Tag: play

A German Life at The Bridge Theatre

Published on 13th February 2019

Maggie Smith returns to the theatre for the first time in 12 years in the world premiere of Christopher Hampton’s play A German Life at The Bridge Theatre. The play, drawn from the life and testimony of Brunhilde Pomsel is directed by Jonathan Kent and will have a limited 5 week run. “I had no idea what was going on. Or very little. No more than most people. So you can’t make me feel guilty.” Brunhilde Pomsel’s life spanned the twentieth century. She struggled to make ends meet as a secretary in Berlin during the 1930s, her many employers including a Jewish insurance broker, the German Broadcasting Corporation and, eventually, Joseph Goebbels. Christopher Hampton’s play is based on the testimony she gave when she finally broke her silence to a group of Austrian filmmakers, shortly before she died in 2016. Tickets will be available to the general public from 10am on Tuesday 26 February. Find out more / book tickets

Allelujah! by Alan Bennett

Published on 27th June 2018

The Beth, an old fashioned cradle-to-grave hospital serving a town on the edge of the Pennines, is threatened with closure as part of an NHS efficiency drive. Meanwhile, a documentary crew eager to capture its fight for survival follows the daily struggle to find beds on the Dusty Springfield Geriatric Ward, and the triumphs of the old people’s choir (newest member: the Pudsey Nightingale).    Alan Bennett’s new play is as sharp as The History Boys and as funny as The Lady in the Van. Ticket information 

Rebel Angel

Published on 19th September 2017

  You leave school – home – training – now what does life hold? A career? A vocation? A life in the arts? Money? Fame? A life of good works? Security? Danger? How and why do you choose? Who sways your mind? Rebel Angel explores the momentous occasion when John Keats opted for poetry over surgery, for posthumous fame over a life of conventional prosperity. The play is a site-specific production created to be experienced in the evocative and atmospheric ambience of a contemporary operating theatre. The story unfolds in the well of the old theatre, while the audience sit or stand on the tiers originally occupied by the watching (and occasionally fainting) medical students. As Keats was becoming increasingly horrified by the blundering of his supervisor ‘Butcher’ Lucas and the nightmare of dealing with the macabre body snatchers, so he was falling under the spell of his mentor Charles Cowden Clarke, the admiration of his new girl friends and the encouragement of poets Leigh Hunt and Shelley. Despite the opposition of his stern guardian Mr. Abbey, he was inspired by poetry and the mesmeric acting of Edmund Kean to try to emulate his hero Shakespeare. The Old Operating Theatre Museum has recently been refurbished with new lift access and this production also includes BSL interpreted performances. Please note that as a site-specific production you are not guaranteed a seat. If you would like to or need to sit down then for your own comfort it is recommended that you bring a cushion to place on the tiers. For more details on accessibility please contact the Old Operating Theatre on info@oldoperatingtheatre.com Tue 19 September to Sat 7 October 2017 at 7pm Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, 9a St Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RY Schools matinees Weds 3pm BSL performances Thu 28 September and Fri 6 October No performances on Sundays or Thu 5 October Running time approximately 75 minutes (no interval) How to book tickets: Online rebelangel.eventbrite.co.uk In person at the Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret Email info@oldoperatingtheatre.com Website oldoperatingtheatre.com