The Hunt (play)

Last updated
The Hunt
Written by David Farr
Date premiered17 June 2019 (2019-06-17)
Original languageEnglish
SubjectA male school teacher is falsely accused of sexual abuse.
GenreDrama

The Hunt is a play by the British playwright David Farr. The modern day parable revolves around a school teacher who is wrongly accused of sexual abuse. The play is based off the 2012 film of the same name directed by Thomas Vinterberg.

Contents

Directed by Rupert Goold, it also features a leading performance from Tobias Menzies as well as scenic design by Es Devlin. It received its premiere at the West End's Almeida Theatre in June 2019 and had its New York transfer at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York City, in 2024. [1]

Synopsis

In a small town in northern Denmark, the children celebrate Harvest Festival. A man, Lucas is going through a tough divorce fighting for child custody of his son. He works as a school teacher for an elementary school where he is popular amongst kids, staff and parents until he is wrongly accused of sexual abuse. The small town community closes in on Lucas.

Cast and characters

Character Almeida Theatre, West End
2019		 St. Ann's Warehouse, NYC
2024
Lucas Tobias Menzies
Hilde Michele Austin Lolita Chakrabarti
Mikala Poppy Miller MyAnna Buring
TheoAlex HassellJustin Salinger
MarcusStuart CampbellRaphael Casey
RuneAdrian Der Gregorian
Palme / Dance CaptainJethro SkinnerAli Goldsmith
ThomasItoya OsagiedeShaquille Jack
Gunner Danny Kirrane
RagnarKeith HighamJonathan Savage
Per / PastorHoward Ward
PeterHarrison Houghton / George Nearn StuartRumi C. Jean-Louis / Christopher Riley
ClaraAbbiegail Mills / Taya Tower / Florence WhiteAerina DeBoer / Kay Winard

Production history

2019 National Theatre

The production was first helmed at the Almeida Theatre which ran from June 17 through August 3 in 2019. It starred Tobias Menzies, Poppy Miller, and Michele Austin and was directed by Rupert Goold. It was written by David Farr who adapted the play off the 2012 Danish film of the same name directed by Thomas Vinterberg and written by Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm. The scenic designer was Es Devlin with the light design by Neil Austin and sound and composition work being done by Adam Cork. [2]

2024 NYC transfer

In 2024 it was announced the New York transfer of The Hunt would be at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, New York. Performances ran from February 16 through March 24. [3] Returning to the production was its director Rupert Goold and star Tobias Menzies. [4] Replacements included Lolita Chakrabarti taking over for Michele Austin who took a role in Lucy Prebble's The Effect at the The Shed. [5] Poppy Miller was replaced by MyAnna Buring with Adrian Der Gregorian and Danny Kirrane both returning.

Response

Critical reviews

The debut production at the Almeida Theatre received mixed to positive reviews. Ann Trenneman of The Daily Telegraph wrote a rave review declaring that the production was "a world-class adaptation of a dark Danish parable for our times". [6] Michael Billington of The Guardian gave the production a mixed review, while praising it's "skillful staging" by Goold and the overall production which he called "undeniably chilling" but citing the production less favorably to the 2012 film writing, "[while] this production make rigorous viewing, I miss the sense of quotidian reality that gave the movie much of its power." [7] Time Out criticized its direction by Goold writing, "It feels like Goold’s theatricality and the naturalistic, thriller-ish source material often work against each other." However they praised Devlin's set and Menzies' performance as standouts. [8] Stephen Dalton of The Hollywood Reporter gave the production a mixed view writing, "It lacks some of the nuanced shadings of Vinterberg’s screenplay, veering into shouty melodrama in places. Even so, Goold’s superbly mounted production has punch, polish and contemporary resonance. It feels like a hit." [9]

The New York transfer received generally positive reviews with Robert Hofler of TheWrap citing Menzies "impressive American stage debut" and comparing the play favorably to The Children's Hour and Oleanna . [10] Allison Considine of New York Theater Guide praised Es Devlin's set writing, "The Hunt has a best-in-class production design... All the production elements work together seamlessly to offer an immersive, almost cinematic experience". [11] Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times gave a mixed review praising its technical aspects such as Devlin's scenic design as well as its sound and lighting design but criticized Rupert Goold's heavy handed direction. She wrote, "He is a rare director in the English-speaking world who can dream up and pull off highly conceptual, wildly theatrical spectacles...Here, the staging can feel redundant especially since it is burdened with foreshadowing and obvious symbolism". [12]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultRef.
2024 Drama League Awards Outstanding Production of a PlayPending [13]
Distinguished Performance Tobias Menzies Pending
Outstanding Direction of a Play Rupert Goold Pending
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Lead Performance in a PlayTobias MenziesPending [14]
Outstanding Adaptation David Farr Pending
Outstanding Direction of a PlayRupert GoldPending
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play Es Devlin Pending
Outstanding Sound Design of a PlayAdam ClarkPending

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almeida Theatre</span> Theatre in Islington, London

The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West End theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobias Menzies</span> English actor (born 1974)

Tobias Simpson Menzies is an English actor. He is known for playing Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown series, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and received Golden Globe and British Academy Television Award nominations. Menzies also played Frank and Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall in Starz's Outlander, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination, in addition to his roles as Brutus in Rome and Edmure Tully in Game of Thrones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Morgan</span> British film writer and playwright

Peter Julian Robin Morgan, is a British screenwriter and playwright. He has written for theatre, films and television, often writing about historical events or figures such as Queen Elizabeth II, whom he has covered extensively in all major media. He has received a number of accolades including five BAFTA Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, a Tony Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. In February 2017, Morgan was awarded a British Film Institute Fellowship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupert Goold</span> English theatre director

Rupert Goold is an English director who works primarily in theatre. He is the artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, and was the artistic director of Headlong Theatre Company (2005–2013). Since 2010, Goold has been an associate director at the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 for services to drama.

