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'This happened on December 30, 2003. That may seem a while ago but
it won't when it happens to you...' In this adaptation of her
award-winning, bestselling memoir, Joan Didion transforms the story
of the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband and their only
daughter into a stunning and powerful one-woman play. The first
production of 'The Year of Magical Thinking', starring Vanessa
Redgrave and directed by David Hare, was a runaway hit on Broadway
in 2007. The same production is transferring to the National
Theatre from April to July 2008.
'A writing career which is the most consistently adventurous of any
British dramatist.' Observer Recording dizzying changes in culture
and politics, this is a powerful compilation of prose and poetry by
one of the distinctive thinkers of our time. The elegant essays
range from a celebration of Mad Men to a diagnosis of the
incoherence of Conservatism in the new century. The poems, in
contrast, are private, tender meditations. 'Always, there is a
breadth and a caustic wit reminiscent of his idol Chekhov.'
Spectator 'David Hare's great quality has always been his refusal
to accept the division between fact and imagination. His creative
invention is fired by public realities and in turn he makes those
realities feel deeply personal. That same quality is wonderfully at
work in his essays and poems. Whether he is writing about Tony
Blair or Joan Didion, whether he is writing out of love or rage,
evoking the intimate moments of his own life or the great moral
questions of our times, he brings his subjects to life with an
irresistible immediacy. All the wit, combativeness, energy and edge
he has brought to the stage are present here on the page.' Fintan
O'Toole 'A reliable source of delight.' New Statesman
I want to give my country a model of perfection. My country needs
cheering up. I'm the man to do it. A man of great passions, John
Christie wooed his opera singer wife with a determination befitting
a man who won the Military Cross at the Battle of Loos. Now, in
1934, this Etonian science teacher's admiration for the works of
Wagner has led him to embark on the construction of an opera house
on his Sussex estate. Then, by chance, he hears word of a group of
refugees from Nazi Germany who may perhaps deliver his vision of
the sublime - assuming they're willing to cast his wife in the
lead. David Hare's The Moderate Soprano tells the story of how
Glyndebourne, this most English of institutions, derives its
character firstly from a woman and secondly from an Austrian and
two Germans. The play premiered at Hampstead Theatre in 2015, and
opened at the Duke of York's Theatre, London, in April 2018. 'In
the grand tradition of Bulgakov's Black Snow, a penetrating way of
investigating the politics of life in general through the troubled
internal politics of a particular theatrical institution. Fervently
recommended.' Independent 'A loving portrayal of the mix of vision,
stubbornness, grit, love and luck that can produce great art.'
Financial Times
The Great Lighthouses of Ireland is a collection of striking images
and fascinating stories about the lighthouses around Ireland's
coast and the extraordinary men and women who lived and worked in
them. The book, published to accompany the TV series of the same
name, has an encyclopaedic range of subjects, including history,
biography, engineering and science, art, wildlife and social
history. Stories include the raid on the Fastnet by the IRA,
Ireland's nuclear-powered lighthouse and the heroic rescue of the
Daunt Rock lightship. With more than 300 stunning images and
archive documents, this beautiful book brings to life the romance
and history of the lighthouses that inspire such fascination.
This version of Brecht's great anti-war play by playwright David
Hare was premiered by the National Theatre, London, in November
1995. It adopts a freer approach to the text than many editions,
adapting the original rather than offering a close translation. In
this chronicle of the Thirty Years War, Mother Courage follows the
armies back and forth across Europe, selling provisions and liquor
from her canteen wagon. One by one she loses her children to the
war but will not part with her livelihood - the wagon. The Berlin
production of 1949, with Helene Weigel as Mother Courage, marked
the foundation of the Berliner Ensemble. Considered by many to be
one of the greatest anti-war plays ever written and Brecht's
masterpiece, it remains a powerful example of Brecht's Epic Theatre
and pioneering theatrical style.
