Nachtland - Young Vic

The brief abstract on the Young Vic's website is rather strongly reminiscent of the plot of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's 'Appropriate'

I'm fascinated that such a big name as Marber is on board with this, which suggests it's rather good. I've seen a couple of of plays by von Mayenburg. Actors' Touring Company did Martyr a few years ago directed by Ramin Gray about a teenager becoming a Christian fundamentalist and how that affects everyone around him. Then the Bath Ustinov produced Plastic in 2017 directed by Matthew Dunster, which I remember as a fairly entertaining satire of the usual middle-class hypocrisies.

Wow, sensational cast! Now I am even happier I have a ticket for this.

Romola Garai is out with Dorothea Myer-Bennet coming in.

x.com/youngvictheatre/status/1752293195101220951?s=20

Marber directed Myer- Bennet in  Leopoldstadt so he must rate her.
In that Guardian inteview, Garai said she really wanted to do a movie so perhaps one came through? Quite strange to drop out at this stage,

Seems odd that the Young Vic has not given a reason for her departure but I guess they don't have to give one. 

It could be any number of reasons.

It’s so sad all of this is happening at the same time…

I think they're speculating that Kwame might be stepping down as AD.

Here >>>>>>>>>>> now here [goal posts]

Mandela had a major cast member suffer a stroke backstage didn't they? They cancelled loads of performances cos of other illness. That one is understandable.

Have I missed something? Has there been a fall out between the two?

We're veering away from the play to the Young Vic in general - so maybe a new thread.

I agree with Parsley that, disappointingly, I don't think Kwame has really made the expected long-term inroads at the Young Vic. I was excited about his appointment having admired many of the plays that he wrote in the early 00s (especially Elmina's Kitchen), and his direction of other people's work. Also he had experience as an AD elsewhere and people spoke highly about him as a collaborative leader. However, I've found his time at the Vic pretty patchy.

His initial announcements promised much, and often delivered, and I'm very sympathetic to any AD who had to navigate their way through the Covid-related closures. Since 2018 he's directed five productions there - one a year which seems a fair rate. However, three of those he also wrote, two of which he'd already directed elsewhere (and the third was mired in controversy about the authorship of the piece).

There's been work which I've seen during his tenure, particularly during the early years, which I've admired/enjoyed and there have been critical and box office successes (inc a very good streaming offer once the theatre re-opened). That said, almost all of the work which has had extended life: Death of A Salesman, Best of Enemies, Collaborators and Oklahoma, was brought to the Young Vic by other directors and/or commercial producers as a try-out. Also for a theatre which has three performances spaces it feels there should have been so much more (in 2016 there were c18 full productions across the three houses)

I can't help but think lately he's only had one eye on the Young Vic and stretched himself too thinly. His focus seems to have been elsewhere - developing, directing and writing films, writing a musical at New York's Public Theatre, last year he was appointed Artistic Adviser at Manhattan Theatre Club, and this year he's joined the board of the TV production company The Story Collective in what sounds like a fairly hands on capacity. All of this is, presumably, agreed by the Young Vic board but I do wonder how much of the current season was down to him and how much to the very experienced Executive Director Lucy Davies.

I think in many ways he was a very good appointment, and maybe he only intended to do five years in the role and Covid has meant that he feels he's needed to stay longer, but it's probably time for him to move on.