London
(Reuters):
Hollywood
actor
Kevin
Spacey
has
opted
for
Shakespeare
comedies
and
other
likely
hits
in
an
attempt
to
reverse
his
critical
fortunes
at
London's
Old
Vic
theatre.
Critics
have
turned
on
Spacey
for
what
they
see
as
a
poor
record
at
the
helm
of
the
famous
London
venue,
and
one
questioned
whether
he
should
resign
after
Robert
Altman's
production
of
Arthur
Miller's
''Resurrection
Blues''
was
panned.
News
that
the
Old
Vic
would
remain
empty
for
five
months
in
2006
further
increased
pressure
on
the
46-year-old
American.
But
he
reiterated
yesterday
that
he
had
no
intention
of
backing
down.
Spacey
has
committed
to
10
years
in
the
job,
which
he
started
in
September
2004.
''I'm
in
it
for
the
long
haul,''
he
said
at
the
announcement
of
the
lineup
for
next
season.
''In
the
Old
Vic
tradition
of
celebrating
great
acting,
big
plays
and
a
sense
of
event
we're
proud
of
the
line-up
we've
assembled
for
our
third
season
and
beyond,''
Spacey
added.
Next
season
begins
with
Eugene
O'Neill's
''A
Moon
for
the
Misbegotten'',
in
which
Spacey
himself
will
perform.
Early
next
year
the
Old
Vic
will
stage
two
Shakespeare
comedies,
''The
Taming
of
the
Shrew''
and
''Twelfth
Night'',
both
performed
by
Propeller,
an
all-male
company.
Then
comes
a
production
of
''The
Entertainer''
to
mark
the
50th
anniversary
of
John
Osborne's
play,
with
British
actor
Robert
Lindsay
as
the
struggling
comedian
Archie
Rice.
In
a
bid
to
repeat
the
success
of
the
hugely
popular
pantomime
production
''Aladdin'',
comedian
Stephen
Fry
has
agreed
to
write
a
new
version
of
''Cinderella''
for
Christmas
2007.
While
the
Oscar-winning
star
of
''American
Beauty''
has
had
a
rough
ride
since
joining
the
Old
Vic,
Spacey's
supporters
point
out
that
twice
as
many
people
came
to
the
theatre
during
his
first
year
in
charge
than
came
during
the
two
preceding
years.