document_title: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 film)

question_text: where did they film secret life of walter mitty

text: Plot[edit]

text: Walter Mitty is a negative assets manager at Life magazine who daydreams of adventures and has a crush on a coworker named Cheryl. Mitty works with photojournalist Sean O'Connell, whose images are highly regarded. O'Connell has sent Mitty his latest negatives and a wallet as a gift in appreciation of Mitty's work. O'Connell believes negative #25 captures the "quintessence of life" and that it should be used for the cover of the magazine's final print issue as it converts to online status. The negative is missing, however, and Walter is forced to stall for time with corporate transition manager Ted Hendricks, who is handling the downsizing. While viewing the other negatives outside Life's offices, Cheryl approaches Mitty and suggests that he think of the negatives as clues to Sean's location. They look at three of them, including one of a person's thumb with a unique ring on it, and another of a curved piece of wood. A third picture of a boat leads Mitty to determine that O'Connell is in Greenland. Mitty promptly flies there to find him.

text: A bartender in Nuuk explains that O'Connell left on a ship. To find him, Mitty would need to go on the postal helicopter, and the pilot is drunk. Mitty recognizes the pilot's thumb with the unique ring and realizes he is on the right track. He at first declines to fly with the intoxicated pilot, but imagines Cheryl singing "Space Oddity", gains a new confidence and boards the helicopter. Nearing the ship, Mitty learns the helicopter cannot land upon it. Misunderstanding the pilot, instead of jumping into a dinghy boat nearing to catch him, Mitty aims for the main vessel and misses and falls in the ocean. He splashes down into ice-cold, shark-infested waters, losing a box of ship-to-shore radio components before being brought aboard.

text: Mitty learns that O'Connell departed the ship earlier. The crew offers him some clementine cake O'Connell left behind; Mitty discovers O'Connell's destinations in the wrapping paper. The itinerary directs Mitty to Iceland, where O'Connell is photographing the volcano Eyjafjallajökull, and he arrives at the local village of Skógar near the volcano using a longboard, and notices O'Connell on the plane flying near the volcano. An eruption forces Mitty to flee, and as there is nothing left for him to do, he obeys a text message recalling him to New York.

text: For failing to recover the negative, his first failure in a long career with the magazine, Mitty is fired by Hendricks. He learns that Cheryl, who was let go earlier, seems to have reconciled with her estranged husband. Mitty returns home discouraged and visits his mother, throwing away the wallet he received from O'Connell. To his surprise, Mitty recognizes the curve of the piano in his mother's house while looking at the last photograph. When asked, Mitty's mom mentions having met O'Connell. She had told Mitty before but he was daydreaming and failed to hear her.

text: Mitty discovers O'Connell is in the Himalayas, and finds him photographing a rare snow leopard. When asked about the negative, O'Connell explains that the message on the gift wrapping to "look inside" was literal; the negative was in the wallet. Unfortunately, Mitty had interpreted this message as a direction to look inside the tissue paper in the box containing the wallet, and it could also be interpreted as referring to the inscription stamped into the leather inside the wallet. When pressed to reveal the image on the negative, O'Connell dismisses the question and joins in a high-altitude football (soccer) game with some locals. Mitty flies to Los Angeles but is detained by airport security during a misunderstanding (mainly stemming from his having traveled through Yemen to Afghanistan). Mitty calls the only person he knows in Los Angeles: Todd Maher, a representative at eHarmony who has kept in contact during Mitty's adventures.

text: While helping his mother sell her piano, Mitty recounts his story but mentions he does not have the wallet anymore. His mother says she always keeps his knickknacks and gives him the wallet that she retrieved from the trash. Finding inside the wallet a small manila envelope the size of a single-frame 35mm negative, an emboldened Mitty delivers it to Life magazine, tells management that it was the photograph O'Connell wanted for the final issue, and berates Hendricks for disrespecting the staff that made the magazine so honored before walking away from the office, humiliating him in front of his recently hired staff.

text: Mitty reunites with Cheryl, emboldens himself enough to tell her outright that he has been thinking about and inspired by her, and learns that Cheryl's ex-husband was only at her house to repair the refrigerator. Mitty tells Cheryl of his adventures and admits that he still does not know what negative #25 shows. Mitty and Cheryl see the final issue of Life at a newsstand, with its cover dedicated to the staff. It is accompanied by the photograph from negative #25, showing Mitty sitting outside of the Life building, examining a contact sheet. Mitty and Cheryl continue their walk down the street holding hands.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty, a negative asset manager at Life
Kristen Wiig as Cheryl Melhoff, Walter's love interest and co-worker
Shirley MacLaine as Edna Mitty, Walter's mother
Adam Scott as Ted Hendricks, Walter's boss
Kathryn Hahn as Odessa Mitty, Walter's sister
Patton Oswalt as Todd Maher, an eHarmony customer service representative
Adrian Martinez as Hernando, Walter's understudy and co-worker
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as a Greenlandic helicopter pilot
Sean Penn as Sean O'Connell, a photojournalist
Jon Daly as Tim Naughton, one of Walter's co-workers
Terence Bernie Hines as Gary Mannheim, one of Walter's co-workers
Marcus Antturi as Rich Melhoff, Cheryl's son
Kai Lennox as Phil Melhoff, Cheryl's ex-husband
Conan O'Brien as himself
Andy Richter as himself
Joey Slotnick as a retirement home administrator

