The Forest

Description

Pierre finds himself at a turning point, tormented by the conflicting demandsof family, career and sexual desire. His struggle to resolve this crisis, withoutfracturing his marriage or compromising his comfortable way of life, is exploredin original and unsettling ways. Florian Zeller's raw and mysterious play, translated by Christopher Hampton,premieres at Hampstead Theatre, London, in February 2022. I'm telling you a story, if that's all right by you. Apparently you've no objectionto telling stories yourself. Am I right?

Florian Zeller is a French novelist and playwright. He won the prestigious Prix Interallie in 2004 for his third novel, Fascination of Evil. His plays include L'Autre, Le Manege, Si tu mourais, nominated for a Globe de Cristal, Elle t'attend and La Verite. La Mere (The Mother, Moliere Award for Best Play in 2011) and Le Pere (The Father, Moliere Award for Best Play in 2014, starring Robert Hirsch and Isabelle Gelinas (Moliere Awards for Best Actor and Actress, Prix du Brigadier in 2015). Une Heure de tranquillite (A Bit of Peace and Quiet), opened with Fabrice Luchini, and has since been adapted for the screen, directed by Patrice Leconte. Le Mensonge (The Lie) was staged in 2015 starring Pierre Arditi and Evelyne Bouix and L'Envers du decor opened in January 2016 at the Theatre de Paris starring Daniel Auteuil. Christopher Hampton was born in the Azores in 1946. He wrote his first play, When Did You Last See My Mother? at the age of eighteen. Since then, his plays have included The Philanthropist, Savages, Tales from Hollywood, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, White Chameleon, The Talking Cure and Appomattox. He has translated plays by Ibsen, Moliere, von Horvath, Chekhov, Florian Zeller (including The Father), Daniel Kehlman and Yasmina Reza (including Art and Life x 3). Musicals include Sunset Boulevard and Stephen Ward, both with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black. His television work includes adaptations of The History Man and Hotel du Lac. His screenplays include The Honorary Consul, The Good Father, Dangerous Liaisons, Mary Reilly, Total Eclipse, The Quiet American, Carrington, The Secret Agent and Imagining Argentina, the last three of which he also directed, and A Dangerous Method, based on his play The Talking Cure. Appomattox was first presented on the McGuire Proscenium Stage of the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, USA, in September 2012 as the centrepiece of a major retrospective of his plays and films. It was subsequently turned into an opera by Philip Glass and premiered at the Kennedy Center, Washington in November 2014. Christopher Hampton was born in the Azores in 1946. He wrote his first play, When Did You Last See My Mother?, at the age of eighteen. Since then, his plays have included The Philanthropist, Savages, Tales from Hollywood, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, White Chameleon, The Talking Cure, Appomattox and A German Life. He has translated plays by Ibsen, Moliere, von Horvath, Chekhov and Yasmina Reza. This is his seventh translation of a play by Florian Zeller, including The Father, which he subsequently co-wrote for the screen with Florian Zeller. His television work includes adaptations of The History Man, Hotel du Lac and The Singapore Grip. His screenplays include The Honorary Consul, The Good Father, Dangerous Liaisons, Mary Reilly, Total Eclipse, The Quiet American, Atonement, Cheri, A Dangerous Method, Carrington, The Secret Agent and Imagining Argentina, the last three of which he also directed.