About the show
"WOYZECK IS THE STORY OF A TROUBLED MAN IN A TROUBLED WORLD, A HOSTAGE TO FORTUNE, CLASS AND HIS SADISTIC SUPERIORS, WOYZECK'S FATE IS PLAYED OUT IN A SERIES OF NIGHTMARISH ENCOUNTERS. HE STUMBLES THROUGH A WORLD OF MACABRE CARNIVALS, SEXUAL BETRAYAL AND CRUEL OPPRESSION, PURSUED BY THE DEMONS OF HIS OWN PARANOID FANTASIES. PUSHED BEYOND BREAKING POINT WOYZECK'S LAST LOVE CRAZED ACT TRAGICALLY DESTROYS THE ONE THING HE TRULY CARES FOR".
ORIGINAL PLAYWRIGHT, GEORGE BÜCHNER, DIED OF TYPHOID FEVER BEFORE COMPLETION OF THE PLAY, AND LEFT THE WORK WITH SIGNIFICANT GAPS. AS A RESULT, WOYZECK REMAINS A CLASSIC AND HAS SINCE BEEN ADAPTED INTO FILMS, OPERAS, AND PLAYS.
IN 2017 AN UPDATED, MODERNISED RETELLING PREMIERED AT THE OLD VIC THEATRE IN LONDON’S WEST END, PENNED BY JACK THORNE (HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, SKINS), IT STARRED JOHN BOYEGA IN THE TITLE ROLE. THORNE’S RETELLING OF WOYZECK SEES THE TROUBLED SOLDIER WORKING FOR THE BRITISH ARMY IN 1981 BERLIN AT THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR.
BY VERY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT FROM NICK HERN BOOKS, OLD FRUIT JAR PRODUCTIONS HAD THE EXCITING, BUT NERVE-WRACKING TASK OF BRINGING WOYZECK TO LIVERPOOL MARKING THE FIRST TIME THORNE'S ADAPTATION OF THE STORY HAS BEEN PERFORMED OUT- SIDE ITS INITIAL WEST END RUN!
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR WOYZECK
JORDAN BARKLEY as WOYZECK
FLORENCE KING as MARIE
ANTHONY ROBERTS as ANDREWS
RACHEL McGRATH as MAGGIE
JOSH ENNIS as CAPTAIN THOMPSON
CHRISTINA ROSE as MOTHER
and
JAMIE PEACOCK as DOCTOR MARTENS
WOYZECK WAS WRITTEN BY JACK THORNE (ORIGINAL TEXT BY GEORG BÜCHNER)
DIRECTED BY ALEX CARR
All of a sudden, theatre in Liverpool is looking very exciting...
MARK DAVOREN // NORTH WEST END
Performances from its [Old Fruit Jar Productions’] extraordinary young cast all stand up flawlessly under scrutiny.
NIGEL SMITH // SIGHTLINES UK
“A very believable piece of theatre.”
NORTH WEST END // REVIEW