Yard Heads dramaturg and director John Paul McGroarty worked with producer Alexandra Lort Phillips to deliver this collaborative show at Leith Theatre, the first professional theatre show in almost three decades to take place in the venue.
The collaboration was based on an exchange and cooperation project with Theaterlabor Bielefeld, Germany, Teatr A Part, Katowice Poland, Plavo Požoriste, Belgrade, Serbia, Smashing Times, Dublin, Association Arsène, Alsace.
JP co-directed the piece with Yuri Birte Anderson and the work presented developed workshop material from Karl Kraus’s epic play from WW1 Vienna ‘The Last Days of Mankind‘ using a new translation by author Patrick Healy
New music for the show was commissioned from anarchic cabaret operatic band The Tiger Lillies fronted by song-writer Martyn Jaques.
An album of photographs of the show can be viewed on Flickr
The play was well received by reviewers and the public:
11 November – CommonSpace
https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/13532/theatre-review-last-days-mankind
Review by John Davis
12 November – The Scotsman ****
Great war epic shows conflict…
12 November – The Herald ****
12 November – edinburghguide.com ****
https://www.edinburghguide.com/reviews/theatre/thelastdaysofmankindleiththeatrereview-1
12 November – alledinburghtheatre ****
https//www.alledinburghtheatre.com/?s=The+last+days+of+mankind
13 November – theweereview ****
https://theweereview.com/review/the-last-days-of-mankind/
13 November – Morning Star *****
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/timely-satire-lessons-unlearned-war-end-all-wars
13 November – The Edinburgh Reporter
https://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2018/11/at-leith-theatre-the-last-days-of-mankind/
14 November – The Stage ****
https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2018/last-days-mankind-review-leith-theatre/
14 November – Irish Examiner
Sanitation of time and memorial…
14 November – reviewsphere *****
https://www.reviewsphere.org/theatre-review-the-last-days-of-mankind/
14 November – The Times ***
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a-savage-anti-war-opus-that-does-not-pull-its-punches-0mxkxs0hj
15 November – My Theatre Mates ****
Review
14 November – The Fountain ***
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