2016 looks set to be an exciting year at the YV. We've just announced 4 new shows; A Man of Good Hope, Once in a Lifetime, The Emperor and The Nest. That's not all, we've also announced casting for Blue/Orange. Some of the world’s most extraordinary writers, actors and directors join forces to tell incredible stories as we journey from South Africa to Hollywood and beyond.
Take a look below for more on our exciting lineup. It’s a big world in here – and it’s yours.
Kathryn Hunter, Walter Meierjohann and Colin Teevan reunite following their critical and popular hit Kafka’s Monkey for this world premiere production.
"His majesty knew that a joke was a dangerous form of opposition."
Master of transformation Kathryn Hunter brings to life an extraordinary fable of corruption, avarice and the collapse of absolute power.
A world premiere based on the astonishing book by legendary journalist Ryszard Kapuściński, from the team that brought you Kafka’s Monkey. Hunter creates a mesmerising cast of characters, all servants to an autocratic ruler on the brink of downfall. In a kingdom obsessed with title and tradition, the lowly and the loyal have incredible stories to tell.
A Man of Good Hope
6 Oct - 12 Nov
Critically acclaimed South African company Isango Ensemble return to the Young Vic for the UK premiere of a gripping tale of survival, based on the book by Jonny Steinberg.
The true story of one refugee’s epic quest across Africa, brought to life with music from the world-renowned Isango Ensemble.
Asad is a young Somali refugee with a painful past, miraculously good luck and a brilliant head for business. After years in a refugee camp and then learning to hustle in the streets of Ethiopia, he sets off for the promised land of South Africa. But when he arrives, he discovers the violent reality of life in the townships - and his adventures really begin.
This adaptation of Jonny Steinberg’s riveting book is told through roof-lifting songs and dance accompanied on the marimba.
A collaboration with the Royal Opera House.
Ian Rickson returns to the Young Vic with Conor McPherson’s new translation of The Nest by Franz Xaver Kroetz.
Parents-to-be Kurt and Martha just want the best for their baby. They’re not afraid of hard work - the latest buggy doesn’t come cheap. But when Kurt’s boss offers him a chance to make some easy money with a mysterious side job, his rashness catches up with him.
Conor McPherson has written a powerful new version of the German classic.
A fable about the moral and environmental cost of our materialistic nesting instincts, directed by Ian Rickson.
Once in a Lifetime
25 Nov - 14 Jan
Olivier Award-winning Richard Jones returns to the Young Vic to direct Christopher Hart’s adaptation of Kaufman and Hart’s classic Hollywood comedy.
Hollywood, 1930. The first-ever talking motion picture is a smash hit. Suddenly every actor needs a voice. Three New Yorkers head west to open an elocution school. But in a city heaving with clueless ingénues, all-powerful studio moguls and neurotic screenwriters, success is trickier than it sounds. Misadventures abound. Our three heroes vie to become the next big thing in Tinsel Town.
Daniel Kaluuya (Black Mirror, Sucker Punch) and Luke Norris (Poldark, A View from the Bridge) are set to appear in Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange in a new production by director Matthew Xia. You might remember Luke for his incredible performance as Rodolpho in A View from the Bridge (Young Vic and West End) and Daniel from his brutal portrayal of Mobutu Sese Seko in A Season in the Congo.
Christopher has been confined to a psychiatric ward for a month. He wants out. The problem is he still thinks oranges are blue. His doctor, convinced he needs help, wants to section him. The senior consultant thinks it’s all a question of culture: at home in Shepherd’s Bush Christopher will be amongst 'people who think just like him'. And besides, it costs taxpayer money to keep Christopher in care.
Race, ethics, sanity and prejudice collide in Joe Penhall’s exquisitely sharp 'state of the nation' classic. Matthew Xia directs this Olivier Award-winning play, as timely now as it ever was.
_
For more info and to book tickets, click here. Take a look at our 2016 Season Brochure here.
