Orange Tree Debuts Havel’s First Play Since 1988

Leaving, the first new play by Vaclav Havel (pictured) in nearly 20 years, will receive its English-language premiere this autumn at Richmond’s Orange Tree Theatre, where it will start performances on 19 September 2008 as part of a three-month season celebrating the work of the Czech playwright and former president.

The piece, under the Czech title Odchazeni has its world premiere this month at Prague’s Na Vinohradech theatre. Havel attracted headlines last year when he withdrew the play from a planned premiere production at his country’s National Theatre following its refusal to cast his actress-wife Dagmar Havlova in one of the lead roles (See The Goss, 27 Aug 2007).

Havel’s earlier plays – which include The Garden Party, The Memorandum, The Increased Difficulty of Concentration, Guardian Angel, Protest, Temptation, Large Desolato, Redevelopment, a version of The Beggar’s Opera and, his last piece, 1988’s Tomorrow – were banned under communism. He gave up writing for dissident politics, leading the Velvet Revolution of 1989 then going on to become the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic, a post he stepped down from in 2003.

Inspired by King Lear, with echoes of The Cherry Orchard, Leaving revolves around a former senior politician, Chancellor Reiger, his loss of power and eviction from the state villa that was his home.

Havel reportedly completed the script during a five-month visit to Washington DC in 2005 but, according to the Orange Tree, the genesis was much earlier. “Although the subject matter may immediately appear to have an autobiographical element,” says the press release, “Havel in fact began work on it in the late 1980s when he could have no idea that one day, in the very near feature, he would be his country’s leader and his play would have to be put on hold.”

Leaving is translated by Paul Wilson and directed by Orange Tree artistic director Sam Walters. No casting has yet been confirmed for the 15-strong company. The Havel Season at the theatre will also include the British premiere of The Mountain Hotel (1976) and the three “Vanek Plays” (1978) – Audience, Private View and Protest.

The Orange Tree’s association with Vaclav Havel dates back to 1977 when it presented the British premieres of Audience, Private View and The Memorandum. Since then, it has also staged Protest, The Increased Difficulty of Concentration, Largo Desolato, Redevelopment and The Beggar’s Opera as well as a revival of The Memorandum.

– by Terri Paddock