The Playground Theatre Presents IDA RUBENSTEIN: THE FINAL ACT

From Paris to Palestine, from dancing in the Ballet Russes to commissioning Ravel's Boléro, Ida Rubinstein's career as a dancer and impresario saw her working with artists such as Diaghilev, Nijinsky and Debussy. But despite her varied career and her fame in her own time, her name is all but forgotten whilst her contemporaries live on in memory. Now Naomi Sorkin, an actor and former ballerina recounts the Russian heiress' dramatic life: her scandalous Salomé that lead her embarrassed family to commit her to an asylum, her rise to the heights of fame in Paris, her bisexual love affairs, the assassination of her long-time lover Lord Moyne, and her work as a nurse in both World Wars. Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act combines text, movement, music, projections and film to evoke a long-gone era of theatrical extravagance.

Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act brings together a stellar team of creatives: joining Naomi Sorkin are director and choreographer Christian Holder (choreography includes American Ballet Theatre and Joffrey Ballet), multiple BAFTA winning, and Emmy winning Production Designer David Roger.

Naomi Sorkin said, "It was first suggested that I play Ida Rubinstein by William Como, the founder and editor of American Dance Magazine, who loved my work and had just researched an article about her. He related to me that her story had an incredible life trajectory and said that I even resembled her in profile, plus the fact that I am also of Russian Jewish heritage myself. I think what has kept me fascinated is the fact that she was a self-actualized woman at a time when women traditionally had no power whatsoever, let alone the strength of character to defy every obstacle confronting her, in order to pursue and fulfil her belief in the power and beauty of art."

Ida Rubinstein was a Russian dancer, actor, art patron and icon of the Belle Epoque era. Born into one of Russia's wealthiest families in the late 1800's, she rose to the heights of fame as a star of Diaghelev's Ballet Russes, dancing opposite Nijinsky in both Cleopatre and Sheherezade. She formed her own company, one of the very few women to do so at the time, and commissioned several lavish productions, many choreographed by Nijinska. She later converted from Judaism to Catholicism, and during the two World Wars she nursed wounded French soldiers. She had a passionate affair with the artist Romaine Brooks, and her long term lover and supporter, Walter Edward Guinness (later Lord Moyne), was assassinated in 1944. After the war, she withdrew completely and died forgotten..

Actor Naomi Sorkin was one of America's leading classical and dramatic dancers, joining the American Ballet Theatre at the age of 17 and rising to become a principal. She worked with the great choreographers of the time, including Massine, Anthony Tudor, Jerome Robbins and Agnes De Mille. She previously played Ida in a short film Madame Ida which was shown at the V&A, London Film Festival, Paris, Capri and St Petersburg. Her career parallels with Ida Rubenstein's in many ways: she became a freelance artist as a time when it was highly unusual to do so, and began to act. Amongst many roles created for her were Cleopatra, and Nastyasia Filippovna in The Idiot, a role created for her by award winning Polish director Henryk Baranowski. She also danced Sheherezade for a Nijinski gala at the London Palladium. She was a guest artist with many contemporary and ballet companies across the US before guesting with the Lindsay Kemp company and William Forsythe's Ballet Frankfurt.

Director and Choreographer Christian Holder was a lead dancer with the Joffrey Ballet company in New York, working with choreographers including Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mill, Twyla Tharp and Leonide Massine. He has choreographed for the company as well as other companies including the American Ballet Theatre, and Ballet Theatre de Bordeaux. He conceived, directed, and wrote the libretto and lyrics for musical play Verse of Fortune in New York, and he will be returning to London to perform his cabaret act at The Brasserie Zedel in December.

Production Designer David Roger has designed theatre, opera and dance all over the world as well as many award winning TV dramas. He holds four Royal Television Society design awards, an Emmy (Great Expectations 2012) and two Baftas (Great Expectations 2012 and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell 2016). Charles and Patricia Lester are a unique design duo, whose sumptuous hand crafted and painted garments have been used in several films and operas as well as graced the figures of many film stars and royalty over the years.

Tickets: £22 (£18 concs, 10 £10 tickets per show) | theplaygroundtheatre.london | 020 8960 0110

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