BY BEN WINTERS
Kevin Spacey’s assuming the directorship of the Old Vic theatre was a major news item in England and not so much over here. For example, it was on the front page of the Times of London, on the first Arts page of the New York Times, on page E5 of the Los Angeles Times, and on page nuthin’ in the Washington Times.
Then again, Spacey has long been a great fan of Great Britain, and the feeling is for the most part mutual. He was in The Iceman Cometh at the Vic way back in 1998, and has been a part of the English national consciousness ever since.
Confirming this was an article that appeared both in the New York Times and its continental cousin, the International Herald Tribune, on Feb. 6: "Kevin Spacey Puts Down New Roots at Old Vic."
"[S]ightings of Mr. Spacey at his favorite restaurants, clubs, pubs and haberdashers are regularly reported in the British press," went the Times/Herald Tribune story by Warren Hoge. "He is now the permanent Yank in the London cultural and political chattering classes known widely as 'luvvies,’ as The Observer recently called them, or the 'pashmina intelligentsia.’"
(Pashmina is a type of very luxurious wool. Hoge is the Times’ London bureau chief. Once upon a time, he was one of the reporters to receive a copy of the Unabomber’s manifesto.)
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Spcey
grabs hold of the Old Vic
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"Mr. Spacey has become such a fixture of London life," Hoge’s story continues, "that he felt compelled to reassure people that 'in no way should this decision be viewed as abandonment of my own country.’"
Some people were a lot less concerned about that than with whether Spacey is a homosexual: "It is thought that Spacey might also use the conference to end the speculation in the media about his sexuality," wrote the Times of London.
Didn’t happen. (Although, as theatre writer Richard Ouzounian reports in the Toroton Star on Feb. 11, Spacey was angered by just that line of questioning at a press junket for his new flick, The Life of David Gale. "The voice…blurted out, 'Then how do you feel about those stories about you being gay?’," Ouzounian writes. "Spacey turned and snapped: 'Don’t bother me with that crap. Just mind your own f---ing business!’ Then he choked out between clenched teeth. 'Next question.’")
In his article in London’s Gaurdian on the Vic announcement, columnist Michael Billington raised some concerns about the fate of the historic Old Vic. "If a Hollywood name helps to raise the profile of this historic playhouse, that is good news. But it does nothing to solve the perennial paradox of the Old Vic…it is, by tradition, a classical repertory house that is now a commercial theatre."
Billington takes the opportunity to discuss an even more radical change-up on the British theatrical scene–one which America’s managing directors might do well to notice.
"Nicholas Hytner, the new director of the National Theatre…announced that two-thirds of the seats in his initial six-month Olivier Theatre season will be available at £10 and the rest at £25. How will he balance by the books? By cutting production costs, relying on sponsorship and gambling on achieving near-total capacity."
Billington concludes breathlessly that, "If it works, it could revolutionise British theatre."
Of all the Spacey/Old Vic press, only the Reuter’s article focused on the involvement of Elton John, the theatre’s chairman of the board. "John and Spacey Join Forces to Save London Theater," it was headed, and featured details about the benefit party, at which "The flamboyant showman…joined Spacey on stage to launch into a duet of 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight.’"
Back To Work
"One of the few reminders of the Dubrovka siege that greeted former hostages, politicians and other theatergoers arriving for Nord Ost’s rebirth Saturday were bright flowers that remained scattered on the snow in memory of the 129 hostages who died."
That’s from a page one story in The Moscow Times on Feb. 10, written by Kevin O’Flynn. He describes the scene on Feb. 8 as the theatre–held hostage for two days last year by a band of Chechen rebels, until government forces ended the standoff with deadly gas–reopened for business. "Ticket holders lining up to get though newly installed metal detectors joked nervously about police being everywhere, even under the seats."
Stateside, the Boston Globe ran a Reuters report prominently featuring comments from Moscow’s mayor: The show "was a symbol for Muscovites that they could lead normal lives despite threats, Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said. 'Nord-Ost is a symbol of our desire for a better life, a symbol that terrorism will not win, that we will not give it that chance.’"
The article also notes that the show’s director, Georgy Vasilyev, got a standing ovation from the crowd.
Worst Episode Ever?
What’s funny about all the complaining that "The Simpsons" isn’t good anymore, and hasn’t been good for years–including the Feb. 12 article in the online magazine Slate.com–is that for some reason or other, everybody still watches it.
Clearly, someone thinks the show has some juice, but not Chris Suellentrop, who argues in his piece that for "several years, watching 'The Simpsons’ chase the 'Ozzie & Harriet’ record for the longest-running sitcom has been like watching the late-career Pete Rose: There’s still greatness there, and you get to see a home run now and then, but mostly it’s a halo of reflected glory."
He buttresses his argument with arguments from other media critics: "The hype surrounding [Feb. 16]’s 300th 'Simpsons’ episode…has underscored the show’s decline. To celebrate the milestone, Entertainment Weekly picked the top 25 episodes in 'Simpsons’ history: Twenty-four of them come from 1997 or before, meaning that only one comes from the past five seasons."
Suellentrop also turns for support to those most reliable of judges: internet cranks. "Some of the die-hard fans who populate the news group alt.tv.simpsons," he writes, blame former show-runner Mike Scully or writer Ian Maxtone-Graham.
The real answer, of course, comes from Robert Frost: "As leaf subsides to leaf/So Eden sank to grief/So dawn goes down to day/Nothing gold can stay."