KEVIN SPACEY - SPACEY BLAMES STAGEFRIGHT FOR PLAY FAILURE

KEVIN SPACEY blames stagefright for the poor reviews which crippled the recent production of RESURRECTION BLUES at London theatre the Old Vic. The ARTHUR MILLER play, directed by ROBERT ALTMAN, will end its run prematurely on Saturday (15APR06) following critical derision and audience apathy. Spacey - who has been the theatre's artistic director since 2003 - blames the cast, which includes MATTHEW MODINE, NEVE CAMPBELL and JAMES FOX, for its demise. But he praises them for learning from their mistakes. He says, "The unfortunate thing that happened on opening night is that the actors got hit with a case of the nerves and it kind of fell apart on that evening, and I think the reviews reflected that. "Everyone was completely open and honest about the fact the show wasn't where it should have gotten, but I can tell you that after the critics' night, that cast pulled themselves together. "They started to deliver that play in a way that I think audiences saw a much better production than those critics saw."