Susan Sarandon ‘terrified but excited' to make UK theatrical debut in September
The play will be staged this autumn at the Old Vic in London by Matthew Warchus, in his final season as artistic director. Several actors portray the title character, which is described as a 'time-jumping mosaic' spanning 70 years in the life of an accountant and mother of two in Ohio.
It marks a high-profile return to the stage for Sarandon, who made her Broadway debut in 1972 in An Evening with Richard Nixon and … by Gore Vidal before her breakout film role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. By the time she was next on Broadway, in Exit the King in 2009, she was a household name and five-time Oscar nominee (who won for Dead Man Walking). Sarandon said: 'I'm so honoured to be asked to be in a play during Matthew Warchus's final season at the Old Vic,' adding that she was 'terrified but excited'.
Riseborough, similarly better known as a film star, has not acted on stage for 15 years. Her last major London role was in Ivanov opposite Kenneth Branagh at the Donmar Warehouse in 2008. She recently appeared in Warchus's screen version of Matilda the Musical. Riseborough said: 'It's an honour to be taking on the role of Mary – amongst others – in Tracy Letts' poignant play, alongside the extraordinary Susan Sarandon. I'm so very grateful to be working with Matthew again and thrilled to finally work at the Old Vic, a beautiful space.'
Warchus called Letts 'one of America's greatest living writers' and said the play would be staged in-the-round – as will all the productions in his final season. Mary Page Marlowe will run from 23 September to 1 November.
Letts is best known for his Pulitzer winner August: Osage County, which was directed by Anna D Shapiro in a Chicago Steppenwolf production that played at London's National Theatre in 2008. Shapiro directed the premiere of Mary Page Marlowe for the Steppenwolf theatre in 2016. In his review, the New York Times critic Charles Isherwood wrote: 'Some may find the play's form frustrating; I found it beautiful and affecting, like flipping through a friend's photo album in no particular order, finding some faces familiar, others unexpected. And then you come upon someone entirely unknown – who obviously meant much to your friend – and you realize, with a pang of sadness, that your knowledge of even those closest to you will always be fragmentary and incomplete.'
This will be the play's UK premiere. Letts said: 'From my first experiences as a playwright here 30 years ago, to the run of August: Osage County at the National, London is an integral part of my development as an artist. I'm deeply gratified to have Mary Page Marlowe at the Old Vic, directed by Matthew, featuring these remarkable actresses. A genuine thrill.'
Warchus will step down from the Old Vic in September next year, when he will be succeeded by Rupert Goold, who in turn will be replaced in the top job at the Almeida theatre by Dominic Cooke.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Love Island revives conversation about racial bias and misogynoir in dating
It used to be that dating was as simple as deciding between dinner, a trip to the movies or an arcade. Now, understanding the dating scene has become intermingled with smartphones, matchmaking apps and one's ability to navigate thorny social issues like racial preference in a mate. 'Love Island,' a widely popular international reality television franchise, is emblematic of the complexities of modern dating. It has also sparked heated discussions among fans about the desirability of Black women and darker-complexioned people both on and off air. The show, which aired the finale of the seventh season of its U.S. version Sunday and is airing the 12th season of its U.K. version, casts conventionally attractive 'islanders' who are generally in their early to late 20s for a six- to eight-week stay in a luxury villa. Men and women compete for long-lasting relationships and a cash prize. But as the show's daters face challenges meant to test their bonds, as well as elimination by villa mates or by fans' vote, notions of who is and isn't desirable frequently come up for viewers and contestants alike. In the end, many fans are left with the perception that racial bias, colorism and misogyny are especially inescapable for Black women on reality dating shows. 'The diversity in the U.K. one is terrible,' said Oghosa Ovienrioba, a content creator from London. 'It's very anti-Black.' It's not simply that Black women are picked last for coupling or eliminated first on the U.K. or U.S. versions of the show. Many fans say there's a recurring theme of suitors dumping or ditching Black female contestants when there is a fairer skinned option. Black female contestants have also complained of not doing well on the show when they don't lower their standards for intimacy with a suitor, as though they are lucky to even been considered dating material among more desirable mates. Even with these viewer frustrations, Ovienrioba said she prefers ' Love Island USA.' 