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Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
IT HAS now been confirmed that the unique British/Iraqi collaboration,
The Soldier's Tale will run from January 26 to
February 4, 2006 at London's Old Vic Theatre.
Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale) is
presented in a remarkable new translation by Abdulkareem Kasid
and Rebecca Lenkiewicz in both English and Arabic, the language
and styles conveying different but equally compelling voices.
The new narrative will honour the original, but through conversations
with the artists, friends and colleagues in Iraq, hopes to uncover
new stories from those involved.
Director Andrew Steggall made several trips to Iraq - to Baghdad
and Kurdistan - before casting three talented Iraqi actors - Alaa
Rasheed, Falah Fayeh and Dhiaa Ouda.
They will be joined by veteran British actor Julian Glover, along
with Martin Marquez and Ciaran McMenamin.
With Stravinsky's consent, new Iraqi and Arabic music by Oud
player and composer Ahmed Mukhtar will be integrated into the
piece, with Iraqi players Shakir Hassan Zamil and Sattar Al Saadi
joining the western ensemble.
Tickets: £25 to £7.50
For further information call the Box Office on 0870 145 1163
Previously Posted: Although neither casting
nor venue have yet been confirmed, The Soldier's Tale
will run for a minimum of 12 performances in London's
West End, in January 2006.
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The production, devised in Iraq with
a company of British and Iraqi actors and musicians, will premiere
in Baghdad this autumn prior to its West End opening. It will
also be seen in Paris, Berlin and New York.
The production will be presented by The Motion Group in association
with the National Theatre of Iraq. The Motion Group's Andrew Steggall
will direct.
Previously Posted: On Sunday, November 21, 2004,
British actor, Jeremy Irons will make a rare stage appearance
in Stravinsky's 1918 music theatre piece, The Soldier's
Tale, at London's Old Vic theatre.
Translated from L'Histoire du Soldat, by Jeremy Sams,
A Soldier's Tale is the Faustian story of a young soldier
who sells his soul to the Devil in return for infinite wealth.
Perhaps then, it's no coincidence that it was in a Switzerland
surrounded by the ravages of the First World War, that Stravinsky,
alongside writer Ramuz, created what was then, an innovative work.
Irons will play the Narrator, in this, his first stage role for
many years. It was back in 1984 that he won the Tony Best Actor
Award for his part in the Broadway production of The Real
Thing, opposite Glenn Close.
Nowadays, he's best remembered for his screen appearances, not
least for TV's Brideshead Revisited; while films include
The French Lieutenant's Woman, Dead Ringers, Reversal of Fortune,
Die Hard III and The Man in the Iron Mask.
Opposite Irons, and in the title role, will be Eddie Redmayne,
who is currently appearing in Hecuba,
at the Donmar Warehouse.
The actors will be accompanied by soloists of the Philharmonia,
conducted by Robin O'Neill.
A Soldier's Tale will be presented at the Old Vic theatre
by The Motion Group who, next year, aim to take this same production
to Baghdad, using a new Arabic/English translation, before returning
it to London.
A companion piece, entitled The Civilian's Tale, is
also in the pipe-line.
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