‘People like us are unhappy in this world and in the next: if we made it to heaven, we’d have to help make it thunder.’
The multi-award-winning Jack Thorne, the playwright behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, breathes new life into Georg Büchner’s existential masterpiece, Woyzeck, one of the most extraordinary plays ever written.
It’s 1980s Berlin. The Cold War rages and the world sits at a crossroads between Capitalism and Communism. On the border between East and West, a young soldier and the love of his life are desperately trying to build a better future for their child.
But the cost of escaping poverty is high in this searing tale of the people society leaves behind.
Jack Thorne’s version of Woyzeck premiered at the Old Vic Theatre, London, in May 2017, in a production starring John Boyega in the title role.
‘This really is one not to miss’
— Radio Times
‘An exceptionally powerful portrait of a man at the bottom of the heap, helpless and hopeless’
— Mail on Sunday
‘A brutal interpretation for our times’
— Observer
‘Jack Thorne has sprinkled magic over Georg Büchner’s elusive masterpiece… earthy, robust and admirably clear… this isn’t an easy watch, but it certainly rewards audience effort’
— Evening Standard
‘Shattering… makes Woyzeck more accessible while preserving its unsettling spirit’
— Independent
‘A thrillingly powerful triumph… as a picture of working-class men, this Woyzeck is powerful and effective’
— The Arts Desk
‘Explosive… an emotionally challenging, deeply unsettling must-see’
— TheatreCat
