London
The season includes Robert Lepage’s autobiographical ”887” and three productions directed by Ivo van Hove
The Barbican has announced its theatre and dance season for the first half of 2017.
This season marks the largest dance programme the Barbican has ever offered. The world premiere of Blak Whyte Gray by theatre company Boy Blue Entertainment will open on 13 January. The triple bill will see Boy Blue founders Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy and Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante revisit their roots, and celebrate their culture by curating events, music, film and talks to accompany the main show.
The dance line-up also includes a performance installation by Siobhan Davies Dance in The Curve (20 to 28 January), a retrospective of Trajal Harrell's work (20 July to 13 August) and a ten day residency by by Ann Van den Broek.
In theatre, Complicite's Simon McBurney will bring Beware of Pity to the UK for the first time on 9 February. The Schaubuhne Berlin show, based on Stefan Zweig's novel, will run as part of 14-18 NOW.
Among the Shakespeare productions included in the season, director Thomas Ostermeier will bring his production Richard III to the theatre on 16 Feburary, after it premiered in Edinburgh earlier this year.
Cheek by Jowl artistic director Declan Donnellan was recently awarded the Golden Lion of Venice for his ability to bring classic works to life for a contemporary audience. His The Winter's Tale will arrive at the Barbican on 5 April and feature Orlando James as Leontes.
Robert Lepage's most autobiographical play to date, 887 will make its London premiere. The one-man show is named after Lepage's childhood home – the block of flats at 887 Murray Avenue. It will open on 1 June.
Ingmar Bergman films After the Rehearsal and Persona are reimagined for the stage by director Ivo van Hove. After the Rehearsal focuses on Hendrik Vogler, a director obsessed by his work, and Persona tells the story of a mute actress and will open on 27 September. The productions join the previously announced Obsession, which will star Jude Law as part of van Hove's Toneelgroep residency at the Barbican. Van Hove also brings back his Roman Tragedies to the Barbican on 17 March.
As previously announced, the programme also features the world premiere of the Royal Ballet's Les Enfants Terrible, and Julie Cunningham's To Be Me – a piece choreographed to Kate Tempest poetry – and Hold Your Own. Ballet Black will return to the theatre with a second triple bill on 3 March.
Shon-Dale Jones' The Duke also runs as part of the season from 15 to 17 December and Belgian filmmaker Jaco Van Dormel and Michele Anne De Mey return to the Barbican with Kiss & Cry, which runs as part of the London International Mime Festival.