and shops. The result was so successful, it began a movement to refurbish all of Covent Garden. Farrell left the central courtyard intact because it created an oasis against all the elements. The buildings’ high walls protect the court from the cold wind but still allow direct access to the sun, allowing cherry trees to bloom even in winter. The same high walls have also kept the court a secret to all but the buildings’ residents and those lucky enough to stumble upon it. The group on the walking tour is always shown the hidden entrance to Ching Court and allowed to stop there for a breather, cherishing the quiet and the beauty of the cherry blossoms.

Jan 25-Feb 1, London

His Dark Materials
World premiere production, starring Dominic Cooper, Ben Whishaw, Timothy Dalton, Rusell Tovey & Patricia Hodge, at the Olivier in the National Theatre

After Miss Julie
World premiere production, starring Kelly Reilly, at the Donmar Warehouse

Jerry Springer: the Opera
West End premiere production, at the Cambridge Theatre

Kat and the Kings
At the Tricycle Theatre

Jul 4-11, London

Suddenly Last Summer
Starring Diana Rigg & Victoria Hamilton, at the Albery Theatre

Democracy
West End premiere production, starring Roger Allam & Conleth Hill, at the Wyndham’s Theatre

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
At the Olivier in the National Theatre

Journey’s End
At the Playhouse Theatre

Feb 6-13, London

The History Boys
World premiere production, starring Richard Griffiths, James Corden, Dominic Cooper & Russell Tovey, at the Lyttleton in the National Theatre

Mary Poppins
World premiere production, starring Laura Michelle Kelly, David Haig & Gavin Lee, at the Prince Edward Theatre

The Woman in White
World premiere production, starring Maria Friedman & Michael Crawford, at the Palace Theatre

Whose Life is it Anyway?
Starring Kim Cattrall, at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Jul 7-17, Greece

Acharnians
At the ancient amphitheatre of Epidaurus

Oct 2-9, Dublin Theatre Festival

Laurel & Hardy
At the Olympia Theatre

The Battle of Stalingrad
At the Samuel Beckett Theatre

The Winter’s Tale
At the Abbey Theatre

I Am My Own Wife
Starring Jefferson Mays, at the Gaiety Theatre

Oct 28-30, New York

Doubt
Broadway premiere production, starring Cherry Jones, at the Walter Kerr Theatre

Spamalot
Broadway premiere production, starring Tim Curry, Hank Azaria, David Hyde Pierce & Christopher Sieber, at the Shubert Theatre

Spotlight

Memory Is Overrated

In Feb 2006, we were all quite excited and curious to attend the London premiere of Arthur Miller’s penultimate play, Resurrection Blues. Miller had died only the year prior. This production was directed by Robert Altman and had a fantastic cast, including James Fox, Maximilian Schell, Matthew Modine and Neve Campbell. It was also playing at the famous Old Vic, which the Mirvish family had bought in the early 1980s and lavishly restored. (They sold it to a charitable trust in 1997.) It was one of the early preview performances and the theatre was abuzz.

Sadly, the play and production did not gel, as they say when something is amiss. The production was flat and clunky. The dialogue was stilted and ponderous. But by far the worst sin of the production was the fact that the multitalented Oscar-winning Maximilian Schell did not know his lines. He would often dry up in the middle of a scene. Eventually a voice from the wings would shout out the line, which Schell would repeat.

All of us in the audience looked at each other and cringed. We felt for the actors, were even embarrassed for them. Schell was obviously not well — he was 76 at the time. It’s difficult to watch a live performance that’s this misbegotten. There was one moment that really stood out. One of the other characters asks Schell’s character if he remembered a certain event. There was silence from Schell. 

Then the prompter’s voice from the wings shouted out: “Memory is overrated.” None of us in the audience could help ourselves, we all burst out laughing. A few days later there was a notice in the London press that the show’s official press night was being delayed and that Altman was being replaced as director by Kevin Spacey. This didn’t help; the show received terrible reviews and closed earlier than it was scheduled to. That production has gone down in history as among the most troubled. It was a learning experience for all of us on the trip that year. We will never forget it.

