Theatre399 entries
The White Guard
Opens: 15/03/2010 Closes: 07/07/2010
National Theatre, London
Mikhail Bulgakov's rarely performed masterpiece, unparalleled in its depiction of the futility and mayhem of civil war, is revitalised by Andrew Upton's production. Set in Kiev at the time of the Russian Civil War, this semi-autobiographical piece sees the Turbin family's Chekhovian world turned upside.
For more information visit: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/54551/productions/the-white-guard.html%3E Buy: https://ticketing.nationaltheatre.org.uk/production.aspx?performanceNumber=12951Page [1]
80 %
Time Out“Aches with compassion and conviction...” The human reality of civil war, in all its chaotic incompetence, despair, fear, confusion and desolation, is evoked with vast compassion and wry, clear-eyed wit in Mikhail Bulgakov's sprawling drama. The emotional detail grips...
.
80 %
The Independent“Where 'Allo 'Allo meets Chekhov...” A superb revival of Bulgakov's Russian civil war play starts as domestic comedy and ends in panic, chaos and betrayal. Davies' productions of lesser-known Russian gems have been jewels in the National Theatre's crown. Don't miss this one...
.
60%
this is london“There’s particularly atmospheric sound by Christopher Shutt...” Visually and technically this is a remarkable production. However, it’s rather confusing, and the storytelling fails to resonate. The play’s historical and political burden is substantial but it isn’t genuinely engaging...
.
60%
Financial Times“A lot of scenery and a lot of fine acting...” Seldom have I so admired the staging of a work while so totally failing to see what it is trying to do. Whether I sought a human, intellectual or political perspective, The White Guard signally failed to give one up...
.
100%
The Telegraph“Combines the intimate and the epic, the comic and the profound...” Davies directs with virtuosic assurance on splendidly atmospheric and ingenious sets by Bunny Christie. Whether staging deafening battles or choreographing a hilarious drunken dinner party, Davies never puts a foot wrong...
.
80 %
The Times“The revival triumphs...” Chekhov or Gorky would have admired the excitement, depression, quarrels, boozing and despair that variously flicker, dip, flare, die in the posh drawing room inhabited by three siblings...
.
100%
Guardian“Never have I seen the chaos of civil war so vividly caught on stage...” Justine Mitchell's Elena luxuriates in her own seductiveness, Pip Carter is touching and funny as a clumsily gauche cousin who falls under her spell, and Paul Higgins is suitably manic as a vodka-swilling captain...
.
100%
Whatsonstage.com“There’s not a single weak link in the cast...” The rarity of the play lies not only in its black humour and vivid characterizations but in a sense of upheaval and political crisis being lived in the moment...
.
100%
The Stage“Another resounding hit...” There are few directors to equal Howard Davies for sketching the big picture but also illuminating every corner of it with tiny, revealing details...
.
Page [1]
Review and recommend
-
Theatre
-
Cinema
-
Recorded music
-
Books
-
Exhibitions
Ads
