Burnt by the Sun by Peter Flannery
(After the screenplay by Nikita Mikhalkov and Rustam Ibragimbekov)
Directed by Lisa Thomas
Performances: Tuesday 2nd to Saturday 6th November 2010, Bell Theatre
It's 1936. General Kotov, a decorated and revered hero of the Russian Revolution, is spending summer at his country dacha with his adored wife Maroussia, their daughter, Nadia and members of their extended family. But when Maroussia’s former lover returns from a lengthy and unexplained absence, Kotov’s idyllic summer is brought to an abrupt and terrifying end.
The story is many-faceted. On the one hand it’s a funny and touching portrait of a refined family bewildered by the changes that the Revolution has wrought on their lives. It’s also a powerful love story that encompasses both romantic and familial love. And finally it’s a political thriller that explores the paranoia that was already apparent in the USSR even before the unleashing of Stalin’s Great Terror and its effects on even the Revolution’s most ardent enthusiasts.
This is a real ensemble piece with three beautifully drawn (and performed) lead roles plus lots of delightful secondary characters whose everyday antics are a crucial counterpoint to the tension at the heart of the story. The cast includes both experienced and newer actors, including several members of the youth theatre, all of whom have risen magnificently to the challenges of the play.
The theatrical version of Burnt by the Sun premiered at the National Theatre in 2009. It’s closely based on the eponymous 1994 Russian film, which has become a modern classic.
Cast
General Kotov - Matthew Lyne
Maroussia (his wife) - Naomi Liddle
Nadia (their daughter) - Katie Balme
Lidia (Maroussia’s grandmother) Margaret Glenn
Elena (Lidia’s friend) - Jeanette Hoile
Mokhova (the maid) - Joanna Hughes
Vselvolod (Lidia's son) - Stevie Hughes
Olga (Maroussia’s mother) - Emma Kerby-Evans
Kolya (a tank officer) - Adam Crook
Andrushya (a tank officer) - Daniel Kelly
Kirik (Elena’s son) - Richard Bennison
Truck driver - Richard Watkins
Mitia - Simon Holland
Blokhin (an NKVD officer) - Martin Balanow
Mironov (an NKVD officer) - Derek Dempsey
Aronin (an NKVD officer) - Nick Conway
Village children and young pioneers - Emilia Capitelli, Leah Girma, Kitty Judge, Blake McKenzie, Stanley Myers, Matthew Nixon, Conor Sales
Crew
Director - Lisa Thomas
Stage manager - Jess Osorio
Set building and design - Mark Ireson, Dave Hollander
Piano construction - Mark Ireson, Chaz Doyle
Music - Pete Coombs
Choreography - Anna Callender
Lighting - Stuart Draper
Costumes - Emma Kerby-Evans, Lisa Thomas, Sabre Sales, Southsea
For more details please contact Lisa Thomas, Director
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