For forty uninterrupted years, Robert Moses was the most powerful
man in New York. Though never elected to office, he manipulated
those who were through a mix of guile, charm and intimidation.
Motivated at first by a determination to improve the lives of New
York City's workers, he created parks, bridges and 627 miles of
expressway to connect the people to the great outdoors. But in the
1950s, groups of citizens began to organize against his schemes and
against the motor car, campaigning for a very different idea of
what a city should be. David Hare's blazing account of a man -
played by Ralph Fiennes - whose iron will exposed the weakness of
democracy in the face of charismatic conviction, premieres at the
Bridge Theatre, London, in March 2022.
'There are times in the theatre when you suddenly find yourself in
the grip of silence. There is no fidgeting or coughing, no shifting
about in seats: the audience's attention is so tense it is almost
palpable. This is because it is both thrilling and dangerous: a
fight to the death, or the dawning of salvation. David Hare's new
play, Skylight, is punctuated by such moments. They are the signs
that a dramatist of the first rank is writing at full stretch, in
complete command of his material, undogmatic and unafraid,
unforgiving and compassionate.' Sunday Times Skylight was revived
in a new production at the Wyndham's Theatre, London, in June 2014,
which received the Evening Standard Revival of the Year Award.
Russia, late summer at the close of the nineteenth century. Vanya
and his niece Sonya have worked for years to manage the country
estate. Into this ordered and regular household come two new
visitors, Sonya's father, an irritable professor, and his young
wife Elena who, in the space of a few months, cause chaos, one by
their selfishness, and the other by their sexual allure. Between
them, they manage to have most of the inhabitants questioning their
purpose in life, their happiness and, at times, their sanity. David
Hare's version of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya opens at Theatre
Royal Bath in July 2019.
A young lawyer's involvement in her first case leads her through a
criminal justice system - police, courts and prisons - which is
cracking at the seams. Murmuring Judges is the second play in David
Hare's highly acclaimed trilogy about British institutions. Racing
Demon, which won four awards as Play of the Year in 1990, was the
first part of the trilogy and examined the Church. The Absence of
War, a play about the Labour Party, completed the trilogy.
In Racing Demon, the first installment in David Hare's trilogy about the health of three British institutions, details the struggle of four clergymen to make sense of their mission in South London. Racing Demon, a popular British card game where the quick and confident always beat the thoughtful and indecisive, serves as a telling metaphor for the quality of leadership that is valued in our culture.
In this trilogy, David Hare assults one of favorite targets—institutions. He takes a harsh look at religion, the legal system, and Britain's political parties; specifically, the Church of England, the British legal system, Thatcherian politics, and the English press. Alongside the first installment of the trilogy, Murmuring Judges takes a behind the scenes look at Britain's legal system, while The Absence of War examines the life of a Labour Party member. David Hare has also written Asking Around, a documentary book which supplies the background to the writing of the plays.
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Peter Gynt (Paperback, Main)
Henrik Ibsen; Translated by David Hare
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In this radical new version of Peer Gynt, David Hare kidnaps Henrik
Ibsen's most famous hero and runs away with him into the
twenty-first century. Stripped of fretwork and greenery, the play
is projected into a freewheeling modern world of music, dance,
poetry, weddings, coronations, trolls and two-headed children as
Peter steals a bride and embarks on an extraordinary lifetime's
journey before returning home, finally, to Scotland. David Hare's
Peter Gynt posits the same fundamental question the great Norwegian
asked in 1867: does a belief in individualism help or hinder us in
trying to live purposefully in the present day? The play opens at
the National Theatre in July 2019 and transfers to the Festival
Theatre Edinburgh, for the Edinburgh International Festival.
In 1991, before an election they did not expect to win, the
Conservative government made a fateful decision to privatize the
railways. Now, twelve years later, as a result of that
privatization, the taxpayer subsidizes rail more lavishly than ever
before. In The Permanent Way, David Hare tells the intricate,
madcap story of a dream gone sour, by gathering together the
first-hand accounts of those most intimately involved - from every
level of the system. Funny, tragic and compelling, the play offers
an extraordinary parable of British mis-management that raises
questions about the recent history of the country.
