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The Duchess Of Malfi
Tickets
Theatre Details
Old Vic Theatre
View Seating Plan
103 The Cut,
London,
SE1 8NB
Old Vic Theatre
103 The Cut, London, SE1 8NB
Travel
Tube
Nearest Tube
Waterloo
Tube Lines
Waterloo & City, Bakerloo, Northern, Jubilee
Directions to theatre
(7mins) Take Mepham Street (100 metres) down to Waterloo Road. Turn right on Waterloo Road, but keep left as the theatre is 100 metres further along on the opposite corner.
Bus
Buses: (Waterloo Road) 1, 4, 26, 59, 68, 139, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 521, X68; (Mepham Street) 211, 243, 507
Night Buses: (Waterloo Road) 139, 176, 188, N1, N68, N171; (Mepham Street) 243
Rail
Waterloo
Parking
Waterloo Station (4mins)
Next Available Dates
Performance Times
- Mon
- -7.30pm
- Tue
- -7.30pm
- Wed
- 2.30pm7.30pm
- Thu
- -7.30pm
- Fri
- -7.30pm
- Sat
- 2.30pm7.30pm
- Sun
- --
Booking Period
- Show Opened
- 17th Mar 2012
- Booking Until
- 9th Jun 2012
Running Time
Age Restrictions
Recommended for ages 12 and over (sexual content and violence).
What's it all about?
Eve Best returns to The Old Vic in March 2012, in The Duchess of Malfi, directed by Jamie Lloyd. She last appeared at The Old Vic in London and on Broadway opposite Kevin Spacey in A Moon for the Misbegotten in the 2006/2007 Season.
Who's in it?
Eve Best, who is best known for her character Dr. O'Hara on American TV series Nurse Jackie and for playing Wallis Simpson in award-winning British film The King's Speech, returns to The Old Vic to play the Duchess. She is joined by Tom Bateman (most recently seen in Trevor Nunn's The Lion in Winter), Mark Bonnar (Casualty), Harry Lloyd (The Iron Lady, Game of Thrones) and Finbar Lynch.
Suitable for
Since The Duchess of Malfi was written in the early 17th century, it's reminiscent of Shakespeare - the themes and tone will certainly put you in mind of Hamlet. And just like Hamlet, the writing and the words are the real star of this show, so you'll like it if you love a good mental challenge. Plus with a spooky gothic set, it's a suspenseful and powerful night at the theatre.
Special Offers
| 1 |
Lilian Baylis Circle TicketsValid all performances |
Was | Now | You Save |
| £27.50 | £12.50 | 55% | ||
| 2 |
Stalls and Dress Circle TicketsValid all performances |
Was | Now | You Save |
| £49.50 | £36.00 | 27% |
What's the story?
John Webster's great Jacobean tragedy is a poetic masterpiece that tells the dark and bloody story of the recently widowed Duchess as she struggles to retain strength and dignity in the face of death. Falling in love with the steward Antonio, their secret love leads to marriage which only causes bitterness and jealousy within her family over the Amalfi inheritance.
What the critics say
A superbly effective piece of theatre, mixing jolting shocks and pitch-black comedy with wonderful lines of ominous verse
A classical revival delights
Best...is terrific as the Duchess - magisterial and minx-like with her husband, playfully naïve with her brothers and finally heartbreakingly stoic
Eve Best's Duchess is a perfection
Soutra Gilmour's multi-tiered gothic set is extraordinary
Customer Reviews
The expected very excellent acting but a macabre and disturbing play . Not one for entertainment on a Saturday afternoon. Also not easy to follow the dialogue.Certainly not value for money unless you enjoy watching the "dark side" of mankind
The merits of the play are overshadowed by the almost comical flurry of killings in the second act. Echoes of Monty Python. The Cardinal character adds to the unintentional comedy effect. He wears a leather contraption on his arm, as I understand the actor has a broken arm, but I kept thinking "Herr Flick of the Gestapo". The scenery and lighting are very impressive, and probably the star of the show. In summary, it's a bit of fun and value for money at the discounted prices available, but I'll have forgotten it in a month.
Had never seen/read the play beforehand, but really enjoyed seeing it on my first ever visit to The Old Vic. I could feel history coming out of the walls. Great experience.
The Duchess of Malfi is a first class production with superb acting. The Old Vic is, of course, a gem. The director's vision of the play is less dark than many productions and this results in a play that speaks at least as well to a current audience as it would have to 17th century audiences. My wife's prior experiences of productions in the Old Vic were of plays with Olivier in the lead a "few" years ago. This provides a rather high standard of comparison for the current production which she thought to be excellent. As it happened our seats were in a section that turned out to be in the midst of several school groups. The house manager recognized this before the play started and moved us to much better open seats; we thank him for that.
My ticket was upgraded when I arrived at the theatre, so I had a marvellous view. The setting was beautiful, the whole place delighting the senses, it was a feast for all - the incense was burning and then the play started - and we were transported back through time. Eve Best was stunning, lively, and in love, lost in sorrow and bereft by turn. The moments of Webster's humour shone through, and were tempered by the tragic actions of the Cardinal and Ferdinand. Brilliant.
I loved the actual staging and the production, great set with a limited number of props that were extremely well used for maximum impact. It was long, 2 hours 20 minutes excluding the interval, but the acting was stunning with some great perfomances. My one beef, and I know it's Jacobean tragedy and the way the play was written, but why does everyone take SO long to die. You can't live, let alone speak, when your neck has been broken...surely! Overall I loved it and would definitely recommend for anyone who loves this genre.
