Inspired by the works and life of post-war American poet and novelist Charles Bukowski, Ordinary Madness is about the beauty in the dirt, the extraordinary in the mundane, the hard shell with the soft centre about that bluebird in our soul that wants to get out.
Charles Bukowski is a true literary legend, the king of the underground & a “laureate of the American lowlife”. As modern artists we delve into the lives & fates of Bukowski’s insignificant characters and we ironise, laugh, reflect & empathise.
★★★★★ “Theatre done brilliantly” - London Theatre 1
★★★★“The performances are out of this world” “Totally absorbing and irresistible” - Fairy Powered Productions
★★★★ “Perfectly crafted” “Illuminating” - Reviews Hub
★★★★★ “Played with wit and verve by an exceptionally talented cast” - Audience Club
“Exceptional, enlightening & meaningful theatre. The wit and style of directing is precious” - David Gothard CBE (ex Artistic Director of Riverside Studios)
Director Anya Viller: "Full of cynicism, irony and humour, the performance suggests that we are all just people in the end. Being weak but pretending to be strong is generally very human. And these insignificant characters, in a sense, oppose the "American Dream" and our modern obsession with success. Because...it’s okay to be an ordinary person. Everyone has the right to cut themselves while shaving."
Together these, mostly, working-class stories paint a picture that would not look out of place in modern-day London – as one audience member put it "I know all of these people, I know all of their problems."
These are stories of the insignificant person – stories about all of us.
Director
Anya Viller
Cast
Victoria Valcheva
Andrew Buzzeo
Francesca Wilson Waterworth
James Viller
Amy Leeson
Set Designer
Alexandra Dashevsky
Art Department
Anna Amatuni
Costume Design
Joseph Nigogohossian
Lighting Design
Benjamin Vetluzhskikh
Costume Department & Stage Manager
Liisa Zukova
Presented by Art Theatre London & supported by the WeExist! Foundation
£100/year gets you: 6 free cinema tickets, 10% off all tickets at Riverside, 10% off our various bars & bakery, free popcorn every cinema visit, no booking fees, AND MUCH MORE