Feb 12-19, London

Once in a Lifetime
Starring David Suchet & Victoria Hamilton, at the Olivier in the National Theatre

Resurrection Blues
Starring James Fox, Maximilian Schell & Neve Campbell, at the Old Vic

Billy Elliot
World premiere production, at the Victoria Palace

Embers
World premiere production, starring Jeremy Irons, at the Duke of York’s Theatre

Oct 27-29, New York

Butley
Starring Nathan Lane, at the Booth Theatre

Losing Louie
Broadway premiere production, at the Biltmore Theatre

Feb 4-10, London

There Came A Gypsy Riding
World premiere production, starring Eileen Atkins, Imelda Staunton & Ian McElhinney, at the Almeida Theatre

Gershwin’s  Porgy & Bess
Starring Clarke Peters, at the Savoy Theatre

Rock ‘N’ Roll
World premiere production, starring Rufus Sewell, Brian Cox & Sinéad Cusack, at the Duke of York’s Theatre

Love Song
Starring Cillian Murphy & Neve Campbell, at the New Ambassadors Theatre

Oct 19-21, New York

Young Frankenstein
World premiere production, starring Roger Bart, Sutton Foster, Andrea Martin & Megan Mullally, at the Hilton Theatre

Spring Awakening
Broadway premiere production, starring Jonathan Groff & Lea Michele, at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre

Jan 13-20, London

War Horse
World premiere production, at the Olivier in the National Theatre

La Cage Aux Folles
Starring Philip Quast & Douglas Hodge, at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Cinderella
Panto adaptation by Stephen Fry, at the Old Vic

Othello
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, at the Donmar Warehouse

Oct 3-5, New York

August: Osage County
Broadway premiere production, starring Estelle Parsons, at the Music Box Theatre

South Pacific
Starring Kelli O’Hara, Danny Burnstein & Matthew Morrison, at the Vivienne Beaumont Theatre in the Lincoln Center

Jan 25-31, London

Zorro
World premiere production, at the Garrick Theatre

Pitmen Painters
World premiere production, at the Lyttleton in the National Theatre

Be Near Me
At the Donmar Warehouse

Entertaining Mr. Sloan
Starring Imelda Staunton, Mathew Horne, Simon Paisley Day & Richard Bremmer, at the Trafalgar Studio

Oct 23-25, New York

Finian’s Rainbow
Starring Jim Norton, Kate Baldwin & Cheyenne Jackson, at the St. James Theatre.

God of Carnage
Broadway premiere production, starring Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini & Marcia Gay Harden, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Spotlight

Slotkin In Session

One of the highlights of the Mirvish Theatre Tours is Lynn Slotkin. A lifelong lover, critic and advocate of theatre, Lynn leads discussions of each show the group sees the morning after the performance. She begins her discussions with some facts about the play — background about the writer, director, performers. This allows everyone to settle down and focus on the play. Then she asks a simple question: What is it about? You won’t have a chance to answer, “About three hours,” because she would have already made that joke herself. (Slotkin’s sessions are always full of humour and fun.)

Participation in the discussion is not mandatory; people can sit, listen and absorb. Lynn’s sessions are not classes, although people do say that they learn a lot from these discussions. Lynn also says she learns a lot from the group. She’s fond of pointing out that there is never just one understanding of a play. Similarly, there is never one opinion shared by everyone. “There are as many opinions of a work of art as there are people who attend it,” she says. “All are valid.” But then she also adds: “They may not all be equal because each opinion is formed by a person’s life experience.” At Lynn’s sessions we learn from each other, often seeing new perspectives that we may not have considered. After a session with Lynn we all begin to look at a play in new ways.

Jan 10-17, London

The Habit of Art
World premiere production, starring Alex Jennings & Richard Griffiths, at the Lyttelton in the National Theatre

Sister Act
West End premiere production, starring Patina Miller & Sheila Hancock, at the London Palladium

The Misanthrope
Starring Damian Lewis & Keira Knightley, at the Harold Pinter Theatre

An Inspector Calls
At the Wyndham’s Theatre

Oct 24-26, New York

Brief Encounter
Broadway premiere production, at Studio 54

Time Stands Still
Broadway premiere production, starring Laura Linney, Eric Bogosian, Brian d’Arcy James & Alicia Silverstone, at the Cort Theatre

Spotlight

Our Group To The Rescue

Mid-afternoon on Saturday,  Oct 29, 2011, a sudden storm struck Manhattan. The skies darkened and within minutes buckets and buckets of sleet rained down on the city’s busy streets. Most of us were indoors watching a matinee, but when we stepped outside after the various performances we were watching we were in shock. The weather had been cool when we first entered the theatre so at least we all had a jacket or coat with us. But we weren’t prepared for the mess on the street — you needed winter boots or at least galoshes. Two of our group were on 45th street at the time. They heard the screech of car brakes. It looked as if a woman who had been crossing the street had been struck by a car. They ran over to help.

