Damned by Despair - Olivier Theatre, National

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Average Rating: 2.4 out of 5 stars based on 20 review(s)



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The Olivier National Theatre, the biggest of the three venues that make up the complex on South Bank, welcomes “Damned by Despair” to its stage in October 2012. With a cast that includes Bertie Carvel, Sebastian Armesto, Rory Keenan and Amanda Lawrence, plus a director in Bijan Sheibani, this promises to be a stand-out production. After all, regardless of the impressive cast this is a classic story that has been known to audiences since the 17th century when was penned by Tirso de Molina of Spain.

Its story concerns Paulo, a hermit played by Armesto, who is taking ten years to penance an when this faith comes undone the devil appears and promises he will have the same consequences befitted to Enrico (played by Carvel). But he rebels against this and assembles a team to lash out against God and carry out crimes, with redemption still a possibility.

Bertie Carvel is perhaps best known of the cast members, having appeared in shows like “Matilda The Musical” at the Cambridge Theatre, “The Man of Mode” here at the National Theatre and “The Pride” at the Royal Court Theatre.

In the same year that “Scenes from an Execution” appears at the Lyttelton National Theatre, “Damned by Despiare” heads to the Olivier stage of the South Bank venue from Wednesday 10th October 2012 (previews from Tuesday 2nd October 2012) to Wednesday 7th November 2012.