Jeremy Northam Stars in New Donmar Production of Old Times, July 1

By Robert Simonson
01 Jul 2004

Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Northam

London's Donmar Warehouse will present a new staging of Harold Pinter's play Old Times beginning July 1. The three-person cast will be Jeremy Northam, Gina McKeen and Helen McCrory.

Opening is on July 7 for a run through Sept. 4. Roger Michell directs, with designs by William Dudley and lighting designed by Rick Fisher.

Northam is the suave, handsome star of such films as "Emma," "An Ideal Husband," "Gosford Park" and "The Winslow Boy." Northam won the Olivier Award for outstanding newcomer for his 1990 performance in the Royal National Theatre revival of the The Voysey Inheritance.

McCrory was nominated for a 2002 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance as Yelena in Uncle Vanya at the Donmar Warehouse. She repeated that role, and that of Olivia in Twelfth Night, when the Donmar visited the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2003.

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Frank McGuinness's new version of Euripides' Hecuba will preview at the Donmar from Sept. 9, opening on Sept. 15 and running until Nov. 1. Clare Higgins, a 2003 Tony nominee for Vincent in Brixton, will star and Jonathan Kent will direct (which, after Ian McDiarmid's turn at this address, means that the Donmar will have hosted both ex-directors of the Almeida Theatre, the Donmar's great rival). Paul Brown will design, with lighting by Mark Henderson and music by classical composer Jonathan Dove.

On Nov. 19 comes Grand Hotel, opening on Nov. 29 and running until Feb. 12, 2005. The Tony Award-winning musical is by Luther Davis and the Kismet team of Robert Wright and George Forrest. Maury Yeston contributed additional music and lyrics. Donmar supremo Michael Grandage will direct, with Christopher Oram's designs and lighting design from Hugh Vanstone. Choreography will be by Matthew Bourne regular (most famously as the Swan in Bourne's award-winning Swan Lake) Adam Cooper, with Jae Alexander as musical director and Terry Jardine as sound designer.