Primo
When PRIMO opened in September 2004 it was instantly recognised as a major theatrical event; every performance was sold out. A work of astounding dramatic power it brings to life Primo Levi’s great testament to his year in Auschwitz. Antony Sher’s towering performance is as controlled as Primo Levi’s own lucid prose. Beautifully directed by Richard Wilson and presented in Hildegard Bechtler’s magnificent, symbolist set. This is quite simply – masterpiece theatre.
“At the end of this remarkable performance there was a silence unlike any other I have experienced in a theatre. Sher captures Levi’s unsparing depiction of his fellow inmates…with a tentative almost unbearable beauty.” Daily Telegraph
“The presentation, from Antony Sher’s self-effacing performance to Hildegard Bechtler’s grey-walled design, shows it is possible for theatre to match the un-rhetorical honesty of one of the 20th Century’s great books.” The Guardian
“This is acting of the purest kind, unadorned by self-pity or visible virtuosity. This is theatre at its most human, most moral and least indoctrinating. Richard Wilson’s direction has the clarity and humility of great directors: Primo seems simply to happen, like an eclipse or an earthquake.” Sunday Times
Cast and creatives
CAST
Primo Levi: ANTONY SHER
Cello: ROBIN THOMSON-CLARKE
FOR HERITAGE THEATRE
Producer: ROBERT MARSHALL
Video Director: ROBIN LOUGH
video to come
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