Cheek by Jowl reunites with the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre on Francis Beaumont’s outrageous dark comedy, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, hilarious and terrifying in its relevance to our times. Following its Paris and Moscow premières, the production comes to London for performances at the Barbican – where Cheek by Jowl is an Artistic Associate, from 5 to 8 June.
Declan Donnellan directs Kirill Chernyshenko (Jasper), Alexander Feklistov (Grocer), Anna Karmakova (Mrs Merrythought), Danila Kazakov (Michael), Andrei Kuzichev (Humphrey), Sergei Miller (Venturewell), Alexei Rakhmanov (Mr Merrythought), Nazar Safonov (Rafe), Kirill Sbitnev (Tim), Agrippina Steklova (Grocer’s wife) and Anna Vardevanian (Luce).
The Knight of the Burning Pestle is Cheek by Jowl and Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre’s second co-production, following the award-winning Measure for Measure, seen at the Barbican in 2015. This is Cheek by Jowl’s sixth Russian-language production and represents a long-term collaboration with acclaimed Russian performers, including Alexander Feklistov, who performed in all previous co-productions with the Chekhov International Theatre Festival: Boris Godunov (2000 – 2010), Three Sisters (2005 – 2013), The Tempest (2011-2014) and Twelfth Night (2003 – 2018). Regular Cheek by Jowl performers Anna Vardevanian and Andrei Kuzichev are joined by Agrippina Steklova and actors from the Pushkin Theatre’s full-time ensemble.
The London Merchant, a play about two dysfunctional families begins. But suddenly, from the audience, a grocer and his wife clamber onto the stage, explaining to the astonished actors that while they quite like the play, it could be better and more exciting. Apparently, singing, dancing, an exotic foreign location and the appearance of a knight are the missing ingredients. Luckily, their apprentice Rafe is just the man for the job.
Director Declan Donnellan and designer Nick Ormerod collaborate with Moscow’s Pushkin Theatre on Francis Beaumont’s subversive play within a play. The Knight of the Burning Pestle is a breathtaking comedy, hilarious and terrifying in its relevance to a post-expert world where everyone can be famous and anyone can write the story.
