The Information: `Summerfolk'
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Your support makes all the difference.What Is It?
Trevor Nunn's crack National Theatre ensemble, in the final production of the season, present Nick Dear's new version of Maxim Gorky's Summerfolk. The 1904 play spotlights the turn-of-the-century hopes and anxieties of a cross-section of Russia's new middle class as they congregate in their rented holiday dachas.
Who's In It?
Fine performances across the board from the 20-odd actors, including Roger Allam, Jennifer Ehle, Simon Russell Beale, Henry Goodman, Patricia Hodge and Derbhle Crotty.
What They Say About It
"Watching an ensemble company evolve over a number of productions offers many joys... a deeply rewarding evening," Paul Taylor, The Independent.
"Nunn conjures up a succession of visually ravishing scenes when you seem to be watching not actors but the flow of life itself... It's a night of rich rewards and I just hope Nunn can keep his crack ensemble together when the present season ends," Charles Spencer, The Daily Telegraph.
"If I have any cavil with Nick Dear's new version, it is that it strains too hard to bring out the play's modernity... the irony is that the production's great strength is its sense of place and time," Michael Billington, The Guardian.
Where You Can See It
Summerfolk is at the Olivier Theatre, London, SE1 (0171-452 3000) in rep to 11 November
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