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The Crown co-stars Claire Foy and Matt Smith are set to make their Old Vic debuts together
The Crown’s Claire Foy and Matt Smith will make their Old Vic debuts in Duncan McMillian’s Lungs, as part of the London theatre’s upcoming season.
Matthew Warchus will direct the play in his fifth season as artistic director.
Lucy’s Prebble’s stage reimagining of A Very Expensive Poison, on the death of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, will make its world premiere in September.
Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe also joins Alan Cumming in Endgame as part of a Samuel Beckett double bill.
The macabre comedy will be followed by Beckett’s rarely seen short play, Rough for Theatre II.
Discussing his latest line-up, Warchus’ said he was proud of the “titanic ideas and emotions” it will offer audiences, from the “dark fantasia” of the Litvinenko adaptation – based upon Luke Harding’s book – to the “contemporary dilemmas” discussed in Lungs.
Highlights of the Old Vic’s new season include:
- Mark Knopfler’s musical adaptation of the hit 1983 film Local Hero – directed by John Crowley from the book by Bill Forsyth and Old Vic associate artist David Greig – will receive its London premiere in June.
- Jack Thorne’s version of A Christmas Carol is to return in time for Christmas.
- Themes raised by the main productions will be discussed in Voices Off – a series of debates with leading voices in the arts, media, science and politics.
The West End theatre has also announced two new audience initiatives alongside its billing, to help make theatre more accessible.
An online loyalty scheme, OV Extra, is designed to give audiences discounts and event invites for just £5 a month.
Matinee Idols, meanwhile, is set to offer discounts to customers over 60, as well as social events pre or post show, to help tackle the rise in social isolation among older people.
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