Brentwood School - Brentwoodian 2020

On a cold Thursday afternoon in February, after the final bell of the school day rang, signalling the day was over, 11 enthusiastic German students alongside five of our German teachers set out for the National Theatre. Upon arriving at Waterloo station, we were met by the breathtaking view of London as the darkness fell upon the city. Immediately we split into groups, heading in different directions to consume our meals for the evening before the play began. At 7pm sharp, heaps of people filled the doors, as we crammed through the busy halls of the National Theatre, looking for our seats. Staircase after staircase, we finally reached the top. Once we had seated ourselves, the lights slowly dimmed, as a series of incredible scenery, phenomenal acting and thrilling events followed suit. The play had made use of a revolving stage, which, alongside the acting and occurring events, reinforced both the scenery and suspenseful atmosphere. It provided the audience with a much more entertaining and insightful approach to the play. Furthermore, beside the stage, behind a dim window, stood the musicians who alluringly accompanied each beating second of the play to the fullest. And so, another great trip came to an end. By Inger Hansen “Drama is certainly a very complex, yet incredibly interesting genre of literature. This genre takes into consideration much more than just text, so when executed properly, it can lead to a truly unforgettable and even mesmerising experience. Such is the literary piece The Old Lady Comes to Call , or more commonly known as The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and its theatrical adaptations. The version performed at the Olivier Theatre of the famous London National Theatre is one adapted by Tony Kusher and it carries some rather significant changes, which alter the overall feel of the play quite a bit in comparison to the original work. However, the Kusher’s plot follows quite a similar trend line: the small town of Slurry, New York is not prepared for the industrial advancements of new-age globalising America. In spite of this, the richest woman in the world, Claire Zachnassian (played by Lesley Manville, who does not fail to captivate the audience with her skill to convincingly bring new life to an already complex character), still wills to return this small home-town of hers. Upon noticing the abysmal state both Slurry and its people have found themselves in compared to their flourishing surroundings, she decides to offer them a sum of a billion dollars (in cash!) to help the town and its people by splitting it between them equally. However, such a large sum comes at a price! – the one condition Claire sets is that one of the residents of Slurry, her ex-lover from youth, is to die. Dürrenmatt uses a gross moral dilemma in order to explore whether a human life can ever have a price and how that answer may be influenced by the desperation and wishes of a collective.” By Din-Ammar Tolj TheVisit Visit