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: Producer Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., whose father produced the 1947 film adaptation, conceived the idea of doing a remake in 1994 with Jim Carrey in mind for the title role. Walt Disney Pictures was enthusiastic to purchase the remake rights, but Goldwyn instead chose New Line Cinema,[10] which held a positive working relationship with Carrey on Dumb and Dumber and The Mask (both 1994).[11] The studio bought the rights in 1995 with the understanding that The Samuel Goldwyn Company would be involved in creative decisions.[12] Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz turned in the first draft of the screenplay in July 1997. Ron Howard entered negotiations to direct the same month, and to cover producing duties with Brian Grazer and Imagine Entertainment.[13] Howard and Imagine Entertainment eventually left the project in favor of EDtv,[10] and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty languished in development hell over the challenges of using a contemporary storyline.[11]

text: In May 1999, New Line hired The Mask director Chuck Russell to rewrite the script and serve as Howard's replacement. Filming was set to begin in early 2000, but was pushed back.[11] Around this time, Peter Tolan worked on rewrites.[10] In May 2001, Goldwyn filed a lawsuit against New Line for breach of contract. Goldwyn claimed that the studio extended their 1995 deal until May 2001, but then announced that it wanted to transfer the rights for the remake to another company and have Goldwyn surrender his creative input.[12] In November 2002, New Line was forced to revert the film rights back to Goldwyn, who won his lawsuit and took the property to Paramount Pictures.[12] During pre-production discussions between Paramount and DreamWorks on Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (which starred Carrey), Steven Spielberg, head of DreamWorks, rekindled interest in working with Carrey; the duo previously considered Meet the Parents, but the outing fell apart.[10] In May 2003, Spielberg agreed to direct,[10] and brought in DreamWorks to co-finance The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Paramount (which would acquire DreamWorks in 2006).[14]

text: By November, Zach Helm was rewriting the script,[15] but Spielberg and DreamWorks vacated the film in April 2004 in favor of War of the Worlds and Munich. "The goal is to go back to the short story and capture not only the content but the original spirit," producer John Goldwyn (son of Samuel) told The Hollywood Reporter. Screenwriter Richard LaGravenese entered discussion to write a new script following Spielberg's departure.[16] Sam Goldwyn commented that LaGravenese's script had a momentous and unique approach compared to others. "I'd always felt that unless we got a great script, the movie disintegrates into a series of wonderful gags," Goldwyn explained. "Writers always fixated on that. [Richard] worked for 10 months on umpteen drafts, and he solved it."[17] In March 2005, Paramount hired Mark Waters to direct LaGravenese's script for Walter Mitty,[18] but Carrey had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.[17] He was soon replaced by Owen Wilson.[19]

text: Despite not having a final budget, Paramount scheduled a December 12, 2005 start date because their option on the remake rights was to end one week later; they would lose the rights if they did not start filming before December 20.[17] Wilson dropped out in October 2005 over creative differences. The Hollywood Reporter also speculated that Walter Mitty began to falter after Paramount failed to cast a female lead to star opposite Wilson. Scarlett Johansson had reportedly emerged as the front-runner after screen testing with Wilson earlier in October, but a deal was never signed with the actress.[20] Paramount executives Brad Grey and Gail Berman decided to put Walter Mitty in turnaround in November 2005.[21] Goldwyn found favor at 20th Century Fox and, in May 2007, it was announced that Mike Myers was attached to star in the title role. Jay Kogen was hired to write a new script that would be specifically tailored for Myers.[22]

text: In April 2010, Sacha Baron Cohen was offered and accepted the lead role.[23] Later that month, The Pursuit of Happyness writer Steven Conrad was hired to pen the screenplay,[24] with Gore Verbinski announced as director in June 2010.[25][26][27]

text: In April 2011, it was announced that Ben Stiller had been cast in the lead role, though no director was attached.[28] The following July, it was announced that Stiller was also due to direct the film.[29]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text: In January 2012, it was announced that Kristen Wiig would play the female lead,[30] with Shirley MacLaine attached to play the mother of Ben Stiller's character.[31] This was followed by reports in February that Patton Oswalt and Adam Scott joined the film.[32][33] In April 2012, Kathryn Hahn was cast as Odessa, Walter's sister, and Josh Charles was cast as the ex-husband of Kristen Wiig's character,[34] though he was replaced by Kai Lennox. Later that month, Sean Penn was cast in what was described as a "small but pivotal supporting role"[35] as photojournalist Sean O'Connell.

text: The portions of the film set in Nuuk, Greenland, were in fact shot in Stykkishólmur, a village on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland, and Höfn, a village in southeast Iceland. Later sequences set in Stykkishólmur were actually filmed in Seyðisfjörður. The sequences where Walter Mitty follows Sean to Afghanistan were also filmed in Iceland, at the Skogafoss waterfall and in Vatnajökull National Park.[36]

text: During the skateboarding scene in Central Park, skateboarding legend Rodney Mullen served as Ben Stiller's stunt double.[37]

text: Filming locations[edit]

text:
Vatnajökull National Park, Afghanistan scene
Grundarfjörður, Erkigsnek docking scene
Seyðisfjörður, Longboarding scene
Höfn, Air Greenland landing at Nuuk scene.
Stykkishólmur, bar and helicopter take off scene.
Time-Life Building, Life building scenes

text: Influences[edit]

text: When Ben Stiller's character lands at Nuuk in Greenland, he asks the man in the airport booth: "Do you have any cars available?" "Yeah, we have a blue one and a red one", the man replies. "I'll take the red one", says Walter.[38][39] "The choice between the red and blue car at the rental car lot is worthy of mention, if only because it almost candidly pulls the idea from the red pill of The Matrix. Two jelly bean, or pill, shaped cars [Daewoo Matiz], red and blue; the only thing missing is Lawrence Fishburne [sic] working the counter".[40] "The passage connecting reality to illusion is often visualised using tangible things and physical environments [as] Neo took the red pill in The Matrix."[41]

text: Release[edit]

text: In April 2013, nearly 20 minutes of footage was presented by Fox at CinemaCon in Las Vegas followed by a theatrical trailer release in July, both of which began to spark awards speculation.[42][43][44] The trailer features a short segment of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". The song is not used in the film.

text: The film made its world premiere as the Centerpiece Gala presentation at the New York Film Festival on October 5, 2013.[9] It was also selected to serve as the Centerpiece Gala presentation at the 2013 AFI Film Festival.[45]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: 20th Century Fox hired filmmaker Casey Neistat to make a promotional video based on the theme of "live your dreams" but Neistat suggested instead to spend the budget on bringing disaster relief to the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. Fox agreed and gave him a budget of $25,000.[46][47]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 15, 2014 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The film received polarized reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 51% based on reviews from 182 critics, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's consensus reads: "It doesn't lack for ambition, but The Secret Life of Walter Mitty fails to back up its grand designs with enough substance to anchor the spectacle."[48] Metacritic gives the film a normalized score of 54/100 based on reviews from 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[49] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a B+ rating.[50] Peter Debruge of Variety magazine criticized the film for lacking the satirical tone of the original story, comparing the film to "a feature-length 'Just Do It' ad" for the middle-aged audience the film is targeting. Debruge notes that the script downplays the comedy, and that a scene inspired by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button shows the film could have been made funnier, but that the more serious emotional dimension ultimately makes the film feel more substantial.[51] The film had its share of admirers, however. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film a positive review, saying "In his uniquely funny and unexpectedly tender movie, Stiller takes us on a personal journey of lingering resonance."[52] Joe Neumaier of New York Daily awarded the film five out of five stars, saying "The story Stiller tells manages to float in a most peculiar, satisfying way."[53] Political radio show host and film critic Michael Medved was also positive concerning the film, calling it "one of the feel-good movies of the year." The film was criticized for the product placement of several brands which featured prominently in the storyline, including Papa Johns, eHarmony, Time-Life and Cinnabon.[54][55]

text: In 2016, Rolling Stone magazine asked readers to choose their top 10 Ben Stiller movies. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty came in at number 3 as his third best film ever.[56]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
List of awards and nominations

