Synopses & Reviews
The voyage of the Good Hope is a journey on which the life of an entire community depends. A storm rages, the women and children wait ashore, and the boat follows the Greenland catch...
This Dutch classic of social realist theatre has been relocated to the Yorkshire fishing community of Whitby in 1900 by Lee Hall, writer of the award-winning Billy Elliot and Spoonface Steinberg. A poetic account of the fisherman's life, The Good Hope has not been performed in the UK for more than fifty years and is rediscovered at a time when the fishing industry is once again in strife.
Lee Hall's version of Herman Heijermans' The Good Hope premiered at the Cottesloe Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London, in November 2001.
Synopsis
Adapted from Holland's most popular play, this tale of exploited fishermen was ahead of its time in tackling workers rights.
Synopsis
A new version of Holland's most popular play, brilliantly adapted by Lee Hall
Displaying his characteristic disdain for bourgeois hypocrisy, in The Good Hope Heijermans takes up the cause of exploited fishermen. Set in Whitby, this fresh adaptation by Lee Hall breathes new life into a modern European classic.
This adaptation is published to tie in with the play's premiere at London's National Theatre in November 2001, to be followed by a nationwide tour.
About the Author
Herman Heijermans was born in Rotterdam in 1824. As a socialist his work focused on such themes as a nti-Semitism and free love. He died in Zandvoort in 1924. Lee Hall has won numerous awards, includin g a Sony award for his phenomenally popular radio play Spoonface Steinberg, which later transferred to the stage in a production with Kathryn Hunter. His play Cooking With Elvis has had a sell-out run at the Whitehall Theatre throughout 2000. His adaptation of A Servant to Two Masters was a smash hi t for the RSC and the Young Vic, and continues to tour worldwide. His two Brecht adaptations, Mr Pun tilla and his Man Matti and Mother Courage were both sell-out successes in the West End. Lee Hall wa s Oscarnominated for his screenplay Billy Elliot.