4 episodes
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour National Theatre
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- Arts
First performed in 1977 at the Royal Festival Hall, Tom Stoppard and André Previn’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour is a play for six actors and an orchestra. It focuses on Alexander Ivanov, a dissident falsely imprisoned in a Soviet mental hospital, and his roomate there, a schizophrenic convinced he has command of a symphony orchestra. The National Theatre revived the production in 2009 with the Southbank Sinfonia, directed by Felix Barrett (Punchdrunk) and Tom Morris.
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The vision
Tom Stoppard and André Previn, and Felix Barrett and Tom Morris discuss their vision for the play.
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Choreography
Maxine Doyle is the choreographer for Punchdrunk. For the 2009 staging of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour she worked with performers to create a dedicated movement language. In this film she talks about the concept behind the piece.
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Co-directing
Felix Barrett and Tom Morris discuss the benefits of co-directing: explaining how the bouncing ideas off each other can lead to greater experimentation and a bolder vision, as well as a more encouraging atmosphere in the rehearsal room.
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Introduction
In 1977 The Royal Festival Hall premiered Tom Stoppard and André Previn’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. Incorporating a full orchestra, the play was rapturously received. Rarely performed owing to staging demands, in 2009 The National Theatre presented a dazzling revival of the play.