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Reopened Drill Hall Premieres Vidal's Golgotha

The reopened Drill Hall in Bloomsbury, central London, will next month present the world premiere of Gore Vidal's satire Live from Golgotha, newly adapted for the stage by Malcolm Sutherland, who also directs. The production runs from 10 November to 1 December 2002 - for eleven performances only on Saturdays and Sundays - as part of the fringe theatre's "Weekend Getaways" autumn season.

The 1992 novel Live from Golgotha (subtitled "The Gospel According to Gore Vidal") concerns a mysterious cyberpunk who hacks back through time to destroy the "tapes" that form the basis of the Bible. In an effort to stop the hacker, several 21st-century businessmen travel into the past to convince St Timothy to write his version of the Sacred Story. They're accompanied by a TV crew who plan to record the Crucifixion, live from Golgotha, to boost ratings. Can the Hacker be stopped? And which network will get to broadcast the ultimate TV show?

A prolific American novelist, essayist and political activist, Gore Vidal's many other fictional works include The Judgement of Paris, Myra Breckenridge, Armageddon, Messiah, Lincoln and The Golden Age.

The stage production of Live from Golgotha features James Albrecht, David De Keyser, James Frost, William Hope, Sylvester McCoy, Maggie Ollerenshaw, Bruce Purchase and Nigel Whitmey. The production is designed by Lisa Lillywhite, with sound by John Cobban and lighting by Phil Gladwell.

The Drill Hall reopened as a theatrical venue this past weekend, with Tim Miller's one-man show Glory Box, which continues each Saturday and Sunday to 3 November. The 200-seat venue was refurbished, with a new studio space, following National Lottery funding. During the week, when there are no performances, the Hall is used by the BBC as a recording studio.

At the end of Live from Golgotha's run, the autumn "Weekend Getaways" season will continue in December with children's storytelling and The Shout a cappella choir concerts while Victorian Ladies at Home, a new devised Christmas piece combining Charles Dickens and karaoke, will run from 6 December 2002 to 11 January 2003 in the Drill Hall 2 space.

- by Terri Paddock

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