Bird&Carrot proudly presents the UK premiere of
Brodsky/Baryshnikov
Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7ES
Wednesday 3rd – Sunday 7th May 2017
An extra performance of Brodsky/Baryshnikov has been added on 7th May due to high levels of interest. Found somewhere between a play, a poetry recital and a piece of performance art, this UK premiere is being staged at the West End’s Apollo Theatre for a limited run.
Brodsky/Baryshnikov is a one-man show, performed by legendary dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, based on the poems of Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky. The production is an emotional journey deep into the poet’s visceral and complex compositions. Baryshnikov walks onto the stage unmasked and unguarded and tells us the story of their 22 year friendship that began in 1972 in an unnerving expose.
Brodsky/Baryshnikov is conceived and directed by Alvis Hermanis, noted Latvian director of The New Riga Theatre. Performed in Russian with English surtitles, Baryshnikov recites a selection of his long-time friend’s poignant and eloquent works. Hermanis comments Baryshnikov was taken by the idea of using Brodsky’s poetry as a score for the show. Brodsky’s poems strung together as a score to compose a requiem that carries Baryshnikov’s body which reacts to every word and creates movement that transpires either into pain or into a dance, similarly to the artwork of Egon Schiele and the Japanese Butoh dance.
Brodsky/Baryshnikov is Baryshnikov’s nostalgic tribute to his once dear friend.
Brodsky/Baryshnikov is a co-production between The New Riga Theatre and Baryshnikov Productions, presented by Bird&Carrot. Its London run is made possible thanks to the generous support of Norvik Banka and Blavatnik Family Foundation.