Fringe Hit DONKEY HEART Transfers To West End

The first West End show to open in 2015 is a surprising one. It's not big on dance numbers, there are no high-kicking antics, and chorus girls are in short supply. What Moses Raine's hit new play Donkey Heart does have is plenty of heart and sensational critical acclaim.

It premiered in London's tiny fringe Old Red Lion Theatre, and was variously described in top star reviews as "superb" (Evening Standard), "gorgeous" (Time Out) and "intriguing" (WhatsOnStage).

It will open at Trafalgar Studios on 7 January 2015, kicking off London's theatre scene for the new year in style.

Donkey Heart examines the life of an ordinary family in modern Moscow, cleverly charting how their secrets echo the scheming and betrayals of Russia's Communist past.

It's something Moses and his sister Nina, herself an award-winning playwright and director who is at the helm of this production, know plenty about. Their great-uncle was Boris Pasternak, Nobel Prize laureaute, dissident and author of Doctor Zhivago, and their family is steeped in stories of KGB surveillance and not-so-veiled threats.

Men in overcoats would stalk their grandparents through the streets. Their mother was taken to Russia after Boris's death as protection; it was felt a British child would deter the secret police from intervening as the family settled their affairs. Moses, reflecting on the legacy of the Pasternaks and the impact of such a regime on the family, says that "in the end, I hope we do justice to all the amazing stories I've been told".

If the reviews are anything to go by, Moses doesn't need to worry. The play's stellar cast includes Tony Award-nominee Amanda Root, RSC and West End veteran Patrick Godfrey, and TV star Georgia Henshaw, who recently demonstrated her credentials on Celebrity Mastermind. They are backed up by a glittering creative team including double Olivier Award-winner Peter Mumford.

It's an extra special Christmas for the Raine family because Nina's play Tiger Country is also being revived at the Hampstead Theatre, making it a festive double-bill - and keeping the literary spirit very much in the family.

Donkey Heart is at Trafalgar Studios from 7 - 31 January 2015. Tickets start from £15.

http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/donkey-heart/trafalgar-studios/#showinfotabs=overview

Donkey Heart was first produced by Chris Foxon at the Old Red Lion Theatre in May 2014, directed by Nina Raine, designed by James Turner, with lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by Alex Caplen and starring Pierre Atri, Emily Bruni, Lisa Diveney, Patrick Godfrey, Georgia Henshaw, Alex Large, Albie Marber, James Musgrave, Wendy Nottingham and Paul Wyett. The transfer features the original team with the exception of Amanda Root, who is replacing Wendy Nottingham, and is produced by Chris Foxon and D.E.M. Productions in association with Belka Productions.

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