Book description
Berlin/Wall In two contrasted readings for the stage, David Hare
visits a place where a famous wall has come down; then another where a
wall is going up. Berlin For his whole adult life, David Hare has been
visiting the city which so many young people regard as the most
exciting in Europe. But there's something in Berlin's elusive
character that makes him feel he's always missing the point. Now, to
celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the reunification, he offers a
meditation about Germany's restored capital - both what it represents
in European history, and the peculiar part it has played in his own
life. Wall The Israeli/Palestine security fence will one day stretch
486 miles, from one end of Israel to the other. It will be four times
as long as the Berlin wall, and in places twice as high. In this
second monologue, the playwright recalls his trips to both Israel and
the Palestinian territory and offers a history of the wall's building,
an exploration of the philosophy behind it and a personal account of
those who live on either side. Berlin premiered at the National
Theatre, London, in February 2009 and Wall premiered at the Royal
Court Theatre, London, in March 2009. 'Of all British dramatists, Hare
is the one who has always seemed to have the sharpest awareness of
what is going on around him, which is what makes him such an eagerly
sought-after journalist.' Michael Billington
David Hare is one of Britain's most internationally performed
playwrights. He was born in Sussex in 1947. Thirteen of his plays have
been presented at the National heatre, including a trilogy about the
Church, the Law and the Labour Party - Racing Demon, Murmuring Judges
and The Absence of War - which was presented in repertory in the Olivier
Theatre in 1993. Ten of his best-known plays, including Plenty, The
Secret Rapture, Skylight, The Blue Room, Amy's View, The Judas Kiss, Via
Dolorosa - in which he performed - and The Vertical Hour have also been
presented on Broadway.
