On The Waterfront
On The Waterfront
On The Waterfront comes to The Haymarket
Booking for a medium length season from Wednesday, 28th January 2009 until Saturday, 25th April 2009 with matinees on Thursdays at 2.30pm, and Saturdays at 3pm
Evening performances on Monday to Saturday start at 7:45pm
At the Haymarket Theatre Royal.
Director Steven Berkoff explains why On the Waterfront is still a contender in The Times Online
The waterfront theme is close to Greek tragedy, close, since in our version the hero doesn’t die, but the elements are there – the loner, the individual battling against an evil regime. The chorus, the masses who look on helplessly, yet only impotently comment. The New York docks were run by gangsters, as a personal fiefdom, ruled by intimidation and bribery.
We all identified with Brando’s Terry Malloy and in some way we wished to emulate him. The values that he handed on to us were the simple ones our fathers trained us to espouse. To be loyal to your friends, to your colleagues, and to fight to the death for what you believed in. How could we not be seduced by this modern-day hero?
On the Waterfront now has a new life. Terry Malloy lives again. I am proud of the work.
On The Waterfront acclaimed by critics
On The Waterfront was acclaimed by critics and audiences on its original run at the Nottingham PLayhouse and achieved standing ovations when it transferred to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last summer. There, both lead actor Simon Merrells and the Ensemble Cast were nominated in The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence, given by the entertainment industry’s leading professional journal, which also named On The Waterfront one of this year’s “MUST SEE” Edinburgh shows. There was a further nomination for the production in the Theatrical Management Association Awards, where Steven Berkoff received a nod for Best Director.
Adapted by Budd Schulberg from his own screenplay for the celebrated Marlon Brando movie, ON THE WATERFRONT is the story of a young New York dock worker, Terry Malloy (Merrells) who takes a daring stand against the Mob which controls the dockers’ unions. Berkoff, whose company East Productions co-produced the show with Nottingham Playhouse, brings to it the full power of his renowned muscular style.
