Kevin Spacey... I've loved him since he was Roger 'Verbal' Kint in The Usual Suspects... at some point I heard he was the artistic director of The Old Vic (I've learned since that he was appointed in 2003, the first artistic director since The Old Vic went back to being a producing house) he's stepping down in 2015, he'll have been the Artistic Director of The Old Vic for 12 years then... I am in awe, truly in awe that an actor of his caliber and with his schedule took the time and put in the work to be an Artistic Director for so long, and to take The Old Vic by the hand and turn it back around to the wonderful Producing house it is now.
I'd not been to The Old Vic until this year, a few weeks before Clarence Darrow I happened to be there to see Other Desert Cities, a play I'd seen in 2011 on it's premiere run in New York. I wanted to see it again in The Old Vic because it has such a different stage setting and it was simply such a great play, another take on it, casting and direction wise was just too good an opportunity to miss.
But I digress, theater geek that I am, I'm keeping tabs on a few websites to see programming news, casting news and so on... so a while back I heard about this season for The Old Vic, to include Other Desert Cities (already enough to catch my interest) but also announcing a limited run of a one man play for Kevin Spacey, artistic directer and hot on the trail of his huge Netflix tv hit House of Cards. All in all an irresistible opportunity!
Limited run, hot tv show, big name actor, a combination spelling out HARD TO GET tickets!... so I joined the theaters 'Friend' program to get access to Priority Booking, yes this is the geek that I am (in my defense I do support a few other theaters as well in all kinds of versions of 'friend' programs, but The Old Vic had not been on my radar really until this year, while being an opportunist 'friend' this year I may continue the program just to support their dedication).
More importantly, it worked, I got a ticket, excellent seat, for my preferred day, making it a perfect combination with that other play I HAD to see and had an overlapping run (Skylight) and could make the very practical combination with a business trip. Yes, with some help from a 'friends' program all stars aligned for this one... (and yes, it sold out FAST)
so... Clarence Darrow... I'd never heard of the play, I admit my sole attraction at first was Kevin Spacey and the fact that it was a two-act one-man show... seemed like a difficult feat to pull off for anyone. But Pull It Off he did... and then some!
I decided not to read too much about the play before seeing it, letting myself be surprised, all I knew really was that it was about a lawyer.
The Old Vic has a in-the-round stage setting (they can change it if they want, but Clarence Darrow had the in-the-round)... meaning they have a pretty small stage, with audience all around the stage, so the director has to direct the play to all sides of the stage and the actor has to play to all sides obviously, there is absolutely nowhere to hide... well in this case there was, as the play opened with Clarence Darrow lying under his desk, I guess the only place to hide for the actor, and then only in the first minute or so of the play.
This play is written beautifully, it's a bit of a history lesson of Social/Civil Liberties lawyering late 1800's/early 1900's. Many pivotal trials pass the stage... all witnessed through the flashback-memories of mr Darrow.
I loved the set, just a messy office, with some parts doubling up as other spaces like a court room, the jury box, his private living room... all set and directed beautifully so that we (the audience) are never confused of where we are (remember The Old Vic in-the-round setting has a small stage, there is simply no room to create these different spaces as separate spaces as is the stage direction of the playwright), Thea Sharrock (the director) and Alan Macdonald (set designer) did an absolutely marvelous job.
Kevin Spacey was excellent, a very intense performance, it must be very hard to be in a two-act one-man play. Nowhere to hide, no co-stars to lean on or take a cue from at any time. It's all on you. Kudos to the actor, kudos to the man behind the actor for taking this on. I absolutely adored the play, and would definitely go see it again if performed anywhere else if at all possible.
The cases Darrow flashbacks to and the way Spacey brings them to life are all intense, I walked out the door grateful for this marvelous lawyer for being so dedicated to his cause (and I'm not American, his work had no real bearing for me at all). Being completely oblivious to the person Clarence Darrow before seeing this play only made it more intense, many of the cases I'd heard of one way or another before, but never knew they were all tried by the same person. The Leopold and Loeb case for instance... (yet another case I learned from by visiting theater.. saw a great production of Never the Sinner dealing with that case from Leopold and Loeb's pov in Chicago recently... directed by the always marvelous Dennis Zacek) was a revelation.
The entire audience was riveted, mr Spacey could have come back for 10 curtain calls and still have a standing ovation at nr 10... many in the audience probably were there just to see the actor live on stage, I think many of the audience were in awe of the play, of the man Clarence Darrow, and will maybe visit the theater more after this experience... win win for mr Spacey I'd say as - in my opinion - his tenure of 12 years at The Old Vic is a testament to his dedication for the art of live theater.
