As Nicholas Hytner takes control of London’s National Theatre, it’s clear he’s got big ideas for a change of direction. “Like most large subsidized theatres, the National has a spotty history of success. Some would argue it has never truly been a ‘national theatre,’ and the work it has produced with its multimillion-pound budget for its massive building with three auditoriums on London’s South Bank has often not been of national, not to mention world, standards.”