The woman wasn’t hurt; luckily the car had not hit her, it had stopped in time. But she had fallen in the slush. They helped her up and took her to the lobby of the Booth Theatre where an usher brought her a chair and a bottle of water. Our group members recognized her. It was Jan Maxwell, one of Broadway’s leading stars. She had been leaving the Marquis Theatre after that afternoon’s performance of Follies, in which she starred as Phyllis. She was on her way to Sardi’s for an early dinner before that night’s performance. She thanked the two for helping her and assured them she would be fine. (Our group had tickets to attend the performance that evening. It wasn’t a surprise that there was a pre-show announcement that Ms. Maxwell would not be performing that night. That fall had taken the wind out of her. But after a night’s rest, she returned to the show the following day.)

Jan 16-22, London

End of the Rainbow
West End premiere production, starring Tracie Bennett, at the Trafalgar Studio

Season’s Greetings
At the Lyttelton in the National Theatre

Love Never Dies
World premiere production, starring Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Joseph Millson & Liz Robertson, at the Adelphi Theatre

When We Are Married
Starring Sam Kelly, Maureen Lipman, Lynda Baron & Jodie McNee, at the Garrick Theatre

Sep 29-Oct 7, Dublin Theatre Festival

Donka, A Letter to Chekhov
At the Gaiety Theatre

Testament
World premiere production, starring Marie Mullen, at the Project Arts Centre

Juno and the Paycock
Starring Sinéad Cusack & Ciarán Hinds, at the Abbey Theatre

The Speckled People
World premiere production, at the Gate Theatre

Oct 28-30, New York

Other Desert Cities
Broadway premiere production, starring Stockard Channing, Rachel Griffiths, Stacy Keach & Judith Light, at the Booth Theatre

Follies
Starring Bernadette Peters, Danny Burstein & Elaine Paige, at the Marquis Theatre

Jan 8-15, London

One Man, two guvnors
World premiere production, starring James Corden, at the Adelphi Theatre

Backbeat
World premiere production, at the Duke of York’s Theatre

Matilda
West End premiere production, at the Cambridge Theatre

Travelling Light
World premiere production, at the Lyttelton in the National Theatre

Oct 19-21, New York

Grace
Broadway premiere production, starring Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon, Kate Arrington & Edward Asner, at the Cort Theatre

Once
Broadway premiere production, starring Steve Kazee & Cristin Milioti, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre

Jan 20-27, London

The Magistrate
Starring John Lithgow, at the Olivier in the National Theatre

Privates on Parade
Starring Simon Russell Beale, at the Noël  Coward Theatre

Viva Forever!
World premiere production, at the Piccadily Theatre

The Bodyguard
World premiere production, at the Adelphi Theatre

Oct 18-20, New York

Big Fish
World premiere production, starring Norbert Leo Butz, Kate Baldwin & Brad Oscar, at the Neil Simon Theatre

Little Miss Sunshine
New York premiere production, starring Will Swenson & Stephanie J. Block, at the Second Stage Theatre

Jan 19-26, London

The Light Princess
World premiere production, starring Rosalie Craig, at the Lyttelton in the National Theatre

Henry V
Starring Jude Law, at the Noël  Coward Theatre

Mojo
Starring Ben Whishaw, Brendan Coyle & Tom Rhys Harries, at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense
World premiere production, starring Matthew Macfadyen & Stephen Mangan, at the Duke of York’s Theatre

Sep 29 - Oct 6, Dublin Theatre Festival

The Mariner
World premiere production, at the Gate Theatre

Our Few and Evil Days
Starring Sinéad Cusack & Ciarán Hinds, at the Abbey Theatre

Bailegangaire
At the Olympia Theatre

Spinning
At the Smock Alley Theatre

Oct 24-26, New York

It’s Only A Play
Starring Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally, Stockard Channing & F. Murray Abraham, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

A Delicate Balance
Starring Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Martha Plimpton, Lindsay Duncan, Bob Balaban & Clare Higgins, at the John Golden Theatre

Jan 18-25, London

King Charles III
World premiere production, starring Tim Pigott-Smith, at the Wyndham’s Theatre

Sunny Afternoon
World premiere production, at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
West End premiere production, starring Tamsin Greig, at the Playhouse Theatre

The Ruling Class
Starring James McAvoy, at the Trafalgar Studio

Oct 23-25, New York

The King and I
Starring Kelli O’Hara & Ken Watanabe, at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in the Lincoln Center

Fun Home
Broadway premiere production, starring Beth Malone, Michael Cerveris & Judy Kuhn, at Circle in the Square

Jan 24-31, London

A Christmas Carol
Starring Jim Broadbent, at the Noël  Coward Theatre

Hangmen
World premiere production, at the Wyndham’s Theatre

Red Velvet
West End premiere production, starring Adrian Lester, at the Garrick Theatre

Husbands and Sons
World premiere production, starring Anne-Marie Duff, at the Dorfman in the National Theatre

Oct 21-23, New York

The Front Page
Starring Nathan Lane, John Slattery, John Goodman, Jefferson Mays, Holland Taylor, Sherie Rene Scott & Robert Morse, at the Broadhurst Theatre

Waitress
Broadway premiere production, starring Jessie Mueller, Drew Gehling & Nick Cordero, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre

Spotlight

Celebrities In The House

At one of the very first Mirvish  tours to New York, we all took our seats for Moon for the Misbegotten. Just before the house lights were dimmed, two people were escorted to seats in the row immediately in front of us. The new audience members were Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. Like us they were there to see the three great actors on stage — Cherry Jones, Gabriel Byrne and Roy Dotrice — perform one of Eugene O’Neill’s masterpieces.

