Adapted by Harry Lloyd and Gérald Garutti, it is performed by Lloyd and directed by French director Garutti, who previously presented it in Paris in February 2014 at the Bains-Douche and the Atelier Delacroix. It is described in press materials as a powerful monologue delivered by a man locked away from society by his own choosing.
Lloyd’s previous theatre credits include bash (Trafalgar Studios), The Good Family (Royal Court), The Sea (Theatre Royal Haymarket), A View from the Bridge (Duke of York’s), Ghosts (Arcola Theatre), The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick Theatre) and The Duchess of Malfi (The Old Vic).
It will be followed by Lara Foot’s Solomon and Marion, beginning performances Nov. 4 prior to an official opening Nov. 6 for a run through Nov. 29. Co-produced with Baxter Theatre Company and Birmingham Repertory Theatre, it is performed by Janet Suzman and Khayalethu Anthony.
In the play, Suzman plays Marion, who has watched her life drain away. Isolated in her home and grieving for her dead son and lost husband she’s struggling to find meaning in a country that has been utterly transformed. But it’s the only home she has known. As the new South Africa braces itself for the inevitable protests and unrest that precede the 2010 World Cup finals, hope enters her life in the form of Solomon (played by Anthony), the grandson of Marion’s former servant. He says he wants to take care of her but what is his true motive?
Suzman began her career in 1962, when she starred in Billy Liar, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company a year later and playing a wealth of Shakespeare’s leading female roles. Her extensive theatre credits include Kate in The Taming of the Shrew, Beatrice in Much Ado and Ophelia in Hamlet, as well as directing adaptations of Othello and The Cherry Orchard. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her first film lead in the 1971 film "Nicholas and Alexandra." These first productions will be staged in a temporary "black box" set-up in the Coronet’s existing smaller cinema space. The 100-seater space, which after fuller refurbishment will become a permanent part of the new Print Room, will allow the company to keep making the extraordinarily intimate theatre for which it has become renowned.
In a press statement, artistic director Anda Winters commented, "We are thrilled to open the very first season in our fabulous new home in Notting Hill with these brilliant theatre productions. This is just the start of our new adventure as we begin to fulfill our ambition to create and present a programme of world-class drama, innovative dance, diverse music, poetry, exhibitions and other performing arts, alongside the best of world cinema.”
To book tickets and for further details, visit www.the-print-room.org.
