A brand-new production of one of literature’s greatest tales is coming to Bristol Old Vic

A brand-new production of one of literature’s greatest tales is coming to Bristol Old Vic

Posted on: 28 Mar 2023

Reimagined by critically acclaimed director Polina Kalinina and bold writer Lesley Hart, Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is set to hit Bristol Old Vic in the summer.

 

Anna Karenina will show at Bristol Old Vic between Wednesday 7 and Saturday 24 June 2023.

 

Presented by Bristol Old Vic and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, this brave production of a classic, heartbreaking story of love, marriage and betrayal brings the language up to date while taking audiences on a blistering journey that places no limits on opulence, decadence and passion.

 

Tickets for this show are available to purchase HERE.

 

 

When her brother’s scandalous affair becomes known, Anna Karenina must cross Imperial Russia by train to help save his marriage. However, when she arrives at the station, a romantically charged encounter with a handsome young cavalry officer sends Anna down a road that could ruin her own marriage and destroy her life altogether.

 

Meanwhile, rejected by his beloved, Kostya Levin makes a vow to never be married. Thus, just as Anna opens herself up for love, Kostya tries in vain to shut himself off from it. Linked by an unspeakable bond, Anna and Kostya are torn between duty and desire, parental and sexual love, self and society.

 

In a world of cover-ups, public shaming, and patriarchal oppression, the two lovers are compelled to live in the open – or not at all. This legendary tale is sure to tug at the heartstrings of theatre lovers from all over Bristol.

 

Writer Lesley Hart and director Polina Kalinina - whose Paapa Essiedu starring Romeo and Juliet at Tobacco Factory won rave reviews back in 2015 – are joined by a cast of Lindsey Campbell as Anna, Robert Akodoto as Vronsky, Stephen McCole as Karenin, Angus Miller as Stiva, Jamie Marie Leary as Dolly, Rat Sesay as Levin and Tallulah Grieve as Kitty.

 

 

Anna Karenina will run at Bristol Old Vic from Wednesday 7 to Saturday 24 June 2023. Tickets for the show (which includes signed, captioned and audio-described performances) are available now and can be found HERE.

Read more:

 

Article by:

Stanley Gray

Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.