Ostrovsky's LARISA AND THE MERCHANTS Premieres at Arcola Theatre, May 1-June 2

In a trading town on the banks of the Volga the merchants smell a bargain. Larisa is for sale. A beautiful but penniless young woman, she has given up the fight for love and any husband will do. Then suddenly more than one offer is on the table.

Larisa and the Merchants is one of Russia's best loved classics and this UK premiere is in a new English language version by Samuel Adamson, one of the UK's most highly respected adaptors and writers. His work includes Southwark Fair, Mrs Affleck (National Theatre), Breakfast at Tiffany's (Theatre Royal, Haymarket) and War Horse (National Theatre, West End, New York).

Ostrovsky's dissection of the ambitious merchant class brims with wit and brutal honesty. Woven through with the music and dance tradition of the Russian Roma Gypsies as specified by Ostrovsky, this razor sharp, darkly comic masterpiece of love, betrayal and human worth comes vividly to life in this new adaptation.

The cast is Ben Addis, Brendan Gregory, Jennifer Kidd, Annabel Leventon, Tarek Merchant, Sam Phillips, Morgan Philpott and Jack WIlkinson. Lighting is by Kristina Hjelm, sound by Tim Middleton and movement by Anna Morrissey. Musical advice by Gundula Gruen from the London Gypsy Orchestra.

Larisa and the Merchants is presented by InSite Performance and directed by its Artistic Director Jacqui Honess-Martin. Previous work includes the sell out SMITH (2008), the first piece of theatre to be staged in the Enlightenment Gallery of the British Museum; Jacqui Honess-Martin's adaptation of Antigone, presented at Walworth Council Chambers in 2005 and described as a "triumph on every level" by The Evening Standard; and Atman at the Finborough. InSite has a partnership with Lifeline in Hackney which works with sufferers from alcohol and drug misuse, helping them to reconnect with society, and build confidence and communication skills.

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit www.arcolatheatre.com.

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