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1997

The Chairs

Written by Eugene Ionesco

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director
Stephen Daldry

Translated by
Martin Crimp

Original Language 
French

Co-production with Complicité

Dates Performed

Wednesday 19th November 1997
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs

Play Details

Synopsis

A dilapidated lighthouse on an island, surrounded by an endless sea, where reality and illusion blur in a swirling dance of absurdity.

The Old Man and The Old Woman, a married couple in their 90s, frantically prepare for a grand gathering where the Old Man will finally reveal his life’s message to the world. As they set out more and more chairs for an ever-growing invisible audience, their excitement and anxiety mount. The couple relives memories, indulges in fantasies, and grapples with their own existence while waiting for the arrival of a mysterious Orator who will deliver the Old Man’s crucial message.

Ionesco’s masterpiece of absurdist theatre challenges conventional notions of reality, communication, and the human condition. Through repetitive dialogue, surreal situations, and a stark, minimalist setting, the play explores themes of isolation, aging, and the futility of human existence. As the unseen crowd grows and the anticipation builds, The Chairs delves into the nature of language itself, questioning our ability to truly connect and find meaning in a chaotic universe.

Director(s)

Simon McBurney/Complicite

Other productions

Cast & Creative

Cast

Mick Barnfather

Cast

Sarah Baxter

Cast

Richard Briers

Cast

Geraldine McEwan

Translator

Martin Crimp

Designer

Quay Brothers

Lighting

Paul Anderson

Sound

Paul Arditti

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