Stars and strife: Sir Peter Hall accuses Hollywood big names of strangling British theatre

Britain's most eminent theatre director has attacked the Hollywood invasion of the British stage, accusing producers of scrabbling for big names at the expense of artistic values. London's theatres are playing host to an ever-expanding cast of US film and television stars, with the likes of Matt Damon, Rob Lowe and Gwyneth Paltrow all helping to bolster audiences. But Sir Peter, who helped to found the Royal Shakespeare Company, has decided to speak out, saying that the search for West Coast glamour is stifling innovation and good writing.

The trend for major movie stars heading to London's West End started as far back as the late 1990s, led by stars such as Nicole Kidman, Kevin Spacey and Kathleen Turner. And interest in US celebrities remains as strong as ever. In recent weeks, Val Kilmer has starred in a revival of The Postman Always Rings Twice and last week the former "bratpack" actor Rob Lowe, best known now for TV's The West Wing, began his run in A Few Good Men.

Now Sir Peter - who has himself directed a number of US TV and film stars, most recently Kim Cattrall from Sex And The City - has spoken out about the clamour for celebrity names. Rather than being given licence to create thoughtful, difficult and challenging productions, he said directors were now expected to concentrate on getting the big names who will put bums on seats.

"I would be asked by a producer what I wanted to do," Sir Peter said. "Now I'm asked, 'Who can you get? Somebody from Los Angeles?' This is the wrong way round. You must start with the play, you really must."

His views echo those of the playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn who has hit out at celebrity casting, saying the West End had become reliant on TV and film stars, many of whom were ill cast. Describing Madonna's performance in the play Up For Grabs in 2002, he said: "You might as well have put her on a stage eating a plate of spaghetti and put a rope round her chair instead of putting her in a theatre where she wasn't at home and was struggling."

Even co-stars of the Hollywood names have felt uneasy about the trend. Charlotte Emmerson - who appeared alongside Kilmer at The Playhouse - said: "We've got fantastic actors in this country, but they don't seem to be enough to sell tickets any more. Having one American in this show is employing a lot of British actors. It's sad, but you have to just go with it in the end."

Producers, though, have defended their choice of leads, saying the stars bring in audiences and the choice of play almost always comes first. Nica Burns, who has cast both Christian Slater and Friends star David Schwimmer in productions within the past 12 months, said: "I considered both of them to be dream casting. They played the roles very well and they were critically well received. It brought people into the theatre and gave them a really good time. People weren't coming out saying he can't act - they were coming out saying how good they were. These guys are picky about what they do. They don't pick bad scripts.

"The public have always wanted to see stars. Stars shine that little bit more brightly. Actors become stars because they are really good actors. I resent the implication that that these people can't act ... I just think it's a mutually beneficial deal all round. The public get a great show with someone they want to see, the theatre owner gets people into the theatre and the cast get a great actor to work with. I'd like to ask where is the downside?"

Bill Kenwright, producer of A Few Good Men, said: "I love Peter Hall, but he does make me laugh. Peter loves stars as much as I do. Peter and I did about 13 or 14 productions together over the last eight years and I can't think of many instances where a star has been found and then you find a play. It was always the play that came first with Peter and I.

"Maybe over the past 20 years it is the 'package' that has become the key thing. The play, the casting, the theatre, the director. Any director, when they sit down to discuss a play with a producer ... will inevitably discuss the whole package.

"I honestly don't think a major star could sell out if they are not in a great play that is well presented. When I was doing Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Ian McKellen suggested Brendan Fraser for the part [they had starred together in Gods and Monsters], but I had the play long before then. But don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that if Tom Cruise rang up I would turn him down, but the play is the thing."

Additional reporting Andrew Johnson

Rob Lowe

The play: A Few Good Men (2005)

The critics said: "Rob Lowe is handsome, quirky, feline - but most of all completely believable."

He said: "It's an actor's dream to make his West End debut."

Kim Cattrall

The play: Whose Life Is It Anyway? (2005)

The critics said: "The luminous glow of Cattrall's beautiful, poignant performance will linger long in the memory."

She said: "I saw my first professional show [in London] when I was 10 ... I literally walked out of the show and said, 'This is what I want to do'."

Nicole Kidman

The play: The Blue Room (1998)

The critics said: "A terrific actress who brings all five of her roles to instantly distinctive life, whether she's playing a cheap tart, a sophisticated married woman, a coke-sniffing waif of a model or a femme fatale... theatrical Viagra."

She said: "I basically credit Sam [Mendes, the play's director] with the last few years of my career. The Blue Room basically changed my life."

Val Kilmer

The play: The Postman Always Rings Twice (2005)

The critics said: "He comes over as a bovine lunk-head one can't imagine lighting anyone's fire ... yet an other example of a hyped Hollywood actor coming a nasty cropper on the West End stage."

He said: "As much as I've had any aims as an actor, one of them has been to work in the London theatre."

David Schwimmer

The play: Some Girl(s) (2005)

The critics said: "He seems too anxious, too vulnerable. It is not that Schwimmer cannot act, only that he seems miscast."

He said: "It would be great if someone came to the play having never set foot in the theatre before, just because they liked my character in Friends."

Andrew Johnson and Ross Whittam