Award/Film festival
Date of ceremony
Category
Recipients and nominees
Result

National Board of Review[57]
December 4, 2013
Top Ten Films
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Won

Satellite Awards[58]
February 23, 2014
Best Cinematography
Stuart Dryburgh
Nominated

Best Original Score
Theodore Shapiro
Nominated

Location Managers Guild Awards[59]
March 29, 2014
Outstanding Location Feature Film
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Won

Costume Designers Guild Awards[60]
February 22, 2014
Excellence In Contemporary Film
Sarah Edwards
Nominated

Saturn Awards[61]
June, 2014
Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Nominated

Saturn Award for Best Actor
Ben Stiller
Nominated

Key Art Awards[62]
October, 2013
Best Audio Visual Technique
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Won

Best Trailer
Runner-Up

New York Film Festival[62]
2013
Best Film
Nominated

Visual Effects Society Awards
February 14, 2014
Outstanding Supporting Effects in a Feature Motion Picture
Guillaume Rocheron, Kurt Williams, Monette Dubin, and Ivan Moran
Nominated

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
Maneater - Performed by Grace Mitchell
Escape (The Piña Colada Song) - Written by Rupert Holmes
Wake Up - Performed by Arcade Fire
Don't You Want Me - Written by Phil Oakey, Philip Adrian Wright (as Philip Wright), and Jo Callis
Far Away - Performed by José González
Far Away - Performed by Junip
Space Oddity - Performed by David Bowie and Kristen Wiig (uncredited)
Lake Michigan - Performed by Rogue Wave
Dirty Paws - Performed by Of Monsters and Men
The Wolves and the Ravens - Performed by Rogue Valley
Stay Alive - Performed by José González
Step Out - Performed by José González
Don't Let It Pass - Performed by Junip
Escape (The Piña Colada Song) - Performed by Jack Johnson
Dream - Performed by José González

text: "Space Oddity"[edit]

text: The song "Space Oddity" by David Bowie plays a significant role throughout the film. Walter Mitty is referred to mockingly as "Major Tom" by his new boss, Hendricks, in reference to the astronaut Major Tom in "Space Oddity", due to his frequent daydreaming: the boss interprets the line "ground control to Major Tom" as akin to "Earth to Walter; come in Walter". Cheryl later tells Walter that Hendricks misunderstands the song, as "it’s about courage and venturing into the unknown".[63]

text: The song is featured in a crucial scene in which Mitty decides to leap onto a helicopter after imagining Cheryl singing the song. Director Ben Stiller has talked about the importance of "Space Oddity" in that scene during an interview in which he said that, "I felt like the way it fits into the story, we got to this point and this scene which was sort of how the fantasy and reality come together for Walter, and that was what that came out of. That song, and what he mentioned in his head, and what he imagines and what he does, it all just seemed to come together over that song."[64]


document_title: Royal National Theatre

question_text: a famous feature of the national theatre's olivier stage is its

question_tokens: a famous feature of the national theatre 's olivier stage is its

root

text: Royal National Theatre

text: Origins[edit]

text: In 1847, a critic using the pseudonym Dramaticus published a pamphlet[4] describing the parlous state of British theatre. Production of serious plays was restricted to the patent theatres, and new plays were subjected to censorship by the Lord Chamberlain's Office. At the same time, there was a burgeoning theatre sector featuring a diet of low melodrama and musical burlesque; but critics described British theatre as driven by commercialism and a 'star' system. There was a demand to commemorate serious theatre, with the "Shakespeare Committee" purchasing the playwright's birthplace for the nation demonstrating a recognition of the importance of 'serious drama'. The following year saw more pamphlets on a demand for a National Theatre from London publisher Effingham William Wilson.[5] The situation continued, with a renewed call every decade for a National Theatre. Attention was aroused in 1879 when the Comédie-Française took a residency at the Gaiety Theatre, described in The Times as representing "the highest aristocracy of the theatre". The principal demands now coalesced around: a structure in the capital that would present "exemplary theatre"; that would form a permanent memorial to Shakespeare; a supported company that would represent the best of British acting; and a theatre school.[6]

tag: p

text: The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre was opened in Stratford upon Avon on 23 April 1879, with the New Shakespeare Company (now the Royal Shakespeare Company); and Herbert Beerbohm Tree founded an Academy of Dramatic Art at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1904. This still left the capital without a national theatre. A London Shakespeare League was founded in 1902 to develop a Shakespeare National Theatre and – with the impending tri-centenary in 1916 of his death – in 1913 purchased land for a theatre in Bloomsbury. This work was interrupted by World War I.

text: In 1910, George Bernard Shaw wrote a short comedy, The Dark Lady of the Sonnets, in which Shakespeare himself attempts to persuade Elizabeth I of the necessity of building a National Theatre to stage his plays. The play was part of the long-term campaign to build a National Theatre.

text: Finally, in 1948, the London County Council presented a site close to the Royal Festival Hall for the purpose, and a "National Theatre Act", offering financial support, was passed by Parliament in 1949.[7] Ten years after the foundation stone had been laid in 1951, the Government declared that the nation could not afford a National Theatre; in response the LCC offered to waive any rent and pay half the construction costs. Still, the Government tried to apply unacceptable conditions to save money; attempting to force the amalgamation of the existing publicly supported companies: the RSC, Sadler's Wells and Old Vic.[7]

text: In July 1962, with agreements finally reached, a board was set up to supervise construction, and a separate board was constituted to run a National Theatre Company and lease the Old Vic theatre. The "National Theatre Company" opened on 22 October 1963 with Hamlet.

