Hollywood Comes Home

The economic depression has proven a serious crisis for major film studios and in its wake Hollywood stars are flocking to Broadway to renew their acting careers. “New Yorkers will not need to go to their nearest multiplex cinema to catch the latest performances by stars such as Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson or Christopher Walken. Instead, they will soon be able to see some of Hollywood’s A-list in the flesh. A flock of famous movie talent has swapped the sunshine and glamour of making films in Los Angeles for the more artistically rigorous demands of New York’s theatre world. Washington is starring in a new revival of Fences, a play by American writer August Wilson, which opens next month. Johansson and Liev Schreiber are already starring in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. Walken’s performance as a deranged killer in Martin McDonagh’s new play, A Behanding in Spokane, is also drawing in big crowds. Other current or recent big names appearing on stage include Laura Linney, Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman and Jude Law. Many Hollywood stars claim that appearing on stage represents a purer form of acting than celluloid and boosts their credibility as thespians, not mere film stars.”