<i>The Last Days of Judas Iscariot</i> Play written by Stephen Adly Guirgis

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a play by American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis first staged Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on March 2, 2005, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Paul Arditti is a British sound designer, working mainly in the UK and the US. He specialises in designing sound systems and sound scores for theatre. He has won awards for his work on both musicals and plays, including a Tony Award, an Olivier Award, a Drama Desk Award and a BroadwayWorld.com Fans' Choice Award for Billy Elliot the Musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Fleetwood</span> English actress (b. 1972)

Kate Fleetwood is an English actress. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, at Chichester Festival Theatre and the West End and Broadway and an Olivier Award nomination in 2012 for her performance as Julie in London Road at the National Theatre. Her film and television credits include Vanity Fair (2004), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010), Macbeth (2010), Philomena (2013), London Road (2015), Harlots (2017–2019), and The Wheel of Time (2021).

<i>Enron</i> (play) 2009 play based on the titular companys scandal

Enron is a 2009 play by the British playwright Lucy Prebble, based on the Enron scandal.

<i>Red</i> (play) Play about artist Mark Rothko

Red is a two-handed play by American writer John Logan about artist Mark Rothko. It was first produced by the Donmar Warehouse, London, on December 8, 2009, in a production directed by Michael Grandage. It then transferred to Broadway in March 2010 with the same two leads, Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne, where it won many Tony Awards.

Jenny Jules is an English actress. She started her acting career as a member of the youth theatre programme at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn, London. Her career has been closely linked with the Tricycle Theatre where she has acted numerous times; her credits there include two plays by August Wilson, both directed by Paulette Randall: Two Trains Running and Gem of the Ocean, Walk Hard by Abram Hill, Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress, the dramatic reconstruction of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, The Colour of Justice, and Lynn Nottage's Fabulation, directed by Indhu Rubasingham. In 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her portrayal of Mediyah in Pecong at the Tricycle Theatre. That same year, she appeared with Helen Mirren on the second installment of Prime Suspect for Granada Television/ITV.

Robert Hugh Carvel is a British film and theatre actor. He has twice won a Laurence Olivier Award: for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his role as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical, and for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Rupert Murdoch in Ink. For the latter role, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.

<i>The Hunt</i> (2012 film) 2012 film directed by Thomas Vinterberg

The Hunt is a 2012 Danish psychological drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Mads Mikkelsen. Set in a small Danish village around Christmas, the film follows a man named Lucas, a divorced kindergarten teacher who becomes the target of mass hysteria after being wrongly accused of sexually abusing a child in his class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Es Devlin</span> British stage designer (born 1971)

Esmeralda Devlin is an English artist and stage designer who works in a range of media, often mapping light and projected film onto kinetic sculptural forms. She has received several accolades including a Tony Award and two Olivier Awards. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 by Queen Elizabeth II for services to design. She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bunny Christie</span> British set designer

Bunny Christie is a Scottish theatre set designer.

<i>American Psycho</i> (musical) Musical

American Psycho is a musical with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik and a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. It is based on the controversial 1991 novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, which also inspired a 2000 film of the same name, that starred Christian Bale. Set in Manhattan during the Wall Street boom of the late 1980s, American Psycho is about the daily life of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy young investment banker who is also a serial killer.

<i>King Charles III</i> (play) 2014 play by Mike Bartlett

King Charles III is a 2014 play in blank verse by Mike Bartlett that premiered at the Almeida Theatre in London. The play is a fictional account of the accession and reign of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, and the limiting of the freedom of the press after the News International phone hacking scandal.

Robert Icke is an English writer and theatre director. He has been referred to as the "great hope of British theatre."

Ink is a 2017 play by James Graham which premiered in London in 2017.

<i>Tammy Faye</i> (musical) Stage musical by Elton John and Jake Shears

Tammy Faye is a biographic stage musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Jake Shears and a book by James Graham, based on the life of Tammy Faye Messner.

<i>Patriots</i> (play) 2022 play by Peter Morgan

Patriots is a dramatic stage play by British playwright Peter Morgan. The play follows the life of billionaire Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky through the decline of the Soviet Union and the rise of the Russian oligarchs.

References

  1. ↑ "The Hunt Starring Tobias Menzies Begins Off-Broadway Run February 16". Playbill. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Hunt". Almeida Theatre. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  3. ↑ "US Premiere of THE HUNT Starring Tobias Menzies to Begin in February at St. Ann's Warehouse". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  4. ↑ "The Hunt". St. Ann's Warehouse . Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  5. ↑ "The Effect". The Shed. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  6. ↑ "All Hell Breaks Loose in Nordic Thriller". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  7. ↑ "The Hunt review – false accusation unleashes small-town savagery". The Guardian. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  8. ↑ "The Hunt review". TimOut. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  9. ↑ "The Hunt: Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  10. ↑ "'The Hunt' Off Broadway Review: An Angry Village Mob Targets 'The Crown' Star Tobias Menzies". The Wrap . Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  11. ↑ "'The Hunt' review — Tobias Menzies shines in this psychological thriller". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  12. ↑ "The Hunt Review: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted". The New York Times . Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  13. ↑ "2024 Drama League Award Nominations announced". Theatermania. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  14. ↑ "2024 Drama Desk Awards Nominations- The Full List!". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.