Xameleon Theatre present Diaries of Madmen at The Cockpit Theatre. Did you know that the Spanish King in disguise is pushing papers in an office in Saint Petersburg? Did you know that by falling in love with the daughter of your boss, you start understanding dog’s language? Is it true that the Moon is made in Hamburg and if you hear the steps of The Grand Inquisitor, you should hide under the chair?
Find out in a new adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s novel by London based Russian theatre company Xameleon Theatre.
This re-imagined Russian classical novel is a funny and brutal exploration of a civil servant’s Poprishchin struggle to keep a grip on reality.
Another civil servant Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, who later became one of the greatest Russian composers, also had a complicated relationship between his inner world and reality. The show also features Tchaikovsky’s personal diaries, which reveal his daunting self-doubt and loneliness.
Director Konstantin Kamenski combines the stories of two civil servants, and explores the relationship between genius and madness, hopelessness and the desire to escape into the imaginary world.
Performed in Russian with English surtitles.
Recommended age: 10+
Produced by Xameleon Theatre
Directed by Konstantin Kamensky
Produced by Vlada Lemeshevska
Stage and Costume Design by Irina Gluman
Performed by Oleg Sidorchik and Irina Kara
Diaries of Madmen is at The Cockpit Theatre 5th-10th February 2019.
Tickets: Full price £26, Concessions £22