text: The current building was designed by architects Sir Denys Lasdun and Peter Softley and structural engineers Flint & Neill and contains three stages, which opened individually between 1976 and 1977.[8] The construction work was carried out by Sir Robert McAlpine.[9]

text: The Company was to remain at the Old Vic until 1977, when construction of the Olivier was complete.[7]

text: Architecture[edit]

text: Theatres[edit]

text: The National Theatre building houses three separate theatres. Additionally, a temporary structure was added in April 2013 and closed in May 2016.

text: Olivier Theatre[edit]

text: Named after the theatre's first artistic director, Laurence Olivier, this is the main auditorium, modelled on the ancient Greek theatre at Epidaurus; it has an open stage and a fan-shaped audience seating area for 1100 people. A 'drum revolve' (a five-storey revolving stage section) extends eight metres beneath the stage and is operated by a single staff member. The drum has two rim revolves and two platforms, each of which can carry ten tonnes, facilitating dramatic and fluid scenery changes. Its design ensures that the audience's view is not blocked from any seat, and that the audience is fully visible to actors from the stage's centre. Designed in the 1970s and a prototype of current technology, the drum revolve and a multiple 'sky hook' flying system were initially very controversial and required ten years to commission, but seem to have fulfilled the objective of functionality with high productivity.[10]

text: Lyttelton Theatre[edit]

text: Named after Oliver Lyttelton, the National Theatre's first board chairman, it has a proscenium arch design and can accommodate an audience of 890.

text: Dorfman Theatre[edit]

text: Named after Lloyd Dorfman (philanthropist and chairman of Travelex Group),[11] the Dorfman is " the smallest, the barest and the most potentially flexible of the National Theatre houses . . . a dark-walled room", audience capacity 400.[12] It was formerly known as the Cottesloe (named after Lord Cottesloe, chairman of the South Bank Theatre board), a name which ceased to be used with the theatre's closure under the National's NT Future redevelopment.

text: The enhanced[12] theatre reopened in September 2014 under its new name.[13]

text: Temporary Theatre[edit]

text: The Temporary Theatre, formerly called The Shed, was a 225-seat black box theatre which opened in April 2013 and celebrated new works.[14] The theatre closed in May 2016.[15]

text: In 2015 British artist Carl Randall painted a portrait of actress Katie Leung standing in front of The Shed as part of the artist's 'London Portraits' series, where he asked various cultural figures to choose a place in London for the backdrop of their portraits.[16][17] Leung explained she chose The Shed as her backdrop because she performed there in the 2013 play The World of Extreme Happiness, and also because "... its a temporary theatre, it's not permanent, and I wanted to make it permanent in the portrait".[18][19]

text: The National Theatre building and forecourt[edit]

text: The riverside forecourt of the theatre is used for regular open-air performances in the summer months. The terraces and foyers of the theatre complex have also been used for ad hoc experimental performances. The decor is frequently dynamic, with recent displays of grass turf as 'outside wallpaper', different statues located in various random places and giant chairs and furniture in the forecourt. The National Theatre's foyers are open to the public, with a large theatrical bookshop, restaurants, bars and exhibition spaces.

text: Backstage tours run throughout the day and the Sherling High Level Walkway, open daily until 7.30 pm, offers visitors views into the backstage production workshops for set construction and assembly, scenic painting and prop-making.

text: The Clore Learning Centre is a new dedicated space for Learning at the National Theatre. Offering events and courses for all ages, exploring theatre-making from playwriting to technical skills, often led by the NT's own artists and staff.

text: The dressing rooms for all actors are arranged around an internal lightwell and airshaft and so their windows each face each other. This arrangement has led to a tradition whereby on the opening night (known as 'press night') and closing night of any individual play, when called to go to 'beginners' (opening positions), the actors will go to the window and drum on the glass with the palms of their hands.[20]

text: The style of the National Theatre building was described by Mark Girouard as "an aesthetic of broken forms" at the time of opening. Architectural opinion was split at the time of construction. Even enthusiastic advocates of the Modern Movement such as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner have found the Béton brut concrete both inside and out overbearing. Most notoriously, Prince Charles described the building in 1988 as "a clever way of building a nuclear power station in the middle of London without anyone objecting". Sir John Betjeman, however, a man not noted for his enthusiasm for brutalist architecture, was effusive in his praise and wrote to Lasdun stating that he "gasped with delight at the cube of your theatre in the pale blue sky and a glimpse of St. Paul's to the south of it. It is a lovely work and so good from so many angles...it has that inevitable and finished look that great work does."[21]

text: Despite the controversy, the theatre has been a Grade II* listed building since 1994.[22] Although the theatre is often cited as an archetype of Brutalist architecture in England, since Lasdun's death the building has been re-evaluated as having closer links to the work of Le Corbusier, rather than contemporary monumental 1960s buildings such as those of Paul Rudolph.[23] The carefully refined balance between horizontal and vertical elements in Lasdun's building has been contrasted favourably with the lumpiness of neighbouring buildings such as the Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall. It is now in the unusual situation of having appeared simultaneously in the top ten "most popular" and "most hated" London buildings in opinion surveys. A recent lighting scheme illuminating the exterior of the building, in particular the fly towers, has proved very popular, and is one of several positive artistic responses to the building.

text: In September 2007 a statue of Lord Olivier as Hamlet was unveiled outside the building, to mark the centenary of the National's first artistic director.

text: The National also has a Studio, the National's research and development wing, founded in 1984. The Studio has played a vital role in developing work for the National's stages and throughout British theatre. Writers, actors and practitioners of all kinds can explore, experiment and devise new work there, free from the pressure of public performance. The National Theatre Archive is housed in the same building, which is across the road from the Old Vic in the Cut, Waterloo, and used to house their workshops.

