Delirium / Barbican and National Touring

"It's a heady brew of lush phrasemaking, puppetry, rock music and whirling physicality that distils Dostoevsky's battle of good and evil into a couple of hours of demented theatrics... it catches how life can be petty, grubby and profound - often all the same time.”
Dominic Cavendish, The Daily Telegraph

“…unmissable: a near-perfect modern rendering of The Brothers Karamazov in cabaret form. Hard to imagine, but close to breathtaking.”
Emer O’Kelly, The Sunday Independent, Ireland

“The pace, the sense of fusion between the actors, the bold lines of cabaret and parody all flowed together into an extraordinary piece of theatre.”
Dr Rowan Williams, The Archbishop of Canterbury

“Over the years I've seen his [Dosotoevsky’s] four most famous books imaginatively staged, often by great Russian directors such as Lev Dodin and Yuri Lyubimov. I was also entranced this week by Delirium which is playing at the Barbican's Pit and which offers a radical new take on The Brothers Karamazov from Enda Walsh and the experimental troupe, Theatre O, under Joseph Alford's direction… These characters are all living on the edge; and there is something about their demonic energy that captivates us and offers a welcome relief from the restraints of naturalism.”
Michael Billington, The Guardian

theatre O and Enda Walsh’s radical re-interpretation of The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky’s classic and compelling tale of family rivalries. The Karamazovs are a train wreck waiting to happen.

A hated father and his sons battle it out over women, money and God. This is them, uncompromising and on the edge. They don’t so much live as burn up. Behind them lurks a servant, taking note of it all, to the side two beautiful women, clinging onto impossible loves.

Weaving together text, grotesque puppetry, dance, animation and song, this is the hilarious and brutal story of the fight between good and evil where the battlefield is the human heart.

It is a story of hope.

Assistant Director - Kate Wasserberg
Choreographer - Eva Vilamitjana
Company Manager - Rosie Kelly
Composer- Gus Macmillan
Designer (animation/illustration) - Paddy Molloy
Designer (lighting) - Aideen Malone
Designer (set/costume) - James Humphrey
Designer (sound)/Composer - Gus Macmillan
Director - Joseph Alford
Devisers/Performers - Carolina Valdés, Clive Mendus, Denis Quilligan, Dominic Burdess, Joseph Alford, Julie Bower, Lucien MacDougall, Nick Lee
Producer - Simon Zimmerman
Production Manager - Simon Bourne
Stage Manager - Emma Mckie, Lucy Mcmahon
Writer - Enda Walsh

SUPPORTED BY THE PUSHKIN HOUSE TRUST, THE LABAN CENTRE AND THE ALAN CADBURY TRUST