Synopsis his overcoat is neutral darling, neither Bolshevik nor Menshevik. Just essence of Prole. In Kiev during the Russian Civil War, the Turbin household is sanctuary to a ragtag, close-knit crowd presided over by the beautiful Lena. As her brothers prepare to fight for the White Guard, friends charge in from the riotous streets amidst an atmosphere of heady chaos, quaffing vodka, keeling over, declaiming, taking baths, playing guitar, falling in love. But the new regime is poised and in its brutal triumph lies destruction for the Turbins and their world. And those are the real enemies we face, deep in the shadows. This modern man with no name, no past, no love. This desperate hate-filled man born of loneliness and frustration. This man with nothing to be proud of, nothing he is part of... Running Time: 2hrs 40mins inclu. interval
The National Theatre’s revival of Mikhail Bulgakov’s The White Guard, in a new translation by Andrew Upton, completes a triumphant hat-trick of Russian plays (following Philistines and Burnt by the Sun) for director Howard Davies.
The play, which opened last night at the NT Lyttleton (previews from 10 March 2010) and continues in rep until the 15 June, follows pro-Tsarist family the Turbins, caught in the maelstrom of war in 1918 Ukraine, as the battle for the city of Kiev is waged between the Germans, the Bolsheviks and the Ukranian nationalists.
First night critics were generally enthusiastic, if somewhat divided regarding the dramatic edge of Davies’ direction. Whilst admirers raved that the revival “triumphantly combines the intimate and the epic, the comic and the profoundly affecting”, others expressed doubts over whether the revival “manages a sense of true theatrical anarchy to match the story” and found that “the shifts of tone are occasionally uncomfortable”. However, minor grumblings aside, most heralded “a remarkable production”, and the acting of the “superb ensemble", led by Conleth Hill's "glorious study in slimy good manners" as Leonid.
Michael Coveney on Whatsonstage.com (five stars) - “The British theatre has done well by the brilliant plays of Mikhail Bulgakov … Howard Davies’ superb National Theatre revival, in a fleet, funny and idiomatic new version by Andrew Upton is a major event … in a scene of hilarious satirical savagery, Calf’s Hetman, consumed with timid inadequacy, and Hill’s deferential but quick-thinking Shervinsky blunder on about tactics and policy, trying to speak in Ukrainian … The rarity of the play lies not only in its black humour and vivid characterizations but in a sense of upheaval and political crisis being lived in the moment … there’s not a single weak link in the cast … Conleth Hill’s glorious study in slimy good manners and political opportunism that strikes to the heart of Bulgakov’s bitter eulogy for revolutionary change.”
Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph (five stars) - “With this thrilling, darkly comic and often deeply moving production … director Howard Davies has delivered the third in an outstanding series of productions at the NT set in Russia … proves as fine as its predecessors in Andrew Upton’s vivid new version … Davies directs with virtuosic assurance on splendidly atmospheric and ingenious sets by Bunny Christie … a superb ensemble in which even the smallest roles come alive … Justine Mitchell brings a lovely humanity and humour to Elena, with a vile weasel of a husband (excellent Kevin Doyle) … Richard Henders and Daniel Flynn give strong performances as her contrasting brothers, while Conleth Hill delivers a delicious performance of droll camper … I also loved Pip Carter, irresistibly funny and touching … This is theatre that triumphantly combines the intimate and the epic, the comic and the profoundly affecting … one of the greatest theatrical achievements of the past decade.”
Benedict Nightingale in The Times (four stars) – “Andrew Upton’s punchy version … Howard Davies gives us the feel of civil war: the danger, the confusion, such ugly moments…and such farcical episodes as the abject exit of Anthony Calf’s blustering, posturing Hetman … The revival triumphs. Chekhov or Gorky would have admired the excitement, depression, quarrels, boozing and despair that variously flicker, dip, flare, die in the posh drawing room inhabited by three siblings — Daniel Flynn’s principled Alexei, Richard Henders’s goofy Nikolai, Justine Mitchell’s enchanting Elena — and visited by Paul Higgins’s bold, wild Viktor and Conleth Hill’s hilarious Leonid.”
Robert Gore Langton in the Daily Express (three stars) - “The lavish designs by Bunny Christie are a marvel of realism, and make you want to move in … Bulgakov's brilliance is that he is satirizing Ukrainian history almost as it is being made. It's Monty Python meets Blackadder with a dose of Chekhovian heartbreak thrown in … in presumably liked the play so much because he knew the final outcome for Russia - and himself … Hats off to the cast, who for the most part make us care … Justine Mitchell is rather gorgeous as the woman with whom everyone is in love … Anthony Calf is comic book plonker as the top Kraut … the spirit of the play seems to reside in the sleek, turncoat aide de camp Shervinsky, hilariously played by Conleth Hill … Pip Carter, magnificent as the diffident poet Larion … Howard Davies's efficient production tries to make sense of the sheer mass of incident but never quite manages a sense of true theatrical anarchy to match the story. It's the laughs and the sets that keep you going.”
Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard (three stars) - “In Howard Davies’s deftly directed production, eloquent details combine with large statements to evoke the confusion, energy, pain and charm of this world … Bunny Christie has created a succession of opulent sets and there’s particularly atmospheric sound by Christopher Shutt … The ensemble work is excellent … Justine Mitchell, radiant as Lena … Pip Carter, who brings a touching awkwardness to Larion … However, Upton’s reworking of Bulgakov misses some of the subtle gradations of post-Revolutionary society. While often sharp, the writing has longueurs, and the shifts of tone are occasionally uncomfortable. Some sequences could be out of Chekhov, while other humorous sections seem too broad ... Visually and technically this is a remarkable production. However, it’s rather confusing, and the storytelling fails to resonate. The play’s historical and political burden is substantial but it isn’t genuinely engaging.”
The British theatre has done well by the brilliant plays of Mikhail Bulgakov, but it is thirty years since the RSC staged The White Guard; Howard Davies’ superb National Theatre revival, in a fleet, funny and idiomatic new version by Andrew Upton (from a literal translation by Charlotte Pyke) is a major event.
The play, also known as The Day of the Turbins, is set in the aftermath of the October Revolution in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where a puppet German government, led by the Hetman (Anthony Calf) is poised between the resistance of the crushed intelligentsia, the White Guard, and the in-coming might of the Bolshevik Red Army.
The apartment of Turbin siblings – two brothers, Nikolai (Richard Henders) and Alexei (Daniel Flynn), and their sister Elena (Justine Mitchell) – is the rallying point and social focus for the local war effort, though Elena’s husband, Talberg (Kevin Doyle) has been appointed deputy war minister to the Hetman and Lieutenant Shervinsky (Conleth Hill) his aide-de-camp.
As the screws tighten, Talberg high-tails it to Berlin and, in a scene of hilarious satirical savagery, Calf’s Hetman, consumed with timid inadequacy, and Hill’s deferential but quick-thinking Shervinsky blunder on about tactics and policy, trying to speak in Ukrainian. Hetman then swaps clothes with a general and slips away to oblivion and safety on a stretcher.
The Ukrainian Nationalists take over the city, and the warfare gets uncomfortably real, with explosions and gunfire all over Bunny Christie’s set, chaos and despair in a makeshift operations centre in the school hall before the final reckoning back in the haven of the Turbins’ apartment.
The rarity of the play lies not only in its black humour and vivid characterizations but in a sense of upheaval and political crisis being lived in the moment, with Elena trying desperately to hold the family together while Paul Higgins as a volatile captain and Pip Carter as her shattered cousin represent the brave and the foolish in the crisis.
I recall a radiant Juliet Stevenson as Elena in the RSC version which used Michael Glenny’s translation. But this performance is fuller and funnier and, although there’s not a single weak link in the cast, it’s Conleth Hill’s glorious study in slimy good manners and political opportunism that strikes to the heart of Bulgakov’s bitter eulogy for revolutionary change.
Apparently Stalin was a fan of Bulgakov's The White Guard which seems a bit surprising until you remember he was a Georgian who presumably enjoyed the portrayal of Ukrainians as weak, divided and cowardly. Howard Davies directs Andrew Upton's vivid adaptation and Bunny Christie provides a series of astonishing sets which fully utilise the technical capabilities of the National. The story of the shifting sands of Russia and the Ukraine at the end of World War One and the Bolshevik revolution are brilliantly (and very noisily) conveyed and surprisingly often very funny. Actually the middle scenes set during the battles and as the Hetman flees to Germany are a bit too close to an episode of Blackadder. It's the opening and closing scenes in the apartment of the Tsarist Turbin family which are most memorable as they are forced to confront loss, both of family and their nation, as they try to make the best of a future which will deny them freedom. Conleth Hill has a touch too much of Liberace to be entirely believable as a seducer of women but Justine Mitchell provides a warm and deeply emotional Elena. Not quite as good as Burnt By the Sun but The White Guard is the latest in a series of excellent political history plays on the South Bank. - David Baxter
15 Jun 10
Absolutely gob-smacking staging, technical brilliance and bravura performances. The play is fascinating, another huge feather in Upton's cap.
MORE PLEASE! - Joesmith
27 May 10
This is a terrific adaptation and a terrific production that only the National could do. It's such a fascinating piece of history and the twists and turns of the play reflect the realities of the real events. Andrew Upton, whilst being faithful to his source, has produced an accessible fresh adaptation which moves from tragic to cynical to funny seamlessly. There are some great performances and it's staged brilliantly by Howard Davies on Bunny Christie's extraordinary sets that take you from apartment to palace to school to army camp and back to apartment - and there are special effects that make you jump! Loved it. - Gareth James
15 Apr 10
I'm at a loss to explain the other excellent reviews for this production, it's another self-indulgent mess from the NT. It all feels as if we've been here before - it's basically Philistines with a sprinkling of 'Allo 'Allo thrown in. The cast - especially the supposed family members - don't gel and some are in different productions altogether; the humour is crude and the tone very uneven. To be fair, I hated Philistines too, and if you liked that you'll love this. 1 star for the production, but an extra 1 for Bunny Christie's fabulous set. But please NT - there are other countries with miserable families in them if that's the remit.... - dgr1
29 Mar 10
What an excellent play with a well written script and an excellent cast. Well done National!
Anthony Calf is superb as the Hetman. Congrats to him - Aleide M.
26 Mar 10
Yet another wonderful play from the National this season. Conleth Hill as always is a joy to watch along with the rest of the fine actors in this superb piece of theatre. Once again another play at the National not to be missed. - Ils
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