A new play by David Hare, GETHSEMANE, opens at the Cottesloe on November 11th, directed by Howard Davies. The cast includes Anthony Calf, Tamsin Greig, Jessica Raine, Daniel Ryan, Stanley Townsend and Nicola Walker. The production will have set designs by Bob Crowley and costumes by Fotini Dimou, with lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Christopher Shutt. GETHSEMANE will continue in repertoire at the Cottesloe until 24 February, after which the production will tour the UK.
Nothing is more important to a modern political party than fund-raising. But the values of the donor can't always coincide with the professed beliefs of the party. And family scandal within the cabinet has the potential to throw both the money-raisers and the money-spenders into chaos.
David Hare's new ensemble play about British public life looks at the way business, media and politics are now intertwined to nobody's advantage, as, in an unforgiving world, one character after another passes through Gethsemane. GETHSEMANE is David Hare's fourteenth original play for The National Theatre; the others include Stuff Happens, The Permanent Way (a co-production with Out of Joint), Amy's View, Skylight, The Secret Rapture, The Absence of War, Murmuring Judges, Racing Demon, Pravda (written with Howard Brenton) and Plenty. Tamsin Greig makes her National Theatre debut; her recent theatre credits include God of Carnage (West End), Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (for which she received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress) and King John for the RSC. Her extensive television work includes Green Wing (RTS and Bafta Awards), Love Soup and Black Books; radio includes playing Debbie in The Archers. Other members of the cast have all recently appeared at the National: Anthony Calf as Anthony Eden in Howard Brenton's Never So Good; Stanley Townsend in Lucinda Coxon's Happy Now?; and Jessica Raine in Simon Stephens' Harper Regan. Nicola Walker was last at the National in Edmond and Tales from the Vienna Woods. Howard Davies is an Associate Director at the NT, where his recent productions include Her Naked Skin, Never So Good, Present Laughter, Philistines, The Life of Galileo, Paul, The House of Bernarda Alba and Mourning Becomes Electra.
For more information pelase visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