text: NT Future[edit]

text: 2013 saw the commencement of the 'NT Future' project; a redevelopment of the National Theatre complex which it was estimated would cost about £80m.[24]

text: Artistic directors[edit]

text:
Sir Laurence Olivier (1963–1973)
Sir Peter Hall (1973–1988)
Sir Richard Eyre (1988–1997)
Sir Trevor Nunn (1997–2003)
Sir Nicholas Hytner (2003–2015)
Rufus Norris (2015–)

tag: ul

text: Laurence Olivier became artistic director of the National Theatre at its formation in 1963. He was considered the foremost British film and stage actor of the period, and became the first director of the Chichester Festival Theatre – there forming the company that would unite with the Old Vic Company to form the National Theatre Company. In addition to directing, he continued to appear in many successful productions. He became a life peer in 1970, for his services to theatre, and retired in 1973.

text: Peter Hall took over, to manage the move to the South Bank. His career included running the Arts Theatre between 1956 and 1959 – where he directed the English language première of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. He went on to take over the Memorial Theatre at Stratford, and to create the permanent Royal Shakespeare Company, in 1960, also establishing a new RSC base at the Aldwych Theatre for transfers to the West End. He was artistic director at the National Theatre between 1973 and 1988; and continued to direct major performances for both the National and the RSC as well as running his own company at The Old Vic and summer seasons at the Theatre Royal, Bath. In 2008, he opened a new theatre, The Rose, and remains its director emeritus.

text: One of the National's associate directors, Richard Eyre became artistic director in 1988; his experience included running the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh and the Nottingham Playhouse. He was noted for his series of collaborations with David Hare on the state of contemporary Britain.

text: In 1997, Trevor Nunn became artistic director. He came to the National from the RSC, having undertaken a major expansion of the company into the Swan, The Other Place and the Barbican Theatres. He brought a more populist style to the National, introducing musical theatre to the repertoire.

text: In April 2003, Nicholas Hytner took over as Artistic Director. He previously worked as an associate director with the Royal Exchange Theatre and the National. A number of his successful productions have been made into films. In April 2013 Hytner announced he would step down as artistic director at the end of March 2015.[25][26]

text: Amongst Hytner's innovations were NT Future, the National Theatre Live initiative of simulcasting live productions, and the Entry Pass scheme, allowing young people under the age of 26 to purchase tickets for £5 to any production at the theatre.

text: Rufus Norris took over as Artistic Director in March 2015. He is the first figure to hold the role without Oxbridge education since Laurence Olivier.

text: National Theatre Studio[edit]

text: The National Theatre Studio is a development space on The Cut, founded in 1985 under the directorship of Peter Gill, who ran it until 1990.[27] The studio houses work in progress such as play readings and workshops, and provides a venue for professional training.

text: The studio is housed in a Grade II listed building designed by architects Lyons Israel Ellis. Completed in 1958, the building was refurbished by architects Haworth Tompkins and reopened in Autumn 2007.

text: Laura Collier became Head of the Studio in November 2011, replacing Purni Morrell who headed the Studio from 2006.[28]

text: Under the leadership of Rufus Norris, the Studio and the Literary Department merged to become the New Work Department, led by Emily McLaughlin as Head of New Work.

text: National Theatre Connections[edit]

text: This is the annual youth theatre scheme, founded in 1995.

text: National Theatre Live[edit]

text: National Theatre Live is an initiative to broadcast live and recorded performances of the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world.

text: It launched in June 2009 with a broadcast of Racine's Phèdre with Helen Mirren, which was shown in over 200 cinemas around the world and seen by a worldwide audience of more than 50,000 people. The season continued with Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well; Nation, based on the novel by Terry Pratchett and adapted by Mark Ravenhill; and Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art. The season concluded with Boucicault's London Assurance with Fiona Shaw and Simon Russell Beale.

text: The second season of broadcasts launched with an encore screening of Phèdre. The first NT Live collaboration with another British theatre company saw Complicite's A Disappearing Number, broadcast live from Theatre Royal, Plymouth. The season continued with Shakespeare's Hamlet and the musical Fela!. The second collaborative broadcast was King Lear with Derek Jacobi, live from Covent Garden's Donmar Warehouse. NT Live then broadcast two separate performances of a production: throughout the run of Frankenstein, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternated the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature, and audiences in cinemas had the chance to see both combinations. The second season concluded on 30 June 2011 with Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, with Zoe Wanamaker.

text: The third season of broadcasts launched on 15 September 2011 with One Man, Two Guvnors with James Corden. This was followed by Arnold Wesker's The Kitchen. The final broadcast of 2011 was John Hodge's Collaborators with Simon Russell Beale. In 2012 Nicholas Wright's play Travelling Light was broadcast on 9 February, followed by The Comedy of Errors with Lenny Henry on 1 March and She Stoops to Conquer with Katherine Kelly, Steve Pemberton and Sophie Thompson on 29 March.

text: One Man, Two Guvnors returned to cinema screens in the United States, Canada and Australia for a limited season in Spring 2012. Danny Boyle's Frankenstein also returned to cinema screens worldwide for a limited season in June and July 2012.

text: The fourth season of broadcasts commenced on Thursday 6 September 2012 with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a play based on the international best-selling novel by Mark Haddon. This was followed by The Last of the Haussmans, a new play by Stephen Beresford starring Julie Walters, Rory Kinnear and Helen McCrory on 11 October 2012. William Shakespeare's Timon of Athens followed on 1 November 2012 starring Simon Russell Beale as Timon. On 17 January 2013, NT Live broadcast Arthur Wing Pinero's The Magistrate, with John Lithgow.[29]

text: The performances to be filmed and broadcast are nominated in advance, allowing planned movement of cameras with greater freedom in the auditorium.

text: Watch This Space Festival[edit]

text: The annual "Watch This Space Festival" is a free summer-long celebration of outdoor theatre, circus and dance. It has events for all ages, including workshops and classes for children and adults. Theatre Square in front of the building is covered in astroturf and the giant green three piece suite sculpture (entitled 'Armchair Theatre') is very much the festival's trademark. "Watch This Space" has strong national and international relationships with leading and emerging companies working in many different aspects of the outdoor arts sector. Significant collaborators and regular visitors include Teatr Biuro Podrozy, The Whalley Range All Stars, Home Live Art, Addictive TV, Men in Coats, Upswing, Circus Space, Les Grooms, StopGAP Dance Theatre, metro-boulot-dodo, Avanti Display, The Gandinis, Abigail Collins, The World Famous, Ida Barr (Christopher Green), Motionhouse, Mat Ricardo, The Insect Circus, Bängditos Theater, Mimbre, Company FZ, WildWorks, Bash Street Theatre, Markeline, The Chipolatas, The Caravan Gallery, Sienta la Cabeza, Theatre Tuig, Producciones Imperdibles and Mario Queen of the Circus.[30]

text: The festival was set up by its first producer Jonathan Holloway, who was succeeded in 2005 by Angus MacKechnie.

