Old Vic In The 21st Century Quiz | Theatre

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. After being announced as artistic director of the Old Vic in 2003, Kevin Spacey began his tenure with the British premiere of a comedy about four middle-aged Dutchmen by Maria Goos. What was the play called?

Answer: Cloaca

"Cloaca" received mixed reviews both for the play and for Spacey's directing, but overall it was met favourably. The plot of the play concerns the events that follow the decision by Pieter to ensconce a set of paintings from work. The artist of the paintings then gains in popularity and his works gain in value, meaning the department want them back, at which point Pieter needs his old college friends, Jan, Maarten and Tom to help him out of his problematic situation.

2. In 2017, fifty years after it made its London debut at the Old Vic, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" was performed once again. Which playwright wrote this?

Answer: Tom Stoppard

Stoppard's play about two minor characters from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" takes place in the wings of a production of the Shakespeare play, with the characters passing the time and alleviating the boredom between their appearances on stage. The 2017 production, brilliantly directed by David Leveaux, won rave reviews and starred Daniel Radcliffe as Rosencrantz and Joshua McGuire as Guildenstern.

3. In 2016, the Old Vic staged a play by Harold Pinter about two brothers, Aston and Mick, and their dealings with a homeless person, Davies. Which play is this?

Answer: The Caretaker

"The Caretaker" is a brilliant play covering friendship, power, corruption and innocence. The 2017 production starred the wonderful Timothy Spall in the title role as Davies, alongside George MacKay (known to movie audiences as Joe from "Pride" which had hit movie theatres in 2014) and Daniel Mays, who was known to UK TV audiences for his role in the drama "Line Of Duty" which started airing weeks before the play's run began.

4. In 2005, in a much anticipated event at the Old Vic, Kevin Spacey made his UK Shakespearean debut, playing the title role in which play?

Answer: Richard II

Directed by Trevor Nunn, this production was a modern telling of Shakespeare, complete with modern dress, mobile phones and televisions. Spacey garnered excellent reviews for his portrayal of Richard, with many having the opinion that he was a natural Shakespearean actor.

5. While Kevin Spacey was artistic director of the Old Vic, the company staged an exceptional production of Arthur Miller's classic account of the Salem Witch Trials. Which play is this?

Answer: The Crucible

"The Crucible", starring Richard Armitage, also known as Thorin Oakenshield from "The Hobbit" movie franchise (2012-2014), and directed by the very talented Yael Farber, won stunning reviews from all quarters. The Old Vic production ran for three months and Armitage won Best Leading Actor in a New Production of a Play award from "Broadway World" as well as being nominated as Best Actor by "What's On Stage."

6. "When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married", said James Earl Jones when starring as Benedick in the Old Vic's 2013 production of "Much Ado About Nothing". Which veteran actress starred opposite Jones as Beatrice?

Answer: Vanessa Redgrave

This performance of Shakespeare's play, set in England in 1944, met with unflattering reviews, with the performances and the casting of Jones and Redgrave, the set design and the decision by director Mark Rylands to base the play in an English village in 1944 all being questioned.

Some of the kinder reviews used phrases such as, "laborious and misguided", "senseless", "disappointing" or my favourite from "London Theatre", which was, "the title might apply as much to the production itself as to Shakespeare's comedy."

7. As his ten year tenure as Artistic Director of the Old Vic came to an end, Kevin Spacey performed his first ever one man show, playing the part of a crusading American lawyer. Which play was this?

Answer: Clarence Darrow

Not only was this Spacey's first one man show, it was also the first time he had acted "in the round", when the theatre is reconfigured so the audience is on every side of the stage. He pulled it off brilliantly, captivating audiences and critics alike for the full two hours, and provided a triumphant end to his role as artistic director.

8. Matthew Warchus succeeded Kevin Spacey as Artistic Director of the Old Vic in 2014 and his first production was the Tamsin Oglesby play "Future Conditional", about the education system in UK. Who received excellent reviews for playing a Welsh teacher in this play?

Answer: Rob Brydon

"Future Conditional" starred Brydon as a teacher losing patience with the educational system and Nikki Patel as an orphaned Pakistani refugee who is one of Brydon's brightest pupils. She is granted an interview at Balliol Collge, Oxford on the strength on her grades, but faces competition for the place from the privileged son of a college donor.

9. Which actor, known to film audiences for his comedic work, played Fool in the Old Vic's 2016 production of Shakespeare's "King Lear" and the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the theatre's 2017 production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"?

Answer: Rhys Ifans

Ifans is known to moviegoers as Spike from "Notting Hill" (1999) and Eyeball Paul in "Kevin And Perry Go Large" (2000), but has previously acted in Shakespearean classics such as "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream", in addition to "Under Milk Wood" by Dylan Thomas.

In the Old Vic production of "King Lear" Ifans won rave reviews and his co star, Glenda Jackson in the title role was described as one of the most powerful Lears ever. The reviews for "A Christmas Carol" were similarly good, with Ifans being described as giving an "excellent, powerful performance."

10. Charlie Fink, front man for indie folk rockers Noah And The Whale, wrote the music for an Old Vic production which premiered in 2015. The show was an adaptation of a Dr. Seuss classic featuring Simon Paisley Day as The Once-ler. Can you name the show?

Answer: The Lorax

The production also starred Simon Lipkin in the title role. After its initial run in 2015-2016, returned in 2017 with a new cast, but still to great reviews. The show was nominated in 2016 for an Olivier award for Best Entertainment and Family Show, but lost out to the comedy "Showstopper! The Improvised Musical."

Source: Author 480154st

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Old Vic In The 21st Century Trivia Quiz

In 2018, London's Old Vic theatre celebrated its bicentennial. That's a lot of productions, so we'll just concentrate on some from 2001 onward.

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