In 1975, David Hare co-founded the Joint Stock Theatre Company, for whom he adapted Fanshen, William Hinton's book on the Chinese Revolution. Like most of Hare's political plays, Fanshen refuses to simplify complex moral issues. Focusing on the difficulties, mistakes, and corruptions of the revolution, Hare ultimately implies that those involved can learn from their mistakes and perhaps even move towards a more ideal society. After 1975, Hare began to write for the National Theatre which produced A Map of the World, which takes its title from Oscar Wilde's observation that "A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at," contrasts the cynicism of a successful novelist with an aggressive and idealistic young journalist. In Saigon, Barbara, a British woman, is a clerk at a bank in Saigon. She meets a CIA operative and the two fall in love just before the Vietcong take over the city.This unique wartime romance gives an unusual perspective of war from two Westerners ostensibly on the outside, but tied to the money and power which drives the war.
Also included in this volume are The Bay at Nice, which premiered at the National in 1986 and The Secret Rapture, which tells the story of two sisters coping with their father's death.
Do you want to be happier? Find inner calm? Enjoy a rich and
rewarding life? Here's how... The Buddha in Me, the Buddha in You
combines the tried-and-tested wisdom of Nichiren Buddhism with the
best of popular psychology and personal development, making this a
brilliant guide to how life works, and how to get the most from it.
Nichiren Buddhism differs from other Buddhist schools in its focus
on the here-and-now, and places great importance on individual
growth as the starting point for a better world. This, combined
with powerful techniques such as NLP, mindfulness, journalling and
coaching, makes The Buddha in Me, the Buddha in You the
quintessential handbook for happiness. 'Buddha' simply means
someone who is awakened - yet while Nichiren Buddhists will find
fascinating insights into their practice, there is no need to
follow a spiritual path to benefit from this book. Through his
experience as an internationally acclaimed life coach and
practising Buddhist, author David Hare shows us how to wake up to
our own potential and that of those around us - to discover
everyday enlightenment.
Should I run? This is the question Pauline Gibson is asking
herself. She has spent her adult life as a doctor, the inspiring
leader of a campaign for local health provision. When she crosses
paths with her old boyfriend, Jack Gould, who has made his way in
Labour party politics, she's faced with an agonising decision.
What's involved in sacrificing your private life and your peace of
mind for something more than a single issue? Does she dare? David
Hare was recently described by the Washington Post as 'the premiere
political dramatist writing in English.' His explosive new play
portrays the history of a twenty year intimate friendship and its
public repercussions. David Hare's new play I'm not Running,
premieres at the National Theatre, London, in October 2018.
Nothing is more important to a modern political party than
fund-raising. But the values of the donors 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. This richly imagined 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, David Hare's fourteenth original play for
the National Theatre, London, premiered in November 2008.
Schnitzler described Reigen, his loose series of sexual sketches,
as 'completely unprintable'. The company that first presented them
was prosecuted for obscenity in 1921. It was only when Max Ophuls
made his famous film in 1950 that the work became better known as
La Ronde. Now David Hare has re-set these circular scenes of love
and betrayal in the present day. Using as much imaginative freedom
in his turn as Ophuls did fifty years ago, and with just two actors
playing all of the parts, Hare has created a fascinating landscape
of dream and longing which seems both eternal and bang-up-to-date.
Anton Chekhov is one of the undisputed masters of world drama. He
is usually thought to hide himself behind his characters and
stories, keeping his own personality well off-stage. But when he
was young he wrote three plays - Platonov, Ivanov and The Seagull -
which, with their thrilling sunbursts of youthful anger and
romanticism, reveal a very different playwright from the one known
by his mature, more familiar work. Young Chekhov brings these three
blazing dramas together in versions by internationally acclaimed
dramatist David Hare, offering the chance to explore the birth of a
revolutionary dramatic voice. The plays show a writer freeing
himself from the constraints of nineteenth-century melodrama and
herald the shift into the twentieth century, and the birth of the
modern stage. The Young Chekhov season premiered at the Chichester
Festival Theatre in the autumn of 2015.
