‘EVERYMAN’: (left to right) Amy Griffiths, Chiwetel Ejiofor & Clemmie Stevens in the hit show at the National Theatre in London. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

EVERYMAN
By Bernard O’Donoghue
A new adaptation by Carol Ann Duffy
Directed by Rufus Norris
Through August 30, 2015
National Theatre
Olivier Theatre
Upper Ground, South Bank
London, United Kingdom
(020 7452 3000), http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Broadcast in select U.S. cinemas nationwide on July 16, 2015.

Visit http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ for details

By David NouNou

Don’t let the words “based on a medieval morality play” scare you off. If anything, this modern-day translation is an epic feast for the eyes and ears. Similar to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in New York, the Olivier can house shows that would not be shown in a regular theater. The stage is massive and has plenty of room for every conceivable idea and effect desired.

Upon entering the theater, we see a scrubwoman sweeping clean the length and breadth of the stage. As the lights dim, she descends down the bowels of the stage and a body falls splat into the open pit. Talk about a theatrical jolt…wow.

There is a moral message here: Earthly comforts are fleeting only good deeds and God’s grace can provide salvation. God decides that Everyman, Ev to his friends (a character representing everyday man), needs to be taught a lesson in piety and sends a character named Death to teach him that lesson.

Ev (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is basically good, extremely prosperous and an affable person who overindulges in a hedonistic lifestyle. He wears designer clothes, dines on the finest foods, cars, jewelry, and enjoys the best life has to offer. Sex is casual and drugs are aplenty. Meanwhile, he never gives a thought to his elderly, ailing parents or his sister who takes care of them. Ev is carefree all the way.

On this particular night, Ev is celebrating his 40^th birthday with his friends, all of whom are allegorical characters/senses and wits: Sound, Passion, Vanity, Strength, Smell, Sensuality, Conscience, Touch, Taste, Sight, Deception, and Insecurity. Plenty of booze and drugs are consumed until Ev passes out cold face down.

God (Kate Duchene) is the weary scrubwoman who sends Death (Dermot Crowley) to claim Ev’s life and show him what an irresponsible life he led and how meaningless all his worldly possessions were. Worst yet, not one single person will stand beside him on judgment day; not his parents, sister nor any of his friends or acquaintances.

Upon viewing the cover of the program and knowing the title of the play, one can surmise the show’s premise but cannot imagine the impeccable theatricality of it, thanks to Rufus Norris’s brilliant direction. With the use of music, splendid costumes and masks, remarkable sets and special effects, the whole event springs to life. The surprise element here is how vividly everything unfolds. This you must see for yourself.

Chiwetel Ejiofor, best known in America for his Oscar-nominated role of Solomon Northup in the 2013 Oscar-winning film 12 Years A Slave, is remarkable. From his partying mode entrance to his final defeated and penitent moments, he is consistently riveting and fascinating to watch.

We kind of know that God can be vengeful, but a woman as well? Kate Duchene imbues her character with exact weariness. Ms. Duchene is a supreme being who is oh so tired of the whole mess. On the other hand, Dermot Crowley as Death loves his job and plays him with relish. He can’t wait to claim his next victim.

Everyman will be broadcast live this July 16, 2015 in theatres across America. Visit http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/venues for information. If you cannot make it to London this summer, do catch the show at one of the U.S. cinemas showing it. Should you be in London through November 30, 2015, catch “Everyman” live to experience its complex theatricality.

‘EVERYMAN’: Chiwetel Ejiofor & company. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

‘EVERYMAN’: The cast of the show. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

‘EVERYMAN’: Chiwetel Ejiofor & Kate Duchene. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

‘EVERYMAN’: Dermot Crowley & Chiwetel Ejiofor. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

‘EVERYMAN’: (left to right) Sharon D. Clarke, Michelle Butterly & Philip Martin Brown. Photo: Richard Hubert Smith.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published June 25, 2015
Reviewed at performance on June 17, 2015 in London

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Heading across “the Pond” to London this summer with the kids? Kids Week, slated for August 1 to 31, 2015, can more than help you save some money in the British capital, which is a vacation favorite for American theatre lovers. Why? Kids aged 16 and under can actually go free to top West End shows this summer when accompanied by an adult paying full price.

