2009 Add-ons

Creative Team

By William Shakespeare
Adapted by Tom Wright and
Benedict Andrews

 

Director Benedict Andrews
Set Designer Robert Cousins
Costume Designer Alice Babidge
Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper
Composer and Sound Designer Max Lyandvert
Musician Stefan Gregory

 

With Narek Armaganian, Cate Blanchett, Brandon Burke, Peter Carroll, Marta Dusseldorp, Eden Falk, Holly Fraser, John Gaden, Louis Hunter, Michael Kilbane, Ewen Leslie, Steve Le Marquand, Hayley McElhinney, Amber McMahon, Robert Menzies, Luke Mullins, Pamela Rabe, Emily Russell, Billy Shaw-Voysey, Leo Shaw-Voysey

The War of the Roses
 
Email Reminder
 
 

The War of the Roses Part 2
By William Shakespeare
Adapted By Tom Wright and Benedict Andrews
 

As the culmination of their three years together, Sydney Theatre Company’s renowned resident ensemble, the STC Actors Company, are joined by Cate Blanchett and Robert Menzies to present an audacious epic of language and history - The War of the Roses.


The War of the Roses spans eight of Shakespeare’s History plays, from the elegance and melancholy of Richard II through to the barbarity and catastrophe of Richard III, via some of Shakespeare's most startling and inspired creations. The bittersweet underworld of Falstaff’s nights, the boy-failure who becomes a war hero in Henry V, the nightmare world of a child-king in Henry VI, the incisive language of Queen Margaret, all refracted by a creative team acclaimed for their vivid re-imaginings.

 

Condensed to four distinct acts, performed in two parts, this landmark production examines what it means to rule, to enact war, to take power and to lose power. It is the story of the failure of a civilisation and its replacement with a new world order.

 

Renowned for his distinctly bold interpretations of classic texts, The War of the Roses marks internationally-lauded director Benedict Andrews’ second collaboration with the STC Actors Company, following their award-winning production of Patrick White’s The Season at Sarsaparilla in 2007.

 

Warning: This production contains theatrical smoke and haze, loud music, strobe-like effects and material that may offend some patrons.

 

For more information on The War of the Roses Part 1 click here

 

Sydney Theatre

3 hours 45 minutes, including interval

Bookings: (02) 9250 1777

 

Hickson Road Bistro will be open from 5pm to 8.30pm throughout the season of The War of the Roses. For menu and contact details, please click here.

Reviews

"From the stunning opening... to the grim conclusion... this epic story of warfare and civilisation carries us, completely gripped, through eight hours of superb theatre." The Australian
Click here to read the full review

 

"...adapted by Tom Wright and Andrews in a version that is lucid, immediate and bright.... Andrews's spare production celebrates the splendour and poetry of Shakespeare, and affirms the imagination."The Sydney Morning Herald
Click here to read the full review


Synopsis

 

Act One

With the early death of Henry V, his baby son becomes King Henry VI. Henry V’s brother the Duke of Gloucester, is appointed Protector, but he cannot prevent the Kingdom being disrupted by the rivalry of two factions of the royal family; the followers of the Duke of York and the supporters of the infant King. The two sides meet in a garden, where they declare their loyalties by plucking roses; red for Lancaster, white for York. All-out civil war erupts. The house of York prevails and Edward IV becomes King.

 Act Two


Richard reveals his ambition; he aspires to be King and will remove all impediments. He spreads rumours which lead to the arrest of his brother Clarence, and he woos Anne, the widow of the young Prince of Wales murdered in the previous Act. Queen Margaret returns in defiance of her expulsion and prophesises of the coming darkness. As a Lancastrian, she is ignored. Edward IV dies, leaving his little sons as his heirs. Richard becomes their Protector. He keeps them out of sight, and aided by his cousin Buckingham he assumes the throne. Anyone who speaks up against him is murdered. Buckingham spreads rumours that the two Princes are illegitimate, and Richard III is proclaimed King.
 

The War Of The Roses is playing at the Perth International Arts Festival from 27 February - 12 March 2009. Click here to visit the PIAF website.

Dates & Times

PREVIEWS from 6 January 2009
SEASON from 14 January - 14 February 2009