Celebrity spotting is not uncommon in the theatres of New York and London. After all, these are the two capitals of English-language theatre. They also happen to be where many famous actors live, and actors always go to watch other actors perform on stage.

Over the years, we’ve encountered many celebrities in the audience at the theatres we’ve attended. In London, we’ve sat right behind Tom Stoppard and Alan Rickman. We were so close we could eavesdrop on their conversation at intermission. Derek Jacobi, Helena Bonham Carter, Jude Law, Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton and many others have been watching the same shows as us. For the London production of Come From Away, the brilliant Juliet Stevenson even joined our group. 

She’s a good friend of Lynn Slotkin’s and was her guest at the performance. In New York, Jane Fonda, Joan Rivers, Joel Grey, Bette Middler and Danny DeVito are just some of the bold names who shared our rows with us. At the performance of Dear Evan Hansen we attended Senator Chuck Schumer was in attendance. (His niece Amy Schumer happened to be performing at a play across the street the same night.)

Jan 28-Feb, 4 London

Mary Stuart
Starring Juliet Stevenson & Lia Williams, at the Duke of York’s Theatre

Girl from the North Country
West End premiere production, starring Shirley Henderson, Ciarán Hinds and Sheila Atim, at the Noël  Coward Theatre

Network
World premiere production, starring Bryan Cranston & Michelle Dockery, at the Lyttelton in the National Theatre

The Ferryman
World premiere production, starring Paddy Considine, Laura Donnelly, Genevieve O’Reilly & Bríd Brennan, at the Gielgud Theatre

Nov 9-11, New York

To Kill A Mockingbird
World premiere production, starring Jeff Daniels, at the Shubert Theatre

The Lifespan  of a Fact
World premiere production, starring Cherry Jones, Daniel Radcliffe & Bobby Cannavale, at Studio 54

London
February 17-24

All About Eve
World premiere production, starring Gillian Anderson & Lily James, at the Noël Coward Theatre

Follies
Starring Janie Dee, Peter Forbes, Joanna Riding, Alexander Hanson & Tracie Bennett, at the Olivier in the National Theatre

Nine Night
West End premiere production, at the Trafalgar Studio

The Price
Starring David Suchet & Brendan Coyle, at the Wyndham’s Theatre

Come From Away
West End premiere production, at the Phoenix Theatre

Company
Starring Rosalie Craig & Patti LuPone, at the Gielgud Theatre

New York
November 8-10

The Height of the Storm
Broadway premiere production, starring Jonathan Pryce & Eileen Atkins, at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Slave Play
Broadway premiere production, at the John Golden Theatre

London
January 26-February 2

Touching the Void
West End premiere production, at the Duke of York’s Theatre

Leopoldstadt
World premiere production, at the Wyndham’s Theatre

Uncle Vanya
Starring Roger Allam, Richard Armitage, Toby Jones & Aimee Lou Wood, at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Cyrano de Bergerac
Starring James McAvoy, at the Playhouse Theatre

London
February 18-26

Orlando
A new play based on the novel by Virginia Woolf
Starring Emma Corrin at the Garrick Theatre

Medea
Starring Sophie Okonedo

Standing at the Sky's Edge
A new British Musical at the Gillian Lynne Theatre

Phaedra
a new play by Simon Stone
Starring Janet McTeer at the Lyttelton Theatre

New York
October 20 - 22

Merrily We Roll Along
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Gross & Lindsay Mendez at the Hudson Theatre

Harmony
A New Musical, Music by Barry Manilow

London
January 18 - February 4

Operation Mincemeat
A New Musical at The Fortune Theatre

The Motive and the Cue
Directed by Sam Mendes

My Neighbour Totoro
Gillian Lyn Theatre

Hamnet
Garrick Theatre

Jan 19 - 26, 2025, London

The Importance of Being Earnest
Starring Sharon D Clarke, Ncuti Gatwa and Hugh Skinner; at the National Theatre

Dr. Strangelove
Starring Steve Coogan; at the Noel Coward Theatre

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
At the Ambassadors Theatre

Ballet Shoes
At the National Theatre