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The fast-rising director talks about staging Maxim Gorky’s Vassa with a last-minute lead, her passion for musicals and the joy of brain-digging in rehearsals
When I meet the director Tinuke Craig she’s just finished the final run in the rehearsal room for Mike Bartlett’s version of Vassa by Maxim Gorky. Now it’s time to take it to the Almeida in London, a bit later than planned, with a couple of previews cancelled. Lead actor Samantha Bond has had to withdraw due to injury and her replacement is Siobhan Redmond. Craig is upbeat despite these difficulties. “She’s played a blinder, learned lines at the speed of light, been extraordinary!”
This isn’t the first time the director has dealt with cast changes. This year, her production of The Color Purple at Leicester Curve hit the news when actor Seyi Omooba was sacked for homophobic comments made several years earlier on social media. Omooba had been cast in the role of Celie, a famously queer character. The role was recast and Craig’s production received good reviews (as did new lead, T’Shan Williams). Omooba recently announced her intention to sue Curve theatre and her old agency for breach of contract and “religious discrimination”. Continue reading...