Name and shame

Published Tuesday 8 July 2008 at 10:15

In response to Jonathan Miller’s criticism of the use of ‘big names’ to attract audiences to the West End (Chit Chat, page 9, June 19), I wonder if he has considered that people might go to a production he has directed because of his celebrity.

I am not a lover of Chekhov but as he was directing The Cherry Orchard at the Crucible Theatre I decided I would go, expecting that I would see something rather special. In fact the production lacked spark, there were several occasions when my view of the actor speaking was obliterated by another member of the cast, there were times when I could not hear even though I do not usually have a problem hearing, and one actor sounded so much like Billy Connolly that it was a constant distraction.

A few days later I went to a Page to Stage presented by several of the actors. I discovered that the Billy Connolly actor sounded nothing like him when taking normally, and that the cast had been encouraged to ‘direct themselves’. They had obviously enjoyed the experience but I did not. In the past I have left the theatre having been disappointed with the acting, but only rarely have I felt that the director was responsible for my disappointment.

Surely celebrity actors should have opportunities to play the big roles in the theatre, and I would imagine they do this at some financial cost. David Tennant has shown his acting skills and versatility in several TV roles long before he became Doctor Who, so I would be happy to see him as Hamlet. I believe Miller spends a lot of his time out of the country. I wonder if he is also rather out of touch.

Sheila Kyme

Walkley Lane

Sheffield