***
Time Out London *****
Most actors could get a round of applause with this stuff, given a modicum of conviction and a friendly crowd. But this is Kevin bloody Spacey we’re talking about, and in Thea Sharrock’s production he tackles it with such seismic energy that he might as well be a different species to the rest of us.
The Telegraph *****
Kevin Spacey's portrayal of the defence lawyer from the Scopes "Monkey" trial is a prowling, mesmerising tour-de-force, says Charles Spencer
The Guardian *****
Kevin Spacey shines in barnstorming performance
What emerges clearly in this magnificent performance is the famed American lawyer's renegade spirit
As a portrait of an extraordinary man, this is absorbing in its detail and as pungent as if the paint were still wet. As a story of commitment to truth and humanity, it is nothing short of an inspiration.
The Express *****
KEVIN SPACEY leaves The Old Vic after 10 years with a pitch-perfect performance as the legendary American lawyer who made his name championing the underdog.
London Evening Standard *****
In his first acting role there since Richard III in 2011, Kevin Spacey launches into the performance with gusto and the intensity never drops
Huffington Post UK
If you are lucky enough to get a ticket, you will be rewarded with seeing one of the greats very much at the height of his powers.Huffington Post UK
The Independent *****He prowls about on splayed arthritic legs like a veteran prize fighter who refuses to be felled and splendidly squares the circle of performing a solo show in-the-round by repeatedly breaking the frame and buttonholing various sections of the audience as though they were jurors.
Darrow's claims to greatness as a battered but unbowed humanitarian find, in Spacey, the perfect advocate.
***
Why I Chose to Play Clarence Darrow in my Return to the Old Vic's Stage
from Kevin Spacey.com:when I was in high school. The one-man show written by David W. Rintels made its Broadway premiere at the Helen Hayes Theatre in 1974, directed by the great John Houseman and starring Henry Fonda.
It is now forty years later and I have come to the decision to tackle Rintels’ play myself. Although it is a daunting part, I have many reasons for taking it on.
The real Clarence Darrow, whom the play is based on, was a unique and courageous man at the turn of the last century. He was a lawyer who steadfastly accepted cases nobody else would take, fighting on behalf of the underdog and standing up for labor unions as well as being a staunch opponent of the death penalty during a career which spanned over 40 years. Through his dignity, intelligence and logic he often managed to convince judges and jurors to change their view, shift their prejudice and opt for a humane punishment on behalf of those he defended.
Darrow’s life has inspired several adaptations, both films and plays, and he has been portrayed by a few of my favorite actors before me, so I feel I am in good company; Henry Fonda, of course, played Darrow when the play debuted; Orson Welles played Darrow in COMPULSION, a film based on the infamous Leopold and Loeb murder trial; Spencer Tracy, with his brilliant performance in Stanley Kramer’s classic film, INHERIT THE WIND, captured Darrow’s passion and commitment like no one else.
I have myself had the chance to explore aspects of Darrow’s life before now. In 1991, I made a television film for PBS called DARROW, directed by my current “House of Cards” colleague, John Coles. In the film I portrayed three decades of Darrow’s life, until the age of 70. We put a lot of effort into making the ageing process look as convincing as possible, so as not to detract from the narrative.
People often ask me what my favorite film to have worked on is. I usually brush these questions aside, trying not to play favorites, by replying: “I hope I haven’t made it yet.” If pressed on the point, however, I would have to say that filming DARROW, with my amazing co-star Chris Cooper, remains one of the best experiences I’ve had on a project.
I was recently given the opportunity to step into Darrow’s shoes a second time by staging Rintels’ play at The Old Vic. Directed by Trevor Nunn, our 2009 theatrical production of “Inherit the Wind” remains a seminal moment, so why have I chosen to portray him a third time? I jumped at the opportunity of tackling this character again, as I continue to find his rich, sympathetic personality and fertile mind intriguing, even though by now he is a character that I have come to know very well. I also feel the play is uplifting – an examination of the best in all of us. This is especially significant when so many of the things we observe and are confronted with in this world highlight the worst of humanity.
Getting up on my beloved Old Vic stage in our 10th anniversary season was also an important factor for me. I moved to London eleven years ago and taking on a play that I feel very close to just seems like a fitting way to mark this decade. The play’s shorter run also allows me to work around my shooting schedule for the third season of “House of Cards.”
The added challenges of never having performed a one-man show before, or ever having performed in-the-round for that matter, were very appealing to me.
And you know I love a challenge, so here I go!
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