The Old Vic has found itself in the mother of all messes after announcing a star-studded adaptation of Oedipus just 30 minutes after another major production was confirmed.
At 7.02pm on Thursday, the Old Vic announced that Rami Malek and Indira Varma were to star in an adaptation of Sophocles’s tragedy in 2025.
However, exactly 30 minutes earlier, at 6.32pm, it was confirmed that acclaimed director Robert Icke would be bringing his adaptation of Oedipus to the Wyndham’s theatre this year after it was postponed during the Covid pandemic.
Tickets are not yet on sale for either show, prompting questions as to why the productions were announced less than an hour apart.
The Old Vic poured cold water over suggestions of copying, saying in a statement to Time Out that its production had been in the works since 2019. Ella Hickson’s adaptation, based on Sophocles’ play, will run from 21 January until 29 March next year.
Oscar-winner Malek will make his UK stage debut as Oedipus, with Olivier award winner Varma turning out as Jocasta.
Malek is known for his roles in Bohemian Rhapsody and Bond film No Time To Die, while Varma has trodden the boards at the Old Vic with great success, winning an Olivier award in 2020 for her performance as Liz Essendine in Present Laughter.
At Wyndham’s theatre, Mark Strong and Lesley Manville will play Oedipus and Jocasta for a limited season from 4 October. This comes after Icke’s production enjoyed successful runs at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam and the Edinburgh festival.
Strong was last seen on stage in 2016 at the National Theatre, where he starred in The Red Barn – another Icke production. Manville was recently seen in seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown as Princess Margaret.
Icke’s production has also been a long time coming to the West End. After debuting in Amsterdam in 2018, his particular interpretation of Oedipus was set for an English-language debut the following year, with Helen Mirren starring as Jocasta.
However, it was postponed in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and delayed indefinitely thereafter. With Mirren now unavailable due to a scheduling conflict, Manville secured the role.
• This article was amended on 22 January 2024. Robert Icke’s Oedipus had its debut in Amsterdam in 2018, not 2019 as an earlier version said.
