The worlds of fashion and theater have always existed side by side in the pages of *Vogue—*take the very first cover of the British edition in September 1916, fronted by marionette dolls sporting the “autumn fashions” and “winter modes” on a bijou stage. “Nervous people would do well to avoid this issue,” it cautioned. “It is full of thrilling surprises.” More than a century later, Stephen Daldry joined forces with Vogue to bring the pages of the magazine to life and curate an evening every bit as astonishing as that inaugural issue. As the curtain finally goes up on Vogue World: London, the BAFTA- and Olivier-winner gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the genesis of the production.
Vogue World: London is a sort of fantasia of British culture that’s unique in form and scope—the only performance it might be comparable to is your Opening Ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics.
Perhaps the best way to describe it is a wonderful crucible of creative energy, fusing different art forms in a celebratory, witty and irreverent manner. In many ways, Vogue World: London is really about the extraordinary relationship between fashion and the performing arts that’s always flourished in London but can be felt everywhere. Take the Met Gala; it’s a costume gala, yes, but it’s also one of the great theatrical events of the year in New York. And then look at the runway shows of someone like Vivienne Westwood or Alexander McQueen or John Galliano. Some people would call them fashion, others performance art, and still others theater. That being said, the primary focus of Vogue World: London is what’s happening on the stage rather than on a catwalk or red carpet. Dance! Music! Theatre! It’s a box of treats that I hope shocks and delights.
How, exactly, did the theme of London: Here Now come to be?
Our brilliant director, Emily Burns, and producer, Fran Miller, devised the concept. Vogue World: London is meant to feel like the opening night of a West End production, and of course, while we’re all gathered in Theatre Royal Drury Lane, there are tens and tens of thousands of other people enjoying live performing arts in London. So we’re looking beyond the confines of the theater and across the city, collapsing the walls between venues—and the lines between past and present. What’s happening in London right this second? What happened here 500 years ago? And how are the two interrelated? The fact that we’re able to explore those questions with the help of the brightest established and emerging artists in the oldest West End theater still in use today is just thrilling.
With The Reader, Billy Elliot, and The Hours, you’ve successfully conquered Hollywood, and yet you’ve said your heart belongs to the West End. What makes the world of London theater special, in particular?
It’s important to remember that more people go to the theater in London than any other city in the world. There is such endless variety here; the West End is so broad in scope when it comes to its productions that whatever your taste, you can find something to entertain and scandalize you. There is no such thing as a typical West End play or musical because, despite being around for hundreds of years, London theater constantly reimagines itself. That’s down not just to the strength of its artists, but the strength of its producers, too. It resists ossification, and never tries to define itself as any one thing. It’s many different things to many different people. A bit like London itself, really.
Having steered London theaters ranging from The Royal Court to The Old Vic and seen countless productions over the years, which ones linger in your mind?
I remember the Royal Shakespeare Company’s eight-and-a-half-hour-long production of Nicholas Nickleby was a standout, back in 1980. And the Broadway transfer of A Chorus Line; I can still recall the opening night at Drury Lane. Honestly, though, some of the greatest plays of our time are being produced smack bang in the middle of the city right now, like Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard or the Royal Court revival of Jerusalem, so there are a million answers I could give to this question. Any day of the week you can go and see some of the greatest theater on the planet here, and it’s fantastic that Vogue World will help ensure that remains the case. It’s truly a lifeline at a difficult moment for the arts in London.
Why, in your view, are live performances more vital than ever, even in our screen-dominated age?
For me, those moments when you’re waiting for the curtain, whether literal or figurative, to go up are still the most exciting ones you will ever experience. Whatever unfolds on stage afterwards, whether it delights or appalls or bores you half to death, will never happen again. It’s unique—and fleeting. You’re just never going to get that same rush from watching something on a screen. Londoners have always wanted to experience that thrill together in real time. Long may it continue.
Vogue World: London: See Every Celebrity Arrival, Read the Latest Stories, and Get Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Here
