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1996

Ashes to Ashes

Written by Harold Pinter

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director
Stephen Daldry

Dates Performed

Thursday 12th September 1996
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs

Play Details

Synopsis

A house in the country.

Ground-floor room. A large window.

Sophie is a young woman grappling with a profound sense of emptiness and disconnection from the world around her. Set against the stark backdrop of a contemporary urban environment, the narrative delves into Sophie’s introspective struggle to find meaning and joy in her life, a pursuit that seems ever elusive. The play vividly captures her interactions with various characters who each symbolize different facets of modern disillusionment, from fleeting romantic entanglements to strained familial bonds.

As Sophie navigates through her emotional labyrinth, the play deftly explores themes of mental health, existential dread, and the search for identity in a rapidly changing world. The dialogue is sharp and evocative, painting a raw and realistic portrait of urban life and its inherent isolation. The form of the play is linear, with a focus on intimate character studies and deeply personal monologues that allow the audience to peer into Sophie’s troubled psyche. Lenkiewicz’s writing shines in its ability to evoke both the bleakness of anhedonia and the flickering moments of human connection that offer a glimmer of hope.

Director(s)

Harold Pinter

Photo credit

All images credited to Ivan Kyncl

Other productions

Cast & Creative

Cast

Lindsay Duncan

Cast

Stephen Rea

Designer

Eileen Diss

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