Richard Dreyfuss has trouble with his lines

Has Richard Dreyfuss done it again? When it was announced that the Oscar-winning American actor was going to return to the London stage to take the lead role in Joe Sutton's Complicit at the Old Vic, there were doubters. Dreyfuss, star of Jaws, The Goodbye Girl and most recently W in which he played Dick Cheney, was sacked from the 2004 West End production of The Producers after he claimed that a shoulder injury meant he "could not fulfill the rigours of the show". The musical was in chaos until Nathan Lane, who had played the central role of Max Bialystock on Broadway, stepped in. It went on to be a huge hit.

Now the Times reports that the world premiere of Complicit, which was meant to take place on Monday, has been dramatically called off because the 61-year-old actor needs more time to learn his lines.

The move follows a harsh response towards Dreyfuss from early preview audiences for his performance in the play, a political drama about the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Ben Kritzer, who is hauled before the Supreme Court where he faces the dilemma of defending his belief in the freedom of the press or protecting his family. According to one theatre-goer, the actor had to be prompted for his lines on several occasions. Another claimed that he "appeared to be wearing a flesh-coloured wire; I presume for prompts."

Neither the producers nor the play's director, Kevin Spacey, would comment on Dreyfuss's failings in the line-learning department, but the Monday opening is definitely off. "It's a world premiere. We wanted to give this new work more development time," said an Old Vic spokesman. When Spacey persuaded him to take the role, Dreyfuss said: "I'm very excited to have a chance of not being fired before the opening." Did he speak too soon? ·