Category: David Hare

Photo by John Marmaras Red Line Productions and the sponsorship of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras presents, THE JUDAS KISS, by David Hare, at the Old Fitz Theatre, Cathedral St, Woolloomooloo, 15 February -11 March. THE JUDAS KISS, is a play by David Hare, written in 1998. Neil Armfield Directed it for Belvoir St Theatre, a few years ago, and Directed it again in 2013 in London to acclaim, apparently, making a claim for the play’s reputation that it had failed to establish in its first outing. The First Act of the play occurs on the 5th of April, 1895,…

Photo by Manuel Harlan The Old Vic presents THE MASTER BUILDER, by Henrik Ibsen. A new adaptation by David Hare, at The Old Vic, London, U.K. 23 Jan – 19 March, 2016. According to the Old Vic program notes, by Nick Curtis, on this production of Henrik Ibsen’s THE MASTER BUILDER: Today, (Ibsen) is the second most performed playwright in the world, after Shakespeare, and seen as the inheritor to Shakespeare’s mantle as a poetic explorer of the human condition. THE MASTER BUILDER is a play not often seen in Australia. Henrik Ibsen has, for me, three distinct phases in…

    Company B Belvoir presents THE POWER OF YES – A dramatist seeks to understand the financial crisis by David Hare in the Upstairs Theatre, Surry Hills. On September 15th 2008 capitalism failed. The National Theatre of Great Britain commissioned David Hare to discover, uncover, what had happened. To try to answer the Queen’s question “Why did nobody notice?” A year later in September 2009 a ‘verbatim’ text had been ‘massaged’ by Mr Hare from an intense year of interview and research and opened in the Lyttelton Theatre. A character called The Author begins the performance: “This isn’t a…

  The National Theatre presents THE POWER OF YES by David Hare in the Lyttelton Auditorium of the National Theatre, London. “In retrospect it is fair to say that the idea that banks could manage risk was a total illusion?” “Capitalism works when greed and fear are in the correct balance. This time they got out of balance. Too much greed, not enough fear.” “It’s like a ship which you’re being told is in apple-pie order, the decks are cleaned, the metal is burnished, the only thing nobody mentions, it’s being driven at full speed towards an iceberg.” On September…

  Company B Belvoir presents GETHSEMANE by David Hare. As usual with the recent Belvoir productions of late, the production values of the work, is exemplary. The Set design by Brian Thompson, a single setting for various locations, of semi-gloss, grey concrete walls and floor is very elegant and contemporary in its feel. (There was an echo of the SCORCHED and BAGHDAD WEDDING Set Design, what this one lacked, was sand!!!) The props, table, bench etc very beautifully executed and used. Costume design by Jennifer Irwin is especially pleasing and accurate – character is delineated quickly and supportively. Lighting by…

In February in Sydney the local scene reasserts itself after a Festival Season-the third Sydney Festival led by Fergus Linehan-this year lots of Circus, Dance, Contemporary Music and little challenge. So it was a pleasure to anticipate THE VERTICAL HOUR by David Hare. A Hare/Shavian challenge of Ideas and Character. The Sydney Theatre Company (now led by Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton) begins its 2008 Season with this. This play of ideas gives moderate pleasure – its arguments have been well covered in many other mediums (the play is 18 months old!!) so it is not full of confrontation or…