text: Whilst the Theatre Square space is occupied by the Temporary Theatre, the "Watch This Space Festival" festival has been suspended.[31]

text: In 2013 the National announced that there would be a small summer festival entitled 'August Outdoors' in Theatre Square. Playing Fridays and Saturdays only, the programme included The Sneakers and The Streetlights by Half Human Theatre, The Thinker by Stuff & Things, H2H by Joli Vyann, Screeving by Urban Canvas, Pigeon Poo People by The Natural Theatre Company, Capses by Laitrum, Bang On!, Caravania! by The Bone Ensemble, The Hot Potato Syncopators, Total Eclipse of the Head by Ella Good and Nicki Kent, The Caravan Gallery, Curious Curios by Kazzum Theatre and The Preeners by Canopy.[32]

text: Notable productions[edit]

text:
Hamlet, directed by Laurence Olivier, with Peter O'Toole in the title-role and Michael Redgrave as Claudius (1963)
The Recruiting Officer, directed by William Gaskill with Laurence Olivier as Captain Brazen, Maggie Smith as Sylvia and Robert Stephens as Captain Plume (1963).
Othello, directed by John Dexter, with Laurence Olivier in the title-role, Frank Finlay as Iago and Maggie Smith as Desdemona (1964)
The Royal Hunt of the Sun by Peter Shaffer, directed by John Dexter (1964); the National's first world premiere
Miss Julie by August Strindberg, directed by Michael Elliott with Albert Finney and Maggie Smith in a double bill with Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer, directed by John Dexter with Derek Jacobi and Maggie Smith. (1965/66)
As You Like It directed by Clifford Williams, the all-male production with Ronald Pickup as Rosalind, Jeremy Brett as Orlando, Charles Kay as Celia, Derek Jacobi as Touchstone, Robert Stephens as Jaques (1967)
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, directed by Derek Goldby, with John Stride and Edward Petherbridge (1967)
The Dance of Death by August Strindberg, with Laurence Olivier as Edgar, Geraldine McEwan as Alice and Robert Stephens as Kurt (1967)
Oedipus by Seneca translated by Ted Hughes, directed by Peter Brook, with John Gielgud as Oedipus, Irene Worth as Jocasta (1968)
The Merchant of Venice, directed by Jonathan Miller, with Laurence Olivier as Shylock and Joan Plowright as Portia (1970)
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Ingmar Bergman, with Maggie Smith as Hedda (1970)
Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill, directed by Michael Blakemore, with Laurence Olivier as James Tyrone (1971)
Jumpers by Tom Stoppard, directed by Peter Wood, starring Michael Hordern and Diana Rigg (1972)
The Misanthrope by Molière, translated by Tony Harrison, directed by John Dexter with Alec McCowen and Diana Rigg (1973–74)

text:
The Tempest with John Gielgud as Prospero, directed by Peter Hall (1974)
Eden End by J.B. Priestley, with Joan Plowright as Stella and Michael Jayston as Charles (1974)
No Man's Land by Harold Pinter, directed by Peter Hall, with Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud (1975)
Illuminatus!, an eight-hour five-play cycle from Ken Campbell's The Science Fiction Theatre of Liverpool (1977)
Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn, directed by Peter Hall (1977)
Lark Rise by Keith Dewhurst, directed by Bill Bryden (1978)
Tales from the Vienna Woods by Ödön von Horváth, translated by Christopher Hampton, directed by Maximilian Schell, with Stephen Rea and Kate Nelligan
Plenty by David Hare, directed by the author, with Stephen Moore and Kate Nelligan (1978)
Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, directed by Peter Hall, with Paul Scofield and Simon Callow (1979–80)
Galileo, by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Howard Brenton directed by John Dexter with Michael Gambon (1980)
The Romans in Britain by Howard Brenton, directed by Michael Bogdanov, subject of a private prosecution by Mary Whitehouse (1980)
The Oresteia by Aeschylus, translated by Tony Harrison, directed by Peter Hall (1981)
A Kind of Alaska, one-act play by Harold Pinter, directed by Peter Brook, with Judi Dench. Inspired by Awakenings, by Oliver Sacks. (1982)
Guys and Dolls, the National's first musical, directed by Richard Eyre, starring Bob Hoskins, Julia McKenzie, Ian Charleson, and Julie Covington (1982)
Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet, directed by Bill Bryden (1983)
Jean Seberg, musical with a book by Julian Barry, lyrics by Christopher Adler, and music by Marvin Hamlisch; directed by Peter Hall (1983)
Fool for Love by Sam Shepard, starring Ian Charleson and Julie Walters, directed by Peter Gill (1984)
The Mysteries from medieval Mystery plays in a version by Tony Harrison, directed by Bill Bryden (1985)
Pravda by Howard Brenton and David Hare, directed by David Hare, with Anthony Hopkins (1985)
"The American Clock" by Arthur Miller, directed by Peter Wood (1986)
Antony and Cleopatra directed by Peter Hall, with Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench (1987)
Happy Birthday, Sir Larry directed by Mike Ockrent and Jonathan Myerson, with a cast including Peggy Ashcroft, Peter Hall, Antony Sher, Albert Finney (31 May 1987) an 80th Birthday Tribute to Sir Laurence Olivier[33]

