The audience appreciated with gusto not only the development of the plot onstage but also author’s comment recorded by Havel in English. I enjoyed this, said British playwright and one of Havel’s personal friends Tom Stoppard.
The play was translated by Paul Wilson, a well known translator of many Czech writers into English. The leading role of Chancellor Rieger was played by Geoffrey Bevers.
Sam Walters produced and directed a range of British premieres of Havel’s plays including Audience, Private View and Protest and made them popular at the time when the playwright’s name was not yet fashionable. The production of Audience went into rehearsals just before the first manifesto of Charter 77 was published in January 1977.
“Leaving is a play, both humorous and sad, about great things, about politics and about personal destinies,” Sam Walters said. “But it is a difficult play and I hope we’ll not make a mess of it. Havel is luckily only coming in a week’s time so we will have opportunity to have a couple of performances of Leaving beforehand,” he added smiling.
The Orange Tree Theatre dedicates a whole Autumn repertory to Havel’s work. It will perform Leaving until mid-December alternating with other plays by Havel The Mountain Hotel, Audience, Private View and Protest.