THE FLOOD Adds Four Performances to South Kensington's Drayton Arms Theatre Run
Four extra dates at South Kensington's Drayton Arms Theatre (2-5 December) have been added to conclude the UK tour of one of the more controversial plays from the Edinburgh Fringe.
The Flood by Badac Theatre Company was originally created to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, described at the time as 'the war to end all wars'. Badac have produced a typically uncompromising portrayal of the unspeakable horror wrought on humanity by wars past, present and, God forbid, future. Written and directed by Badac founder Steve Lambert (who also performs as The Soldier) it consistently received high praise from both press and audiences at the Fringe.
The role of The Nurse, originally taken by Austrian Susanne Gschwendtner, will be performed by EastEnders/Doctors actor Marnie Baxter. Last year Marnie was also seen starring in BBC TV's Shetland opposite Douglas Henshall and plays lead in upcoming British horror feature film The Tormented which will be released towards the end of the year.
The Flood is set in the bloody battlefields of WW1 and premiered at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival. It recreates the unimaginable horror of the conflict with an explicit depiction of the slaughter of millions of soldiers torn from their ordinary lives to fight in perhaps the most hellishly filthily squalid conditions and daily terror endured by man. A parallel love story explores the devastating effects on the women who loved those men. As the insanity of the war intensifies, it follows an emerging relationship between a front line infantryman and the woman whose love gives him hope. The drama switches between the visceral horror of war and their increasingly passionate, yet ultimately tragic love affair.
'Lambert and Gschwendtner movingly embody the emotional costs of war' The Stage ????
They play people whose love is irreversibly affected by unfolding events, in this intense portrayal of the emotional and psychological effects of life during wartime. See a short trailer at http://badactheatre.com/theflood.htm
Founded in 1999, this is Badac's 11th original production. Their work focuses on human rights issues and is brave, dark, all-consuming and stunning in every meaning of the word. It provokes extreme reactions and polarises critics and audiences alike. Some find its brutality intensely moving and affecting, some leave, shocked and shaken. After their 2013 show Anna many audience members stayed to debate the themes and subject matter of the play (about murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya) with the cast. In recent years they have collaborated on productions with politically motivated theatre companies in Italy, Israel, Palestine and Denmark. Other past Badac shows include The Factory, The Cry, Crucifixion, Ashes To Ashes, The Devoured, Cage, Lunatics and Al Nakba. Celebrity fans include Steven Berkhoff who said 'The power of their work is extremely rare'.
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