David
Hare's skilful adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's notorious erotic
masterpiece La Ronde caused a sensation when it opened at London's
Donmar in 1998 starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Sam Mendes,
and it repeated its success when it moved to Broadway later in the
same year.
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| Tracy
and Jason in The Blue Room |
The
play follows a chain of sexual encounters between an intriguingly
diverse selection of characters as they search for the perfect liaison,
and, in one of theatre's great challenges, the two actors play all
the parts.
Girl
meets boy, meets girl, meets boy. Through an amazing series of 10
vignettes, The Blue Room tells a circular story of seduction in
which ten different couples seek intimacy and love but will they
find what they are looking for?
When
La Ronde premiered in Germany in 1921 the play was closed down by
the police and the actors arrested and put on trial.
Luckily,
for Tracy Shaw and Jason Connery, the stars of this new production,
attitudes to censorship may have changed since then, but human beings,
their vulnerability and their need for love have not.
Pure theatrical viagra |
|
Daily
Telegraph
|
The
roles in the play are very different from the actors last work though.
Jason Connery is known for the lead role in Robin of Sherwood, but
this is his first stage appearance for two years and it brings him
back to Britain after many years of film and television work in
America.
Meanwhile,
Tracy Shaw played the part of Maxine Peacock in Coronation Street
since 1995, before her dramatic exit at the hands of serial killer
Richard Hillman, shortly after Christmas this year.
Tracy is a keen fan of David Hare's adaptation and said "Everybody
knows the play for its nudity but it is much more than that - it
is an incredible piece of theatre".
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| Is
this the perfect liaison? |
Meanwhile
Jason Connery said "I am really excited about coming back to
perform in the UK and Ireland, and particularly to take this great
David Hare piece on tour so that it can be seen outside London".
Sir
David Hare's many plays, including Racing Demon, Plenty and Amy's
View, have been staged throughout the world. This new production
is directed by Joe Harmston, whose numerous credits include Pinter's
The Birthday Party starring Prunella Scales and Timonthy West, which
toured the UK before transferring to the West End.
The
play contains strong language and strong ideas. Not for the easily
offended.
| Jason
Connery |
 |
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| A
ROOM TO MANOUVRE Find out more
about The Blue Room in our interview with Jason Connery. |
|
