One hundred years after the Armistice, Leith Theatre presents a contemporary satirical account of World War One, written in the cafes of Vienna by Karl Kraus. Read more …
With original songs from The Tiger Lillies and a cast drawn from Scotland, Ireland, Poland, Germany, France, Ukraine and Serbia this is true European theatre.
The first docudrama, Kraus uses contemporary accounts, newspaper reports and political speeches to create a picture of World War One as it happened.
The Last Days Of Mankind offers something that remains all too rare in our remembrance rituals.
Despite its flagrant flaws, this is a production that deserves to be seen.
With the band onstage throughout, their newly composed set of narrative vignettes sung by Jacques add an even darker layer of malevolence to a show that may be as overwhelmingly fractured as the war that sired it, but leaves its audience quietly shell-shocked by such a mighty theatrical feat.
In our own times of uncertainty, this important vehemently anti -war production, that has chants from the past that echo with a chill note today, is a vital affirmation of co-operative European Theatre.
Kraus’ epic is performed as a fluid work with a sense of urgency.
Exquisite in its execution, this production is a centennial event like no other.
The unedited version of the play runs to some 15 hours, but even this nearly four hour-long production, based on Patrick Healy’s punchy translation, starts to repeat itself.
The production, like the play, is a work of flawed brilliance.
New show for Leith Theatre
Anti-war play to bring vital piece of theatre and act of remembrance of Leith
The Last Days of Mankind mixes docudrama with vaudeville.
John Paul McGroarty and Martyn Jacques--The Last Days of Mankind
Leith Theatre, Leith from Saturday November 10, 2018, until Friday November 16, 2018. More info: https://www.leiththeatretrust.org
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