"The Truth" by Florian Zeller, Translated by Christopher Hampton (3-6 July 2024)
Poster
LA VÉRITÉ in its original French production was first presented at the Théâtre Montparnasse, Paris, on September 23, 2011, with Pierre Arditi, Fanny Cottençon, Christine Millet and Patrice Kerbrat, who also directed. THE TRUTH, in this translation by Christopher Hampton, was first presented in association with Theatre Royal Bath Productions at the Menier Chocolate Factory, London, on 10 March 2016.
One of the most repeated societal commodities during my upbringing was the Golden Rule: treat others how you wish to be treated. It wasn’t until decades later that I began to understand how deeply open to interpretation this ‘rule’ is – not a rule at all, really, but more of a vague admonishment. How do I wish to be treated? With kid gloves? With lustrous illusions? With the hard truth? And what qualifies as ‘hard’? The best answer is probably that it depends on the circumstances. Ultimately, we know what we want to know. Until we don’t. Perhaps the trick is caring enough to calibrate how much of your story to tell. It has been a sublime honour to direct this witty, elastic script, so full of fresh discoveries even upon the 4th, 8th or 25th reading. THE TRUTH is like a peony blossoming in winter: so delightful to encounter that it takes your breath away, until the fog lifts and it dawns on you how infelicitous its bloom is, how different things are than what you knew they should be. Thank you to the magical Christopher Hampton, above all, for encouraging me. Gracious and massive thanks go out to the cast and crew, who have put such love and energy into this show. Thank you to my friends, my parents (including my outlaws!), and ever and above all, my heavenly sprite, Adelaide. |
Reviews |
"It was a triumph! Congratulations to Cast, Crew and Director. So, so good. So good in fact that my friends said it was as good as a professional performance. 👏" Rachel F |
Programme |
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CastMichel (David Burles)
Alice (Elizabeth Ollier) Laurence (Arabella Harcourt-Cooze) Paul (Guy Fairbank) |
CrewDirector (Allison DeFrees)
Assistant Director (Rachel Fay) Stage Managers (Christine Lee, Susan Johnson) Lighting (Andy Rooney, Gareth Sammer) Sound (Gareth Sammer) Set (Holly Tisson, Alicia Sammer, Gareth Sammer, Chris Hulatt) Props (Susan Johnson, Marcella Meneses Richardson, Lilou Schneekloth-Goldberg) Costumes (Vicki Belcher, Pennie Bayliss and the cast) Hair and make-up (Alicia Sammer, Teena Heer) Publicity (Tessa Dunn) Front of House (Members & Friends of St Michael's Players) |