Summerfolk

Summerfolk description

Summerfolk by Maxim Gorky is back, a fresh new revival by powerhouse playwrights Nina Raine (Consent, Tribes) and Moses Raine (Donkey Heart). The setting is Russia during 1904, a long hot summer when the rich retreated as usual to their dachas to avoid the heat. Their money insulates them from worry. Their wealth makes a barrier between them and real life. But how long can it protect them from the realities of a fast-changing and increasingly dangerous world? No wonder Varvara can't relax, plagued by the feeling everyone's on borrowed time. How long can the bourgeoisie ignore the signs?

Brought to us by National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky's Edge), who directs, this is a merciless exploration of class, privilege and denial. The Set and Costume Designer Peter McKintosh joins Lighting Designer Paul Pyant, Sound Designer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, Composer Nicola T. Chang, Movement Director Thomas Herron, and Casting Director Bryony Jarvis-Taylor CDG to create the scene. The Associate Set Designer is Joseph Bisat Marshall and the Staff Director is Lilac Yosiphon. Themes of idleness and social decay join gossip, bitching, adultery and unhappy romantic alliances in a classic that never ages.

Playing at Olivier Theatre (National Theatre) (venue info)