With Funny Girl running at its home base in Southwark, Close To You – Bacharach Reimagined in the West End, and The Color Purple on Broadway, the Menier Chocolate Factory today announces the UK première of Florian Zeller’s The Truth in a new version by Christopher Hampton.
Two couples. Friendship, suspicion, deceit….and the truth.
Following last year’s phenomenal success of The Father by Florian Zeller (Theatre Royal Bath, Tricycle Theatre, Wyndham’s and returning to the Duke of York’s from February), the Menier Chocolate Factory in association with Theatre Royal Bath is delighted to present the UK première of Zeller’s biting new play The Truth from 10 March.
French novelist and playwright Zeller has been awarded the prestigious Prix Interallié and two Molière Awards for his work. This new version by Christopher Hampton (Les Liaisions Dangereuses) is directed by Lindsay Posner and runs to 7 May 2016. Casting will be announced shortly.
Florian Zeller is a French novelist and playwright. His work has been translated into several languages. Zeller wrote his first novel, Neiges artificielles (Artificial Snow), when he was twenty-two years old. His second novel, Les Amants du n’importe quoi (Lovers or Something Like It), was well received but it was his third novel, La Fascination du pire (Fascination of Evil), which won the 2004 Prix Interallié, and which made him a household name in France. The book was selected for the Prix Goncourt. In addition to The Father (which won the 2014 Molière Award for Best Play) and The Mother (winner of the 2011 Molière for Best Comedy) – both adapted into English by Christopher Hampton – Zeller’s other theatre credits include L’Autre, Le Manège, Si tu mourais (Prix Jeune Théâtre of the Académie Française), Elle t’attend, Une Heure de tranquillité and Le Mensonge. His other novels include Les Amants du n’importe quoi (Lovers or Something Like It); La Fascination du pire (The Fascination of Evil); Julien Parme and La Jouissance.
Christopher Hampton has translated plays by Ibsen, Molière, Chekhov and Yasmina Reza (including Art and Life x 3). He won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the adaptation of his own play, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (released as Dangerous Liaisons). He was nominated again in 2007 for adapting Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement. His television work includes adaptations of The History Man and Hotel du Lac.
Lindsay Posner returns to the Menier Chocolate Factory having previously directed Dinner with Saddam, Communicating Doors and Abigail’s Party (also Theatre Royal Bath, Wyndham’s and UK tour). His recent productions include The End of Longing (Playhouse), Hay Fever (Duke of York’s), Harvey (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Speed the Plow (Playhouse), Relatively Speaking (Wyndham’s), A Little Hotel on the Side (Theatre Royal Bath), Other Desert Cities, The Winslow Boy and Noises Off (Old Vic), The Turn of the Screw (Almeida Theatre) and Uncle Vanya (Vaudeville). He was Associate Director of the Royal Court from 1987-1992 where his productions included Death and the Maiden (which transferred to the Duke of York’s and won two Olivier Awards), Colquhoun and McBryde and The Treatment.
Dates: 10 March – 7 May
Website: www.menierchocolatefactory.com (£1.50 transaction fee per booking)
Tickets on sale to members from 25 January, on general sale from 3 February 2016.
www.menierchocolatefactory.com