text:
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, directed by Howard Davies, starring Ian Charleson and Lindsay Duncan (1988)
Fuente Ovejuna by Lope de Vega, translated by Adrian Mitchell, directed by Declan Donnellan (1989)
Hamlet, starring Daniel Day Lewis and Judi Dench, later Ian Charleson, directed by Richard Eyre (1989)
The Voysey Inheritance, starring Jeremy Northam, directed by Richard Eyre
Richard III starring Ian McKellen and directed by Richard Eyre (1990)
Sunday in the Park with George by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, directed by Steven Pimlott (British premiere) (1990)
The Madness of George III by Alan Bennett, directed by Nicholas Hytner, starring Nigel Hawthorne (1991)
Angels in America by Tony Kushner, directed by Declan Donnellan (1991–92)
Carousel by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, directed by Nicholas Hytner (1993)
An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley, directed by Stephen Daldry (1992)
Racing Demon, Murmuring Judges, and The Absence of War, by David Hare, directed by Richard Eyre (1993)
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, directed by Trevor Nunn (1993)
Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, directed by Declan Donnellan (1993)
Les Parents terribles by Jean Cocteau, directed by Sean Mathias (1994)
Women of Troy by Euripides, directed by Annie Castledine, starring Josette Bushell-Mingo, Rosemary Harris and Jane Birkin (1995)
A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, directed by Sean Mathias, with Judi Dench (1995)
Anna Karenina adapted by Helen Edmundson, with Anne-Marie Duff (1996)[34]
King Lear directed by Richard Eyre, with Ian Holm (1997)
The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Frank McGuinness, directed by Simon McBurney (1997)

text:
Copenhagen by Michael Frayn, directed by Michael Blakemore (1998)
Oklahoma! by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, directed by Trevor Nunn, with Maureen Lipman and Hugh Jackman (1998)
Candide by Leonard Bernstein, directed by John Caird assisted by Trevor Nunn (1999)
The Merchant of Venice directed by Trevor Nunn, with Henry Goodman (1999)
Summerfolk by Maxim Gorky, directed by Trevor Nunn (1999)
Honk!, Laurence Olivier Award winner (1999)
Money by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, directed by John Caird (1999)
Albert Speer by David Edgar, with Alex Jennings (2000)
Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall directed by Roger Michell, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Bill Nighy and Andrew Lincoln (2000)
The Island by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona, directed by Peter Brook and performed by Kani and Ntshona (2000)
Far Side of the Moon written, directed and performed by Robert Lepage (2001)
Humble Boy by Charlotte Jones directed by John Caird, with Simon Russell Beale (2001)
South Pacific by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, directed by Trevor Nunn, with Philip Quast who won the 2002 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical (2001)
The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare directed by Nicholas Hytner, with Alex Jennings and Phil Daniels (2001)
Vincent in Brixton by Nicholas Wright, directed by Richard Eyre, with Clare Higgins (2002)
The Coast of Utopia, a trilogy by Tom Stoppard, comprising: Voyage, Shipwreck and Salvage, directed by Trevor Nunn, with computerised video designs by William Dudley (2002)
Anything Goes by Cole Porter, directed by Trevor Nunn, with John Barrowman and Sally Ann Triplett (2002)
Dinner by Moira Buffini, with Harriet Walter, Nicholas Farrell and Catherine McCormack, directed by Fiona Buffini (2002)

text:
Jerry Springer: The Opera, a musical by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas (2003)
Henry V by William Shakespeare. A notable modern dress version directed by Nicholas Hytner starring Adrian Lester (2003)
His Dark Materials, a two-part adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel directed by Nicholas Hytner starring Anna Maxwell Martin, Dominic Cooper, Patricia Hodge and Niamh Cusack (2003)
The History Boys by Alan Bennett directed by Nicholas Hytner starring Richard Griffiths (2004)
Coram Boy by Helen Edmundson, with Bertie Carvel and Paul Ritter (2005-2006) [35]
Laurence Olivier Celebratory Performance directed by Nicholas Hytner and Angus MacKechnie. A one-off tribute to Lord Laurence Olivier, the National's first director, in his centenary year and starring Richard Attenborough, Claire Bloom, Rory Kinnear, and Alex Jennings (23 September 2007)
War Horse based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Nick Stafford, directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, presented in association with Handspring (2007–2009)
Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Nicholas Hytner, with Simon Russell Beale and Zoë Wanamaker (2007–2008)
Never So Good by Howard Brenton, directed by Howard Davies with Jeremy Irons (2008)
Mother Courage and Her Children, by Bertolt Brecht, with Fiona Shaw (2009)
Phèdre featuring Helen Mirren, Margaret Tyzack and Dominic Cooper (2009)
The Habit of Art, by Alan Bennett, with Richard Griffiths (2010)
Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller (2011)
One Man, Two Guvnors, based on Servant of Two Masters by Richard Bean, with James Corden, directed by Nicholas Hytner (2011)[36]
London Road, a musical by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork, (2011)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens, adapted from the novel of the same name by Mark Haddon, with Luke Treadaway, Nicola Walker and Niamh Cusack.(2012).[37]
Othello by William Shakespeare with Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear, (2013)
National Theatre: 50 years on stage, to celebrate the 50th anniversary a selection of scenes from various productions in the National Theatre's history, featuring Angels in America, One Man, Two Guvnors, London Road, Jerry Springer: The Opera and Guys and Dolls, featuring Adrian Lester, Helen Mirren, Joan Plowright, Judi Dench, Rory Kinnear and Alex Jennings. (2013)
King Lear by William Shakespeare, with Simon Russell Beale, directed by Sam Mendes (2014)[38]

text:
Everyman adapted by Carol Ann Duffy, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, directed by Rufus Norris (2015)
People, Places & Things by Duncan MacMillan, directed by Jeremy Herrin, starring Denise Gough (2015)
Cleansed by Sarah Kane, directed by Katie Mitchell (2016)
The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht with music by Kurt Weill, a new adaptation by Simon Stephens, directed by Rufus Norris, starring Rosalie Craig and Rory Kinnear (2016)
The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan, directed by Carrie Cracknell starring Helen McCrory (2016)
Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, directed by Michael Longhurst, starring Lucian Msamati and Adam Gillen (2016 and 2018)
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Ivo van Hove, starring Ruth Wilson, a re-working of the production previously staged at the Toneelgrope Amsterdam and the New York Theatre Workshop (2016)
Angels in America by Tony Kushner, directed by Marianne Elliot, starring Andrew Garfield, Denise Gough, James McArdle, Russell Tovey and Nathan Lane (2017)
Follies music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Goldman, directed by Dominic Cooke, starring Imelda Staunton, Janie Dee, Philip Quast and Tracie Bennett (2017)
Beginning by David Eldridge, directed by Polly Findlay (2017)
Network directed by Ivo van Hove, based on the Sidney Lumet film, adapted by Lee Hall, starring Bryan Cranston (2017)

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
An artistic lighting scheme illuminating the exterior of the building

