Howard Barker’s play returns to the stage this Autumn in a production touring the UK.
It has been announced that Catherine Cusack (Coronation Street, ITV; The Crucible, Belfast Lyric; All That Fall, Broadway, Arts Theatre, Jermyn Street) will lead the cast in REND Productions version of Judith: A Parting From The Body.
Judith – the daring widow who, on the night before battle, infiltrates the enemy camp with her Servant to seduce and kill the blood-crazed head of the invading army, Holofernes. Her land is at stake – but what of her heart and mind? In his radical reimagining of a legend, Barker lays bare the complex sacrifices of human beings at war.
This production is directed by Robyn Winfield-Smith, which reveals a passionate double-seduction and a web of truth and lies between a man who has chosen murder and a woman who has chosen love.
Talking about the production Robyn Winfield-Smith said: “With ongoing global controversy over the trustworthiness of those in political power, and with continued violence and political unrest sweeping across the world, this intense and hard-hitting play is as devastatingly urgent as it was in both 1995 and 2015 – testament to the state of affairs internationally, the uncomfortable truths about human nature, and the calibre of Barker’s writing.”
Howard Barker’s original TMA-winning production of Judith premiered at the Traverse in 1995. Judith was first performed at the Arcola Theatre as part of REND Productions’ Howard Barker Double Bill in 2015, which received an Arts Council England Grant For The Arts.
Alongside Catherine Cusack, the cast is also set to include Kristin Hutchinson and Liam Smith. The production also features designs by Rosanna Vize, lighting by Christopher Nairne and sound by Nick J. Jones.
Judith: A Parting From The Body is set to tour to:
5th – 9th September Arcola Theatre, Studio 2, London
13th – 15th September Omnibus Theatre, London
28th September Lighthouse, Sherling Studio, Poole
29th – 30th September Mercury Theatre, Studio, Colchester
Judith: A Parting From The Body will play at the Arcola Theatre from the 5th until the 9th September. To book tickets visit: https://www.arcolatheatre.com/event/judith-parting-body/