Nuffield Theatre
onTuesday 20th January to Saturday 23rd January 1971
The Southampton Evening Echo wrote the following article as pre-publicity for the show.
Altering Tolstoy's Meaning
Only a few weeks after the massive Russian film of "War and Peace" visited Southampton, the German Edward Piscator adaptation for the stage comes to the Nuffield Theatre. Perhaps Tolstoy's vast novel doesn't seem a feasible proposition for the theatre, but Piscator, with Guntram Prufer and Alfred Neumann, has distilled the novel to the bare minimum using "epic" theatre. Piscator tried this style two or three years before Brecht, and with it he overcomes the obvious problems. He has made alterations in the basic story and concentrates on the lives of Pierre Bezuhov, Andrei Bolkonsky and Natasha Rostov. But his main alteration is in the basic meaning of Tolstoy's work. Whereas Tolstoy believed that war and disaster are an inevitable part of history which people must accept, Piscator changes the emphasis to the practical and revolutionary side. Tolstoy's belief was valid for his age but not ours. As Pierre says in the play: "Perhaps future generations will recognise that their destiny lies in their own hands, and not in the lottery of history and sweep its curse from their lives."
Next week's production is by The Maskers and direction is by Kenneth Spencer who directed "An Italian Straw Hat" last July at the Nuffield Theatre. His major problem with this production has been that David Bartlett, who was going to play Pierre, has had to go into hospital -- leaving Ken Hann with about ten days to learn the part. "But he did audition for the part and is coping very well," said Kenneth Spencer. Originally Ken Hann was due to play Anatol Kuragin. Graham Buchanan is Andrei and Georgina Bennett is Natasha. Two newcomers to the Maskers are Peter Neve (narrator) and David Pike (Napolean)
The Cast | |
The Narrator | Peter Neve |
Pierre | Ken Hann |
Natasha | Georgina Bennett |
Andrei | Graham Buchanan |
Countess Rostova | Jean Rowe |
Nicolai Rostov | Ray Green |
Prince Bolkonski | Kenneth Spencer |
Alpatich | John Lelliott |
Karatayev | Peter Syvret |
Dr. Kusmich | Peter White |
Anatol Kuragin | John Hamon |
Dolokhov | John Carrington |
Lisa | Frances Dudley |
Maria | Joy Steele |
Tsar Alexander I | John Lewis |
Kutusov | Michael Shailer |
Napoleon Bonaparte | David Pike |
Officers, Soldiers, Orderlies, Peasants | John Greenhouse, David Dudley, Terry Bennett, Keith Hooper |
For the Maskers: | |
Directed by | Kenneth Spencer |
Technical Director | Ron Tillyer |
Stage Manager | Tony Miles |
Assistant Stage Managers | Ron Avery, Neil Pickering, Bob Hart |
Lighting designed by | Roger Lockett, Derek Jones |
Lighting | Colin Jurd, Ivan White |
Sound | Geoff Grandy |
Assisted by | Rodney Stratford |
Set Design | Kenneth Spencer |
Properties | Caroline Reeves |
Slide Presentation | Serena Brown |
Wardrobe Mistress | Kay Hann |
Costume Hire | Bristol Old Vic & Morris Angel |
Musical Advisor | Malcolm Willcock |
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