'I feel like the dark skin Black women on that show always find men who fit their vibe, who respect them, who are attracted to them, desire them, treat them like queens," she said. 'Love Island' U.K. irks fans over treatment of Black women In the U.K. version, fans have counted multiple instances where Black female contestants were left as the last choice when couples were picked, or they were first to get eliminated and dumped from the villa. Many have also noted that it took eleven seasons before a darker-complexioned Black woman was declared the winner. Now in its 12th season, Love Island U.K. is still dogged by allegations of male contestants' bias against Black women. After 23-year-old Alima Gagigo, a Black woman, chose to couple up with 26-year-old Blu Chegini, a white man, he said, 'I'll be honest, on paper, you're not my type.' Gagigo responded, 'Of course,' as if those were words she was not surprised to hear. There is no evidence that Chegini was referring to Gagigo's race or ethnicity. But the exchange was enough to confirm what some in audience felt was an implicit bias against Black women in the villa. 'Love Island's only stipulation is that applicants are over 18, single and looking for love. Our application and casting process is inclusive to all and we are always aiming to reflect the age and diversity of our audience on the show,' a show spokesperson for 'Love Island U.K.' said. Black American contestants, too, say their complexion impacts their treatment JaNa Craig, a contestant on 'Love Island USA's' beloved sixth season, which aired last summer, landed a spot in the final four couples by the end of the competition alongside Kenny Rodriguez, who entered the villa 13 days into the season. Her bubbly personality made her a fan favorite. Although she initially worried about how viewers felt about her, the positive audience reaction culminated in her being deemed the 'baddest girl in Love Island history,' which means hot or beautiful in slang terms. Still, she felt some male contestants may not have been interested in her and Serena Page, another Black female contestant, because of their skin complexion. Page went on to win that season of 'Love Island USA.' 'The very first time I felt special is when the very first guy picked me because he had three options. Other than that, I always felt like I was getting the short end of the stick,' Craig said. 'Even though we know our worth and we know we're beautiful, we still felt like — not good enough.' Ultimately, Craig felt proudest when she heard from other Black women who said they appreciated her representation on the show, given the perception that Black women are less desirable on dating shows. 'I felt honored by the amount of Black girls that were like, 'JaNa, you inspire me,'' she said. 'Love Island USA' producer Peacock, which on Sunday debuted a spinoff to its popular Season 6 season, titled 'Love Island: Beyond the Villa,' declined comment for this story. Desirability concerns reflect real-world anti-Black sentiments Fans' and contestants' concerns about Black women's representation on the show reflect a real-world anti-Black and misogynistic views of Black women, commonly referred to as misogynoir. Scholars describe it as both implicit and explicit contempt for Black women, much of it rooted in racist stereotypes that are perpetuated in popular culture and mass media. While Love Island contestants are not being outright racist to Black female competitors, many viewers feel the interactions Black women have had on the show have been laced with implicit bias. Few viewers see anything wrong with 'Love Island' contestants being open about the specific traits they look for in potential suitors. Tall over short, fit over average build, tattooed over unmarked. But contestants' racial preferences, whether real or simply perceived by fans of the show, can't be seen as objective truth about who is or is not desirable in the world, said Alexandria Beightol, host of the podcast 'Apathy Is Not An Option' at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights and legal advocacy nonprofit. 'You recognizing you have a type should also be you recognizing you are a product of a lot of mass media,' Beightol said. The show's producers should see the show's popularity as an opportunity to dispel and not reinforce notions of beauty, especially ones harmful to Black women and darker-complexioned people, she added. 'It would behoove you to have some producers that look like some of the women on there who can kind of anticipate some of that drama,' Beightol said. 'They do frame those women as beautiful. In the history of reality programming, they've busted through a lot of the implicit views that the media used to hold itself to.'
