Kiln Theatre presents
The Son
by Florian Zeller
translated by Christopher Hampton
I’m telling you. I don’t understand what’s happening to me.
Nicolas, just two years ago a smiling boy, is going through a difficult phase after his parents’ divorce. He’s listless, skipping classes, lying. He believes moving in with his father and his new family may help. And a different school, a fresh start. When he doesn’t feel comfortable there, he decides that going back to his mother’s may be the answer. But at some point, options are going to dry up. And then what?
The highly anticipated UK premiere of The Son forms the final part of the trilogy with the Olivier Award-winning The Father (Theatre Royal Bath, Tricycle Theatre, West End, National Tour) and the critically-acclaimed The Mother by Moliere Award-winning playwright Florian Zeller, directed by Michael Longhurst.
★★★★★
This final part of Florian Zeller’s trilogy is the most powerful of all
The Times
★★★★★
A compulsive, involving, emotionally stirring evening – theatre’s answer to a page-turner.
The Observer
★★★★★
Exceptional… Fizzes with raw emotion… It totally blew me away.
Daily Mail
★★★★★
A devastating visceral impact
The Daily Telegraph
★★★★
I’d defy anyone not to be moved
The Guardian
★★★★
Precise, sensitive performances
Evening Standard
★★★★
Holds you with its compassion and its sense of gathering dread. Beautifully acted.
Financial Times
★★★★★
Theatre at its very best
Closeup Culture
★★★★
Tense and thrilling
The Stage
★★★★
A slick masterpiece
A Younger Theatre
★★★★
Michael Longhurst’s taut, finely-tuned production delivers a real emotional punch
Londonist
Gripping… Absorbing… An accomplished piece of writing
WhatsOnStage
Cast
Amanda Abbington
Anne
Amanda Abbington plays Anne. Her theatre credits include The God of Carnage (Theatre Royal Bath), A Little Princess (Royal Festival Hall), Abigail’s Party (Theatre Royal Bath/UK Tour), God Bless This Child (Royal Court), Love Me Tonight (Hampstead Theatre), The Safari Party (Stephen Joseph Theatre /Hampstead Theatre), Something Blue (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Taming of the Shrew (Queen Mother Theatre) and Tin Soldiers (New End Theatre/Grace Theatre). For television her credits include Flack, Safe, Sherlock, Mr Selfridge, Being Human, Case Histories, Psychoville, Man Stroke Woman, Booze Cruise, Teachers and Coupling; and for film, We The Kings, Crooked House, Another Mother’s Son and Ghosted.
Laurie Kynaston
Nicolas
Laurie Kynaston plays Nicolas. His theatre credits include The Ferryman (Gielgud Theatre), Jumpy, The Winslow Boy (Theatre Clwyd). For television, his work includes Derry Girls, The Feed, Cradle to Grave, Murder Games and Our World War; and for film, How To Build a Girl, Undercliffe and England is Mine.
John Light
Pierre
John Light plays Pierre. Theatre credits include Mary Stuart (Duke of York’s Theatre), The Winter’s Tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe), Three Days In The Country (National Theatre), The Blackest Black (Hampstead Theatre), Julius Caesar (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (The Print Room), Luise Miller (Donmar Warehouse), The Master Builder, Certain Young Men (Almeida Theatre), True West (Sheffield Crucible) and Apologia (Bush Theatre). For television, his work includes Agatha Raisin, Mars, Maigret, Father Brown, Silk, Dresden, North and South, Cambridge Spies, Band of Brothers, Love in a Cold Climate and Aristocrats; and for film, Albert Nobbs, Scoop, The Lion in Winter and A Rather English Marriage.
Oseloka Obi
Nurse
Oseloka Obi plays Nurse. His theatre work includes Victoria’s Knickers (Soho Theatre), Timbuktu (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Macbeth (The Garrick Theatre), To Kill A Mockingbird (Lyric Hammersmith), Edward II (Greenwich Theatre), We Raise Our Hands In The Sanctuary (The Albany) and SUS (Bristol Bierekeller).
