January 7, 2015, by Esther Eidinow

Coming Soon: Theatre with a Classical Connection…

Lynn Fotheringham has been searching out theatrical productions with a classical connection over the next few months, in Nottingham, nearby cities and London.

Sheffield, 13th February only, 13.00: Phaedra’s Love, semi-staged reading as part of a season of the complete works of Sarah Kane, whose reputation for writing plays with lots of on-stage violence suggests this will be a radical adaptation of Euripides’ Hippolytus. Crucible Studio, £3.50, with a discussion after the reading.

London, 11th-13th February, Aristophanes’ Clouds – this year’s KCL Greek play, in the original language, has five performances at the Greenwood Theatre: 14.30 and 19.00 on Wednesday and Friday, 19.00 only on Thursday, with different academic talks at 18.00 each evening included in the price. Tickets are £8/£5 concessions.

Nottingham, 17th February only, 20.00: The Reduced Shakespeare Company comes to the Lakeside with The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged). Aristophanes is in the mix, according to the blurb—and as he should be! Tickets are £16/£14 concessions, but hurry—there already aren’t many left.

London, 4th-28th March: Sophocles’ Antigone, starring Juliette Binoche, in a new translation by Anne Carson… ’Nuff said. Barbican, showings at 14.30/15.00/19.45 on various dates; tickets £16-£55, going fast.

London, 5th-11th March: Euripides’ Bacchae, in a masked production by Chris Vervain, who wrote his Ph.D. on ‘Masks in Greek Tragedy’. The venue is Theatro Technis in Camden, with showings at 14.30/17.00/19.30 on the different dates; tickets £10/£7 concessions.

Birmingham, 20th-21st March: The Paper Cinema’s Odyssey: ‘live animation’ and live music – looks amazing. At Birmingham Rep’s ‘The Studio’, 19.45 both nights, £12.

Touring, March-April: Penelope RETOLD is a one-woman show created at the Derby Theatre last February, and back now for a national tour. Not coming to Nottingham, but it’s in fairly accessible cities on the dates given below; there may be other venues nearer you on weekends/in the Easter vacation.

• 14th & 16th March, Derby Theatre
• 20th March, Lincoln Performing Arts Centre
• 23rd March, Embrace Arts, Leicester
• 30th March, Sheffield Crucible Studio
• 1st-2nd April, Birmingham Rep, Door Studio

London, 9th-18th April: Renaissance tragedy Dido, Queen of Carthage, by Christopher Marlowe, performed by the Globe Young Players in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (that’s indoors, as it’s still the winter season). Saturday 14.30 matinees are almost sold out already; evening performances on Thursday 9th, Friday 10th, Monday 13th & Thursday 16th at 19.30. Standing tickets are £10, seated range from £15-£35.

Touring, May-June: Hercules Dance Cabaret. Yes, you read it right. Premiered at the Nottingham Playhouse last May, when I completely missed it, but now there’s another chance to catch it on tour; more dates & venues to be announced, but at the moment our nearest options are:

o   20th May, Curve Theatre, Leicester

o   12th June, Derby Theatre

And finally, this year’s Horrible Histories tour has Groovy Greeks and Incredible Invaders (includes Romans). They’re in Derby and Leicester in May and Sheffield in July, but they do eventually get to Nottingham in November, so I’ll give more details at the start of next autumn semester.

Image: Odeon, Pompeii, by Lynn Fotheringham.

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