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Skating legends Torvill and Dean sign off with a final performance of the iconic Bolero that won them gold at the 1984 Olympics
Torvill and Dean have hung up their skates for the last time after a final performance of Bolero on Saturday. Christopher Dean, 66, said it had been 'wonderful' to 'bow out on a high' with his ice dancing partner Jayne Torvill, 67. The Dancing on Ice duo took their place in British sporting history when they won gold at the 1984 Winter Games ice skating to Ravel's Bolero at the Zetra Olympic Hall in Sarajevo. The pair confirmed their retirement from skating together in 2024, 40 years on from their Olympic success. In April, they embarked on the UK leg of their farewell tour, Torvill And Dean: Our Last Dance, which culminated with four performances in their home town of Nottingham. Following their final performance together, Dean said: 'The performance went well and the audience were amazing and so, for us, to be able to bow out on a high like that was wonderful.' Asked if it had been emotional, he added: 'These last four performances here in Nottingham, the early ones were quite emotional and I think I sort of got that out of me, and tonight, it was a high.' 'We enjoyed it so much. The skating was good from our point of view, but the audience were phenomenal. They were the best audience ever.' Torvill, 67, said: 'I think we'll miss it. When you've done all these shows like this, and you're suddenly home, not doing anything, you miss that adrenaline rush and you miss the excitement of being on the ice, whether it's a practice session or a performance.' She added that they would continue to work together on other projects but said they will not be skating on the ice together. Posting a video of their last dance together, the pair said the performance would 'forever be in our hearts'. The pair became household names after their gold medal-winning performance at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics in 1984. They became the highest-scoring figure skaters of all time for a single programme. They also had success at the World, European and British Championships and returned to the Winter Games at Lillehammer in Norway in 1994 where they won bronze. After they bowed out from competitive skating, they branched out into touring, coaching and choreographing before becoming the faces of celebrity competition show Dancing On Ice, which ran from 2006 until 2014. When the show was revived in 2018 they became head judges until earlier this year when ITV announced it would be rested. Last week, the Olympic gold medallists unveiled a newly updated tram in their name to celebrate 50 years of dancing together. While a rink at the National Ice Centre was also officially named after them and a blue plaque marking their final performance together at the centre was revealed.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Holly Willoughby shares a sweet snap with pal Abbey Clancy as she pokes fun at the model's husband Peter Crouch's nickname for his wife
shared a sweet snap with friend Abbey Clancy as she took the mick out of Peter Crouch 's nickname for his wife. The TV presenter, 43, looked happier than ever as she posed for a selfie with her WAG pal, 39, whose husband is football legend Peter. In the picture Holly flashed a smile in white T-shirt as Abbey posed for the snap in a pair of black sunglasses and a brown dress. Alongside the post, Holly penned: 'Got the San Marino with me @abbeyclancy'. Holly playfully took the mick out of Abbey, as her husband refers to her by the name because 'she kicked off every 10 minutes' - like the San Marino football team. Holly and Abbey have been pals for a very long time as they have often shared fun snaps to social media. Earlier this year Holly looked happier than ever while pulling a funny face with Abbey as she brought in the New Year with a selfie on Instagram in January . She appeared cheerful as she crossed her eyes and pulled her tongue out in a sweet picture. For her first picture of the year, Holly appeared alongside Abbey, who also pulled a goofy face for the snap. Holly wore a brown fully jumper while pal Abbey also kept in casual in a grey sweatshirt. Sharing the funny: 'Always goofy together. Love u so much my beautiful friend'. Her playful snap comes after she slipped into a bright blue mini dress while celebrating the New Year. Holly cut a glamorous figure in the sparkling garment which featured a sequined embellishment and a cut out detail along the chest. Sharing snaps to her Wylde Moon Instagram, Holly was all smiles as she enjoyed a drink while looking ahead to 2025. She wrote: 'Happy New Year! ✨ As we step into this new cycle, may we embrace the phases of life just as the moon waxes and wanes with each moment holding its own beauty and purpose. 'Let this year be filled with hope, bold dreams, and the courage to chase them. 'Trust the rhythm of your journey, knowing that every ending brings a new beginning. 'Dare to shine brightly and create magic in 2025.' The TV personality - who left her role at This Morning in October 2023 - made her return to the small screen last month as she launched the new game show You Bet! with Stephen Mulhern. The show returned after 27 years on Saturday December 7 and can be watched on ITVX.