Following are all the details on this year’s Kids Week from our friends at Official London Theatre.

This year, Kids Week offers the following:

•    A record-breaking 45 shows offering free tickets for children plus activities announced at www.kidsweek.co.uk (one child free with an adult paying full price)
•    93% of those who attended Kids Week 2014 were inspired to take their family to the theatre more often because of the initiative
•    Tickets now on sale (no booking or postage fees) for performances in August
•    Stage characters from across the West End united for a very memorable train journey to celebrate the UK’s longest-running theatre audience development initiative

The annual London theatre initiative Kids Week (www.kidsweek.co.uk) returns this summer from 1 – 31 August with an exciting line-up of more than 40 shows offering free tickets for children. Tickets are now on sale.

This year’s Kids Week, now in its 18th year, is set to be the biggest yet with more shows than ever offering free tickets for children. During Kids Week, a child aged 16 or under can go free to participating shows when accompanied by an adult paying full price. Up to two extra children’s tickets can also be purchased at half price, per transaction.

Kids Week has gone from strength to strength and 2014 proved to be a record breaking year with 85,336 tickets selling in the first 24 hours – a 77% increase year-on-year. In that time period, revenue from paid tickets surpassed £2m. A 2014 survey, carried out by Society of London Theatre, found that 60% of bookers were new to Kids Week and 99% would recommend the initiative to a friend.

Emma De Souza, founder of Kids Week, said: ‘It has been great to see Kids Week grow over the years. The West End has long been family friendly but we are finding that more and more producers are scheduling children’s shows for Kids Week which is a testament to the popularity of this fantastic initiative.’

To celebrate the return of Kids Week, stage characters from across the West End boarded a special train, one of the stars of the current production of The Railway Children, for a magical trip to London.

Making its Kids Week debut is The 3 Little Pigs, one of the first West End musicals specifically written for children. The musical, which stars Simon Webbe, Alison Jiear, Leanne Jones, Taofique Folarin and Daniel Buckley, opens on 5 August 2015. Webbe, who plays Wolf, said: “I think Kids Week is such a great opportunity for everyone to go to the theatre, maybe for the first time this summer, so watch out as I huff and puff and blow the audience down!”

Kids Week also has a fantastic range of free activities and events – many new ones and others that are back by popular demand! Children can take a Billy Elliot ballet class, or take part in a storytelling workshop for I Believe In Unicorns. Under 5s are invited to meet The Gruffalo or enjoy fun activities with Aliens Love Underpants and, for older children, there’s the chance to perform the choreographic moves from the hit musical Jersey Boys, go backstage with The Mousetrap and meet the current cast of the longest-running play in the world, learn some of Wicked’s secrets or discover the art of improvisation from The Play That Goes Wrong.

The Kids Week activity listings can be found at www.kidsweek.co.uk

In addition to the free children’s tickets, families will be able to enjoy Kids Eat Free meal deals at selected London restaurants and take advantage of travel and hotel offers.

Tickets for Kids Week are available at www.kidsweek.co.uk or via the dedicated ticket hotline 0844 248 5151 supported by Ticketmaster with no booking or postage fees.  

For the latest Kids Week news and conversation, join our thriving social media community on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KidsWeekLondon) and follow Kids Week on Twitter @KidsWeek

For the full list of shows taking part in Kids Week 2015 visit www.kidsweek.co.uk

Please note:

• All offers are subject to availability for specific performances (especially at weekends). Shows on offer may change throughout the promotion. The offer does not apply to tickets already booked and cannot be used with any other offer.  Maximum 8 tickets per booking.

Official London Theatre is the consumer brand for Society of London Theatre, the not-for-profit organisation which provides a collective voice for the theatre owners, producers and managers of all the major commercial and grant-aided theatres across London. As well as protecting the interests of all its member theatres, SOLT promotes theatregoing through activities including the Olivier Awards with MasterCard, the TKTS ticket booth, the Official London Theatre website and its printed fortnightly listings guide, Theatre Tokens and the popular annual celebration West End LIVE in association with MasterCard. It also administers the audience development initiatives Kids Week and Get Into London Theatre, and supports a number of theatrical charities, including Stage One and Mousetrap Theatre Projects..

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