Devised and directed by Matthew Bourne
BAM Harvey Theater
Mar 15 at 7pm*
Mar 16—19, 22—26, 29—Apr 2 at 7:30pm
Mar 19, 26 & Apr 2 at 2pm
Mar 20, 27 & Apr 3 at 3pm
Tickets: $25, 45, 65, 75
86min with 20min intermission
*Spring Gala
“…the most vital new piece of musical theater in
London…” —The New York Times
New Yorkers got their first taste of Matthew Bourne’s
insouciant and wholly original approach to theater in 1998 with
his all-male, startlingly feral (and Tony-winning)
Swan
Lake on Broadway. This time, Bourne—whose works include
unique renditions of classic ballets and musicals—gives
us a libidinous tale of Swinging Sixties London based on Harold
Pinter and Joseph Losey’s 1963 film
The Servant,
which starred Dirk Bogarde.
Set to a feverish jazz score,
Play Without Words tells
its story without dialogue, relying instead on the equally revealing
languages of movement and music. The action revolves around
Anthony, the moneyed young owner of a Chelsea townhouse whose
smug sense of entitlement gets a radical jolt thanks to the
machinations of his resentful domestic staff. Driving the escalating
intrigue is Anthony’s sinister manservant Prentice, who
through psychological and sexual manipulation comes to dominate
and devastate his weak-willed master. To further illustrate
the duplicitous goings-on, Bourne has cast the major roles in
triplet, resulting in a prismatic visual experience in which
a character’s multiple thoughts and actions simultaneously
unfold.
Coming to BAM after a sold-out run at London’s National
Theatre, this Olivier Award-winning production is a delightfully
original and terrifically fun undertaking, ripe with social
commentary, class conflict, and runaway sexual desire.
Music by Terry Davies
Inspired by Joseph Losey’s film
By special arrangement with StudioCanal
Based on The Servant by Robin Maugham
A New Adventures/National Theatre Production
Set Design by Lez Brotherston
Choreography by Matthew Bourne and the Company
Lighting Design by Paule Constable
Sound Design by Christopher Shutt
Presented in association with Center Theater Group/Ahmanson
Theater
Photos: Sheila Barnett.