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Critic’s Notebook: London theater finds fresh life in neglected classics this summer

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Revivals are all the rage this summer in London. The biggest names are attached to the most familiar classics—Kevin Spacey in “Richard III,” Zoë Wanamaker in “The Cherry Orchard,” Eve Best in “Much Ado About Nothing” and Kristin Scott Thomas in “Betrayal.”

But there are some less familiar titles by well-known playwrights that are generating much excitement this season. At the top of the list: Friedrich Schiller’s “Luise Miller” at the Donmar Warehouse and Henrik Ibsen’s “Emperor and Galilean” at the National Theatre.

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Can an old play qualify as a new? These productions make a convincing case for the affirmative. To read my critic’s notebook on this rejuvenating theatrical trend, click here.

--Charles McNulty

twitter.com\charlesmcnulty

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