British Council and CoolConnections art association present “The magistrate” by Arthur Wing Pinero which is a forth performance in the framework of NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE project 2012-13.
The screenings will take place in Moscow and in St. Petersburg:
Moscow
Formula Kino Gorizont cinema hall (Komsomolsky prospect 21/10):
20.02 at 15.00 – preview
28.02 at 19.30
14.03 at 19.30
24.03 at 18.00
St. Petersburg
Formula Kino Gallery (Ligovsky prospect 30A, Gallery trade centre)
28.02 at 19.30
14.03 at 19.30
24.03 at 18.00
Aurora cinema hall (Nevsky prospect 60)
7.03 at 19.00
14.03 at 19.00
21.03 at 19.00
For more detailed information please visit the official group of the project on Facebook.
The magistrate is a farce written by the English playwright Arthur Wing Pinero, staged by British director Timothy Sheader. This play has been performed for almost 130 years, it has never quit the stage – an outstanding record for plays of this genre.
The staging is performed in the best vaudeville’s traditions, so uncommon for the modern theatre. The audience will enjoy the classical British accent, which is exquisite and tricky at the same time. Russian subtitles will be helpful for those who want to understand British humour in details.
With his louche air and a developed taste for smoking, gambling, port and women, it’s hard to believe Cis Farringdon is only fourteen. And that’s because he isn’t. Agatha, his mother, lopped five years from her true age and his when she married the amiable Posket. That means Cis, an amusement lover, is actually nineteen, though he himself doesn’t even know it as well as his stepfather magistrate Posket. However, his mother conspiracy comes close to a crash with the arrival of Cis’ godfather, who knows the true age of both the mother and the son. This fact sends Agatha incognito to the Hôtel, where her brother stayed, to warn him of her deception. Cis, happy with his mother’s absence, cajoles his otherwise staid stepfather into joining him for a binge. Their high-spirited carousing leads them to the same Hôtel, where Cis has a special room for binges.
The latest National Theatre staging has a number distinctive features including some stylistic peculiarities. At first, the main character is performed by a Hollywood star John Lithgow. The actor that has undoubtedly unique talent shows the unsurpassed mastery of a comic actor. Secondly, this staging is enriched by splendid musical scenes, with the words written by a famous British songwriter and lyricist Richard Stilgoe ("Starlight Express", "The Phantom of the Opera"), who is noted for clever wordplay. And, thirdly, stage designers did a great job transforming the interiors of central London into a Victorian fold out book and at the same time made it a musical greeting card.
For more detailed information please visit the official group of the project on Facebook.
Official website of NT Live project in Russia: http://www.theatrehd.ru/
The performances which have been already shown in the framework of the National Theatre Live project:
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