Light Shining in Buckinghamshire - National Theatre (Lyttelton)
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
WRITTEN by Caryl Churchill and directed by Lyndsey Turner, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire opens in the Lyttelton Theatre on April 23 (previews from April 15) before continuing in repertoire until June 22, 2015.
In the aftermath of a bloody and brutal civil war, England stands at a crossroads. Food shortages, economic instability, and a corrupt political system threaten to plunge the country into darkness and despair. The Parliament men who fought against the tyranny of the King now argue for stability and compromise, but the people are hungry for change.
For a brief moment, a group of rebels, preachers, soldiers and dissenters dare to imagine an age of hope, a new Jerusalem in which freedom will be restored to the land.
Light Shining in Buckinghamshire tells the story of the men and women who went into battle for the soul of England. It speaks of the revolution we never had and the legacy it left behind.
The cast includes Trystan Gravelle, Joshua James, Amanda Lawrence, Ashley McGuire, Simon Manyonda and Alan Williams.
Caryl Churchill’s seminal plays include Cloud Nine, Top Girls, Serious Money, The Skriker (National Theatre, 1994), A Number and Love and Information. Her new version of Strindberg’s A Dream Play was seen at the National in 2005 and her new play, Here We Go, will open in the Dorfman Theatre in December.
Lyndsey Turner’s directing credits include Fathers and Sons and Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Donmar Warehouse); Machinal (Roundabout, New York); Chimerica (Almeida and West End); Posh (Royal Court and West End); There Is A War and Edgar and Annabel (National Theatre); Alice and The Way Of The World (Sheffield Theatres); and Our Private Life, Contractions and A Miracle (Royal Court).
Light Shining in Buckinghamshire has set designs by Es Devlin, costumes by Soutra Gilmour, lighting by Bruno Poet, movement by Joseph Alford, music by Helen Chadwick, and sound by Christopher Shutt.
Also in the Lyttelton: Tanya Ronder’s adaptation of Shahid Nadeem’s Dara (until April 4) and Simon Godwin’s reinvention of Bernard Shaw’s witty, provocative classic, Man and Superman, starring Ralph Fiennes (February 17 to May 17, 2015).