Ibsen’s political comedy in a crisp and satirical version by Andy Barrett.
Bratsberg is a man of tradition. He thinks manners, knowledge and education are the foundations of a good society, but are his values dated? Monsen is an entrepreneur who believes success comes from hard work, but can he be trusted? Stensgard is a radical. He can see that change is beckoning and that he should be the man to drive progress forward. But when real power becomes a possibility how will he respond?
A play about political ambition and opportunism, the conflicts of class, the difficulties of breaking open long established systems, and the ways in which political expediency can lay waste to idealism.
Written as a response to political change in Norway, The League of Youth was Henrik Ibsen’s first truly successful play, and is a clear precursor to The Pillars of Society, A Doll’s House and An Enemy of the People. Its vivid characters are instantly recognisable as the prototypes for many of his greatest creations.
This English version by Andy Barrett was first staged at Nottingham Playhouse in 2011.
‘Andy Barrett’s new version does an excellent job… allows us, without pushing the point, to savour the topicality of a play in which principles are sacrificed for power’
— Guardian
‘A wonderful adaptation’
— Left Lion
‘Andy Barrett’s new version brings fresh meaning to what I suspect is an impenetrable original’
— Whatsonstage.com
