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Must Hampstead 'Think the Unthinkable'???

Date: 7 November 2003

Are new plays bad box office? Hampstead Theatre has had a recent string of not terribly successful ones, which - in addition to the excessive costs of running its new, double-the-size, high-tech facility - hasn't helped its current financial crisis (See Today's News). Insiders say what the theatre really needs is a big box office hit. The last one it had was the final production in the old portakabin, but that was, unusually for a venue dedicated to new writing, a revival - albeit of a play originally premiered at Hampstead, Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party. Some believe that, in order to survive long-term, Hampstead may now need to "think the unthinkable" - in other words, cut back on the premieres in favour of sure-fire revivals and big names. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

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