LIFE AND FATE
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY VASILY GROSSMAN ADAPTED AND STAGED BY LEV DODIN
An intimate portrait of resilience in history’s darkest moment.
The world renowned Maly Drama Theatre brings a stirring historical work that sees intimate moments of family drama against the backdrop of major political upheavals in the Soviet Union of 1943.
Adapted from Vasily Grossman’s 1960 novel – banned in the USSR for its depiction of communism – the story follows Jewish physicist Viktor Shtrum. Worried by growing anti-Semitism, Shtrum must balance personal morality with aiding Stalin’s pursuit of the atomic bomb, all the while striving to protect his family. Yet where there is life, there is hope.
To experience a Maly production is to realise the power of theatre to transform. Arguably Russia's leading theatre director today, Lev Dodin spent four years adapting the novel, brilliantly managing to retain its psychological complexity, philosophical yearning and political importance.
IN RUSSIAN WITH SURTITLES
CONTAINS NUDITY
Big, frightening, merciless yet incredibly touching, tortured and beautiful … a requiem of a performance . KOMMERSANT (Moscow)
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The fluidity, the attention to detail, the intensity and lucidity of many performances are breathtaking. THE FINANCIAL TIMES
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Dodin fluidly stages the production … what he pulls off here is a rare and pleasing combination: size plus speed . THE NEW YORK TIMES
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