Peter Carroll most recently appeared in the musical Dr. Zhivago but this Australian actor has had an incredibly long and varied career. Having worked with all the State Theatre Companies, Carroll certainly knows his way around the business.
Peter Carroll (pictured, right) most recently appeared in the musical Dr. Zhivago but this Australian actor has had an incredibly long and varied career. Having worked with all the State Theatre Companies, Carroll certainly knows his way around the business. In just a few weeks, this esteemed actor will be appearing in Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land at the Sydney Opera House – a joint production with Sydney Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre Company – alongside John Gaden (pictured, left), whose illustrious theatre career has spanned over 45 years. With previews from 28 October the show will officially open on Tuesday 1 November at 8pm Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House and run until 11 December 2011. Directed by Michael Gow (who returns to Sydney Theatre Company after a 15-year absence) No Man’s Land is an exploration of memory and time, love and loss, full of Pinter’s unexpected humour and wit. Hirst (Gaden), a fading London poet, and Spooner (Carroll), a free-spirited booze-hound, yarn-spinner and poet himself, drink themselves through a long night in the library of Hirst’s well appointed home. Under the gaze of two young men, Briggs (Andrew Buchanan) and Foster (Steven Rooke), they tell stories, discuss literature and debate the English way of life as they meander through their memories. “No Man’s Land is a play that encompasses the best qualities of Pinter’s work – there’s the precisely sparse dialogue, the sense of menace, the wry humour and characters that refuse to be specific about their history or their intentions”, said Director, Michael Gow. Pinter wrote No Man’s Land for British theatrical legends Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud in 1974. Now Carroll and Gaden take on these remarkable roles in a haunting, enigmatic and darkly comic tale about two men from different backgrounds who somehow find a connection and fascination with one another. No Man’s Land is considered to be Nobel prize-winner Pinter at his best, and excerpts from the play were read at his funeral to honour his final wishes. Pinter’s career spanned 50 years and he received a Companion of Honour and an Order of the British Empire for his work. He died in December 2008.
Director: Michael GowDesigner: Robert KempLighting Designer: Nick SchlieperComposer and Sound Designer: Tony Brumpton Cast: Andrew Buchanan, Peter Carroll, John Gaden and Steven Rooke Box Office: (02) 9250 1777 sydneytheatre.com.au Tickets: $35 – $90 (transaction fees may apply) Photo: John Gaden and Peter Carroll (left to right). Photographer Rob Maccoll