A long-time powerhouse in the arts, impresario Rupert Gavin has now written a book charting the extraordinary rise of the English language
Rupert Gavin is the grandest of arts grandees. The Old Etonian has, over the past five decades or so, produced or financed many of the West End’s biggest plays, such as Jerusalem starring Mark Rylance, Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt and A Streetcar Named Desire starring Paul Mescal. He has run both the BBC’s commercial arm and Odeon Cinemas, and chaired Historic Royal Palaces and English National Ballet.
To all of which he can now add, aged 70, amateur philologist….
Ironically, we meet over lunch in Theatreland at L’Escargot, London’s oldest French restaurant in which Gavin owns a “very small” shareholding. Situated in a grand townhouse on Soho’s Greek Street, it is around the corner from the West End theatres where he has produced, co-produced or co-financed more than 200 shows. Some of his most recent hits include the Benjamin Button musical, Annie Ernaux’s The Years and Mark Strong and Lesley Manville starring in Oedipus. This year Gavin set a personal record of netting a haul of 12 Oliviers….