Amaka Okafor
Sofia
Amaka Okafor plays Sofia. Her theatre credits include I’m Not Running, Macbeth, Saint George and The Dragon, Peter Pan (National Theatre), Hamlet (Almeida Theatre), Grimly Handsome, I See You (Royal Court Theatre) and Hamlet (Barbican).
Martin Turner
The Doctor
Martin Turner plays The Doctor. His theatre work includes The Plague (Arcola Theatre), The Crucible (Storyhouse), Uncle Vanya (Theatr Clwyd and Sheffield Theatres), The Haunting of Hill House (Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse), The King’s Speech (Chichester Festival Theatre and tour), Medea (National Theatre), Twelve Angry Men (Garrick Theatre and Birmingham Rep) and A Life of Galileo (RSC). For television, his work includes A Very English Murder, Mother’s Day, Follow the Money, Maigret, New Tricks, The White Queen and Dark Matters; and for film, Urban Hymn and Labirent.
Creatives
Florian Zeller
Writer
Florian Zeller is a French novelist and playwright. Zeller won the prestigious Prix Interallié in 2004 (Fascination of Evil) and several Molière Awards for his plays La Mère (The mother) and Le Père (The father). L’Autre, le Manège, Si tu mourais, Elle t’attend, La Vérité (The truth) and Une heure de Tranquillité were successfully produced in France and internationally. L’Envers du décor, starring Daniel Auteuil was produced in Paris in 2016. Avant de s’envoler was on the same season, and recently played at the Wyndham’s Theatre (The Height of the Storm) with Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins directed by Jonathan Kent. Le Père (The father), was nominated as Best New Play at the 2016 Olivier Awards, with Kenneth Cranham winning for Best Actor in a Play. It also received two nominations for the 2016 Tony Awards – Best Play and Best Performance by an Actor, the latter was won by Frank Langella. This play has been performed in over 35 countries. Christopher Hampton has translated most of Zeller’s plays into English; and his plays have received many international awards.
Christopher Hampton
Translator
Christopher Hampton has translated plays by Ibsen, Molière, Chekhov, Yasmina Reza (including Art and Life x 3) and Florian Zeller’s The Father, The Mother and The Truth. He won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the adaptation of his own play, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (released as Dangerous Liaisons). He was nominated again in 2007 for adapting Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement. His television work includes adaptations of The History Man and Hotel du Lac.
Michael Longhurst
Director
Michael Longhurst directs. His credits include the recent revival of Caroline or Change (Chichester, Festival Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, and Playhouse Theatre), and Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus (National Theatre) and Nick Payne’s Constellations starring Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall at Royal Court Theatre and in the West End, and with Ruth Wilson and Jake Gyllenhaal on Broadway. Longhurst also worked with Gyllenhaal on his American stage debut in If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet (Roundabout Theatre, New York). Other credits include Gloria (Hampstead Theatre), Belleville (Donmar Warehouse), Bad Jews (Theatre Royal Bath/West End), and Linda (Royal Court Theatre). Longhurst was recently appointed Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse.
Lizzie Clachan
Designer
Lee Curran
Lighting Designer
Isobel Waller-Bridge
Composer & Sound Designer
Amy Ball
Casting Director
Atri Banerjee
Assistant Director
Imogen Knight
Movement Director
Bret Yount
Fight Director
Jon Sealey
Associate Sound Designer
Dates And Tickets
TICKETS
20 February – 23 February & Wednesday matinees
£10, £15, £21, £27.50
24 February – 6 April (excluding Wednesday matinees)
£12.50, £20, £26, £32.50
Evenings: 7.30pm
Wednesday & Saturday matinees (from 2 March): 2.30pm
CONCESSIONS
Student, Equity Members, Unemployed & Brent Residents
£2 off Band A and B on Mon – Thu Performances
Seniors
£2 off Band A and B on Mon – Wed Matinee Performances
Access Concessions
£2 off all price bands on Mon – Thu Performances
Young Kiln (under 26)
£10 Band D tickets across the run. To book your tickets sign up as Young Kiln or log in to your account
ACCESS
Captioned: 14 March 2019
Audio Described: 21 March 2019
Pre-show touch-tour before the Audio Described performance on 21 March, 2019 at 6pm
POST-SHOW DISCUSSION
Taking place on 5 & 19 March
Check back soon for more details about the subject of the discussion