The statue of Laurence Olivier as Hamlet was unveiled in September 2007

The terrace entrance between the mezzanine restaurant level and the Olivier cloakroom level, reached from halfway up/down Waterloo Bridge

The main entrance on the ground floor

The ensemble shows a varying range of geometric relationships.


document_title: The Return (The Office)

question_text: the office episode where andy punches a wall

text: The Return (The Office)

text: Synopsis[edit]

text: Having quit Dunder Mifflin, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) settles for a job at Staples. Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) relishes the thought of becoming Michael Scott's (Steve Carell) new Number Three and begins to pester Michael for attention. When Andy begins to irritate his co-workers, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), after getting no support from Karen Filippelli (Rashida Jones) or Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak), recruits Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) to play a prank on Andy by hiding his cell phone (which plays Rockin' Robin, sung a cappella by Andy himself) in the ceiling and continually calling it.

text: Meanwhile, Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) returns to the office from his leave of absence, and Michael wants to celebrate by asking the Party Planning Committee to throw a Mexican-themed fiesta that includes firecrackers, a chihuahua and a donkey. Later, as Jim and Pam continue to call Andy's hidden cell phone, he is pushed over the edge by the combination of Jim and Pam's prank and Michael's rejection of his friendship, and in a fit of rage puts his fist through a wall.

text: When Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) finally reveals to Michael that she was the cause of Dwight's secret visit to Corporate, Michael realizes his error in forcing Dwight out and goes to Staples to ask him to return to Dunder Mifflin. Angela was worried that Michael would realize the two were involved in a romantic relationship, but Michael believes that Dwight saved Angela out of loyalty to the company. Dwight returns to the office and, much to his delight, thinks Oscar's welcome party is actually meant for him.

text: Karen has noticed how much fun Jim and Pam had together during their prank on Andy; she confronts Jim and asks him if he still has feelings for Pam. Jim nods as he quietly says yes and Karen walks out the room, visibly upset. Meanwhile, corporate sends Andy to anger management where he plans to get out of the 10-week program in five weeks through his usual charms: name repetition and personality imitation.

text: Production[edit]

text: "The Return" was written by Michael Schur, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky, while series creator and executive producer Greg Daniels directed and Dean Holland edited.[3] The original title of this episode was "Oscar's Return",[4] a reference to the reappearance of actor Oscar Nunez, who had temporarily left the series after the season premiere. Nunez spent the interim working on the Comedy Central series Halfway Home. It was the last episode Daniels filmed before the Thanksgiving holiday, the start of an eight-week break for the cast and crew.[5][6]

text: Then-president of NBC Entertainment Kevin Reilly played Dwight's first interviewer.[3][7] Ed Helms noted in the audio commentary that his mother had trouble watching a string of episodes that included "The Return" because she found his character so annoying. Helms recorded the self-recorded cellphone ring on his own personal computer. For the big anger scene, Helms actually bloodied his knuckles while punching the wall, something that took five or six takes. Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson had difficulty with their reuniting scene and had to stage it in several different ways. As part of the episode is set in one of their stores, office supply chain Staples Inc. watched the episode carefully to ensure they were not portrayed negatively; they were particularly afraid that Dwight's manner of quitting was disrespectful to the company.[3] At the time "The Return" aired, no one was certain Helms would be returning.[3] In early February, NBC confirmed Helms had been hired on as a series regular for the rest of the year,[8] with the actor returning in the season's nineteenth episode, "The Negotiation".[9]

text: "The Return" was later rebroadcast with "Traveling Salesmen" as a combined hour-long episode, on March 15, 2007.[2] NBC added previously unaired and re-edited scenes into the episode, which was perceived by one commentator as a method to "boost the ratings during the content dearth known as repeat week, giving its replays a creative twist".[10] Greg Daniels explained that in addition to the attempt to attract a larger audience, "it's about giving something extra to our wonderful fans…their loyalty must be rewarded somehow, and we don't have the budget for 10 million muffin baskets."[10][11]

text: Cultural references[edit]

text: Andy tells Michael he is going to "get my Lost on", a reference to the ABC science fiction drama television series. Andy sings The Cranberries' 1994 hit song "Zombie", which was the most annoying song Helms and Krasinski could think of for Andy to sing.[3] Dwight later returns to the office wearing a sweatshirt prominently displaying Battlestar Galactica, a Syfy military science fiction television series.[3] When referring to Andy's weirdness, Michael mentions radio broadcaster Marv Albert, who was convicted of sexual assault in the late 1990s.[12]

text: Reception[edit]

text: "The Return" first aired on January 18, 2007 in the United States on NBC. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was watched by an estimated 10.15 million viewers.[13] The Office and its lead-in My Name is Earl finished first in the 18–49 demographic against its time slot competitors, though it was not enough to prevent the overall network from finishing in third place among total viewers.[14] The same day as the episode broadcast, NBC renewed The Office for a full fourth season, which came as no surprise to media pundits.[15]

text: Beginning his review, Buddy TV's Oscar Dahl declared Andy was "one of the most devastatingly annoying characters on television". Dahl liked Dwight's scenes at Staples, and wrote that series was becoming "more and more difficult to write about. It's really funny. Consistently funny. Great episodes, week after week, breed little in the way of discussion [...] We have to appreciate greatness while it's here. The Office is in the midst of a historic run of consistently great episodes. Bask in it."[16] AOL TV writer Michael Sciannamea agreed with Dahl's initial assessment of Andy, and called him the "most obnoxious sitcom character in the last few years". Sciannamea enjoyed seeing more of Angela's and Michael's personalities, and believed Andy was a "short-timer" to the series.[17]

text: Entertainment Weekly contributor Abby West praised Angela Kinsey's performance, noting that she "brought wonderful contradictions to her prickly office priss".[12] West also enjoyed the love triangle for being "so skillfully kept as the subplot it should be. It is as much due to the light touches of the three actors as to the writers... It's refreshing that Jim and Karen have mostly been so mature and honest, but that's a sure sign that the relationship will devolve, because the setup for the success for most long-term TV romances requires miscommunication and no confrontation."[12] In his review of the third season, Travis Fickett of IGN highlighted a scene of the episode; he commented, "Watching Andy slowly meltdown when he can't find his cell phone is one of the better moments of the season."[18]