Sydney Theatre Company and ThinIce present
THE DUEL
Duel, n: a contest with deadly weapons arranged between two people in order to settle a point of honor
Zosima is a young man who lives a life of debauchery where nothing is out of bounds. The night before a deadly duel, he wakes with an overwhelming sense of guilt and insight. This will be the event that transforms his life and leads him from the military to a monastery.
In 1880 Dostoevsky wrote his final novel - The Brothers Karamazov. The Duel forensically examines a single chapter from The Brothers Karamazov, digging deep into Zosima’s journey and the mysterious visitor who challenges him with a dark secret.
Dostoevsky’s poetic language, as adapted by Tom Wright, will be brought to life in a visual and contemporary production driven by performances of powerful simplicity.
Director Matthew Lutton is renowned for his wildly inventive explorations of theatre and The Duel marks the beginning of a dynamic partnership with his Perth-based company ThinIce as an Associate Company of STC.
Wharf 2
Bookings: (02) 9250 1777
Reviews
"The Duel is an exhilarating, honest, no bullshit, truly experimental and ultimately successful experience." stagenoise.com.au
"7/10 This is an exciting experiment in theatre that offers a unique insight into the brilliance of one of the greatest Russian novelists.... Placing great Russian literature into an Australian house gives the text a flavour and excitement that a more conventional adaptation wouldn’t be able to achieve... there’s a quiet brilliance to the unattached setting that makes the words come alive.... the moments of Zosima's metamorphosis, played excellently by Mullins, as he spasms to let out the confinement of a military career, is worth the price of admission alone." The Sun Herald
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I saw Duel last Saturday, 6th of June with few friends. We had amazing night. Adaptation was so well done that I just wanted to be able to read it again again and again. Acting was superb, rarely you see all actors working so well together!!!! Play has that many levels that is impossible to see and get everything with one viewing!!! And considering when was written originally as book has amazing relevance today. Thank you STC and NEXT STAGE for great work and amazing acting. You MADE my weekend - Marija
This was the best Dostoevsky adaptation that I have ever seen, and I have seen them in a couple of languages in a couple of countries. If you could not endure through Crime and Punishment or Brothers Karamazov, this will give you the true taste of Dostoevsky and leave you pondering. Superb adaptation by Tom Wright, true acting by Brian Lipson, Renee McIntosh, Luke Mullins, and David Lee Smyth, intelligent direction by Matthew Lutton, skimpy boxed, approriate set and wonderfull blue dress by Claude Marcos, music for the sway Kby ingsley Reeve and puzzling moments of green light by Damien Cooper. Thank you all! - Bojan
The Duel was quite brilliant. Well cast. Interesting and unusual protrayal. I throuighly enjoyed the experience.Top class performance. - Judith
I saw The Duel recently & I thought it was fantastic. All performances were excellent & the staging, script and music ties ins blended perfectly. A great night out. - Gavin
