Star Power

Is casting Hollywood celebrities in plays a good thing beyond goosing up the box office? “On the whole, I think the impact of these star performances on London theatre has been overwhelmingly positive. It creates a buzz, it attracts new audiences, it gets theatre talked about. Of course, you do have to make a distinction between what I would call celebrity casting – where you just take some minor celeb and try to use the name to sell tickets – and real star casting, where you’re featuring people whose fame has to do with their quality as actors.” So maybe it would help revive Scottish theatre?