What is a political playwright? Does theatre have any direct effect
on society? Why choose to work in a medium which speaks to so few?
Is theatre itself facing oblivion? All frequent questions addressed
to David Hare over the last thirty-five years, as his work has
taken him from the travelling fringe to the National Theatre, from
seasons on Broadway to performances in prisons, church halls and on
bare floors. Since 1978, Hare has sought uniquely to address these
and other questions in occasional lectures given both in Britain
and abroad. Now, for the first time, these lectures are collected
together with some of his more recent prose pieces about God, Iraq,
Israel/Palestine and the privatisation of the railways. Bringing to
the lectern the same wit, insight and gift for the essential for
which his plays are known, Hare presents the distilled result of a
lifetime's sustained thinking about art and politics.
An elderly antiquarian bookseller has just died at his home in the
country. His two daughters come to attend to things. Isobel, who
has been nursing him, is a partner in a small design firm. Marion
is in politics - already a junior minister. It is Marion's
profession to provide answers, and to back those who offer
solutions, but not all human situations yield to a professional
approach - least of all when they involve their junior step-mother
Katherine. In this elegantly constructed play, a mordant comedy of
manners deepens into a painfully unsparing examination of the
consequences of applying principled pragmatism to human feelings.
'David Hare has written one of the best English plays since the war
and established himself as the finest British dramatist of his
generation.' John Peter, Sunday Times
Berlin/Wall In two contrasted readings for the stage, David Hare
visits a place where a famous wall has come down; then another
where a wall is going up. Berlin For his whole adult life, David
Hare has been visiting the city which so many young people regard
as the most exciting in Europe. But there's something in Berlin's
elusive character that makes him feel he's always missing the
point. Now, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the
reunification, he offers a meditation about Germany's restored
capital - both what it represents in European history, and the
peculiar part it has played in his own life. Wall The
Israeli/Palestine security fence will one day stretch 486 miles,
from one end of Israel to the other. It will be four times as long
as the Berlin wall, and in places twice as high. In this second
monologue, the playwright recalls his trips to both Israel and the
Palestinian territory and offers a history of the wall's building,
an exploration of the philosophy behind it and a personal account
of those who live on either side. Berlin premiered at the National
Theatre, London, in February 2009 and Wall premiered at the Royal
Court Theatre, London, in March 2009.
This is a new collection of some of David Hare's finest work,
including Skylight (Winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best
New Play, 1996), Amy's View, The Judas Kiss and My Zinc Bed.
David Hare has long been one of Britain's best-known screenwriters
and dramatists. He's the author of more than thirty acclaimed plays
that have appeared on Broadway, in the West End, and at the
National Theatre. He wrote the screenplays for the hugely
successful films The Hours, Plenty, and The Reader. Most recently,
his play Skylight won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Revival on
Broadway. Now, in his debut work of autobiography, "Britain's
leading contemporary playwright" (Sunday Times) offers a vibrant
and affecting account of becoming a writer amid the enormous flux
of postwar England. In his customarily dazzling prose and with
great warmth and humor, he takes us from his university days at
Cambridge to the swinging 1960s, when he cofounded the influential
Portable Theatre in London and took a memorable road trip across
America, to his breakthrough successes as a playwright amid the
political ferment of the '70s and the moment when Margaret Thatcher
came to power at the end of the decade. Through it all, Hare sets
the progress of his own life against the dramatic changes in
postwar England, in which faith in hierarchy, religion, empire, and
the public good all withered away. Filled with indelible glimpses
of such figures as Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee
Williams, Helen Mirren, and Joseph Papp, The Blue Touch Paper is a
powerful evocation of a society in transition and a writer in the
making.
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