Striking drama. More than a century old and as relevant and vivid as anything we have today
GUARDIAN
OBSERVER
FINANCIAL TIMES
i NEWSPAPER
‘It’s this infernal three-cornered duel - the Union, the men, and ourselves.'
1909. South Wales. There is snow on the ground at the Trenartha Tinplate Works, and the furnaces too are cold. The men are on strike, and the community is close to breaking point.
Amid this bleak winter, the company’s directors have made the journey from London to try and reach a solution and restart production. Fearing their plummeting share price, most board members are keen to reach a compromise, but the Chairman, old John Anthony, is resolute and hard as iron.
The men are behind their firebrand leader, Roberts, but the union has withdrawn its support and it is only a matter of time before the men do too.
More than a hundred years after it was first performed, Galsworthy’s rarely staged play offers a strikingly balanced account of the political spectrum and speaks with directness to our present moment.
Bertie Carvel makes his directorial debut at Chichester. As an actor, his recent roles include Yank in The Hairy Ape (Old Vic), Jonathan Strange in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (BBC) and the deceitful husband in Doctor Foster (BBC). He originated the role of Miss Trunchbull in Matilda The Musical (RSC).
William Gaunt returns to Chichester as John Anthony. He most recently appeared here in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and The Cherry Orchard, while other recent theatre includes Richard II (Shakespeare's Globe) and King Lear and The Seagull with the RSC.
