London's swankiest Off-West End Theatre, The Almeida, in Islington, North London, has just announced two very exciting productions for this autumn.
They're following their acclaimed Ancient Greek season with new versions of late nineteenth-century masterpieces by two of history's most important and influential playwrights, Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov.
Artistic director, Rupert Goold points out that they were written less than five years apart and offer 'startlingly fresh reflections on our lives and our theatre - and how we can understand them'
First up, ex Artistic director of the National Theatre, Richard Eyre follows his stagings of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler and Ghosts with a new production of the surreal and moving play, Little Eyolf.
It's my favourite play by the Norwegian master playwright - a creepy tale of guilt and illicit love that draws on Norwegian folklore and symbolism. Ibsen can seem a little long winded for modern tastes and the great thing about Richard Eyre's other versions is that they make the plays shorter and punchier then other productions.
Ibsen’s Little Eyolf is described by the Almeida PR team as a forensic examination of a marriage as it explosively falls apart.
"Alfred Allmers comes home to his wife, Rita, and makes a decision. Casting aside his writing, he dedicates himself to raising his son. But one event is about to change his life forever"
Introducing the second play of the season, Rupert Goold reminds us that Chekhov hasn't been performed at the Almeida in over a decade, and his focus on the minutiae of human lives never seems less than surprisingly modern.
Goold adds "As his masterful Oresteia transfers to the West End, I'm thrilled that our Associate Director, Robert Icke, will be taking on Chekhov for the first time at the Almeida. Chekhov’s late masterpiece examines human behaviour in all of its beautiful, terrible, laughable contradictions"
The intense and never less then mesmerising actor, Paul Rhys makes his Almeida debut in the title role, a man having the mother of all mid-life crises on an isolated Russian estate.
These productions will sell out so book soon.
Tickets for the new productions will first go on sale to Almeida Members on Tuesday 8 September and to the public on Tuesday 15 September.
New magic show Impossible that has taken the West End by storm is due to return to London’s Theatreland in 2016, following a worldwide tour.