A chillingly grotesque farce set in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, banned for decades in the USSR and revived in this uproarious new version by Declan Donnellan.
Moscow, 1924. The early days of the Soviet Union. Communism is everywhere – little understood but greatly feared. A landlord must pretend to be a Communist. His cook is mistaken for the missing princess Anastasia, and his lodger is threatening them with the militia.
Nikolai Erdman’s play The Mandate was written in 1924 and first performed in 1925 in a production directed by Vsevolod Meyerhold.
This English version by acclaimed director Declan Donnellan was first performed at the National Theatre, London, in 2004, in a production directed by Donnellan.
‘A comedy that’s perfect for our times’
— Independent
‘Declan Donnellan’s lively translation brings to life an unsettling transitional world, which combines Jazz Age flappers and farcical antics with an ominous threat offstage. An illuminating take on how we all might behave in dangerous, chaotic times’
— Time Out
‘A bilious attack on the panic, fear and loss of identity of post-revolutionary Russia… compelling viewing’
— Guardian
