The news comes after a series of poorly received productions under Spacey’s artistic directorship, culminating in a truncated run of Robert Altman’s production of Miller’s penultimate play. Resurrection Blues, which stars Maximilian Schell and Hollywood actors Matthew Modine and Neve Campbell, and was originally booking until April 22.

Last year, Trevor Nunn’s production of Richard II, for which Spacey's title role performance received the Critics’ Circle Award for Best Shakespearian Performance, was one of the few exceptions to the critically disappointing season.

Spacey’s regime got off to a shaky start in 2004 with Cloaca by Dutch writer Maria Goos. Philadelphia Story and Dennis McIntyre’s National Anthems led to mixed reviews.

Despite the undoubted embarrassment of Spacey’s company going dark for five month’s, Old Vic Theatre company producer David Liddiment has reiterated Spacey’s commitment to the theatre.

Notwithstanding the record, Spacey’s appearance in O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten will be keenly anticipated, prompting memories of Howard Davies’s triumphant 1998 production of O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh in which Spacey played Hickey to great acclaim.