Last night I went to see The Master and Margarita, staged by theatre group Complicite. I'd heard whispers about the group's genius and reliably sold out shows, but having read the novel - erratic and insane - I was sceptical about a successful adaptation.
I cannot remember I ever saw more compelling theatre. It felt like a circus full of mad enthusiasm, as surreal and gripping as Michael Bulgakow's 1930s novel.
The Devil comes to Moscow and wreaks havoc. Heads come off, a cat swears in Cockney, and Jesus meets Pontius Pilate. A love story threads through the chaos.
A complex plot requires courage, and Complicite has it en masse. Stunning video and light projections, contemporary music (Rolling Stones, anyone?), and set changes which defy counting - this is 21st century theatre with balls.
How do you show Margarita flying naked through the skies of Moscow? How do you make three hours feel like a short dance with the Devil?
Start queueing for return tickets.
At the Barbican, until 7 April.
I cannot remember I ever saw more compelling theatre. It felt like a circus full of mad enthusiasm, as surreal and gripping as Michael Bulgakow's 1930s novel.
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| Russian edition of The Master and Margarita by Michael Bulgakow |
The Devil comes to Moscow and wreaks havoc. Heads come off, a cat swears in Cockney, and Jesus meets Pontius Pilate. A love story threads through the chaos.
A complex plot requires courage, and Complicite has it en masse. Stunning video and light projections, contemporary music (Rolling Stones, anyone?), and set changes which defy counting - this is 21st century theatre with balls.
How do you show Margarita flying naked through the skies of Moscow? How do you make three hours feel like a short dance with the Devil?
 |
| Margarita clutching Master - and his novel Copyright Tristram Kenton |
Start queueing for return tickets.
At the Barbican, until 7 April.
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