JT Rogers’ incredibly gripping political drama Oslo imagines the behind-closed-doors meetings that set up secret talks between the State of Israel and Palestine Liberation Organisation, masterminded by two husband-and-wife Norwegian diplomats.
Directed by Bartlett Sher (The King and I), tickets sold out for the London premiere of the play at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton Theatre, before transferring to the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre.
Starring Lydia Leonard and Toby Stephens as the central Norwegian protagonists, the play was nominated for best new play, and Peter Polycarpou received a nomination for best actor in a supporting role as he took on the leader of the PLO.
A tremendously insightful and enthralling piece of theatre, Oslo takes you through the intense twists and turns of setting up the unprecedented negotiations between two countries that hardly saw eye-to-eye, yet ended with an iconic handshake on the lawn of the White House.
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Oslo originally premiered in New York, its critically-acclaimed run on Broadway earned it every ‘Best Play’ award going on Broadway, including those given by New York Drama Critics' Circle, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, Tony, Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards.
Its opening in London was greeted with a string of four and five-star reviews from the press, including one from LondonTheatre.co.uk, who said: “it will help us realise how important viewing your enemies as humans can really be”.
In The Times, Ann Treneman’s five-star review lauded the play as a “serious, and seriously good play”. Henry Hitchings lauded the play as “an absorbing mix of historical reconstruction and political thriller, in which world events are viewed from an unfamiliar angle” in the Evening Standard, while in the Financial Times, Sarah Hemming wrote “the keynote of this fine, humane play is hope.”
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27 images We’re bogged down with constant talk of negotiations these days, which is inevitable – the biggest democratic decision for a generation will change all our lives. It’s going to be tough, but nothing compared to what it took Israel and Palestine just to get sat around the same table.
Following its award-winning run on Broadway, JT Rogers' play Oslo has just enjoyed a limited engagement at the National Theatre. As of next week, it will take up a longer residence in the West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre, so we sat down with Rogers to talk about his play, which is about Irsaeli-Palestinian negotiations, and how it came about thanks to a children's soccer match.
Fresh from its run on Broadway, JT Rogers Tony Award-winning play Oslo is poised to make its UK premiere at the National Theatre. It’s about the secret talks between Israel and Palestine in 1993, orchestrated on the sly by a Norwegian couple. Lydia Leonard plays Mona Juul, alongside Toby Stephens who plays her husband. We spoke to the actress about how the play first came about at a children’s football match, and taking the play straight to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End. What is Oslo all about?
Production images have been released of the National Theatre’s production of Oslo, which is set to open in the Lyttelton Theatre this week. Directed by Bartlett Sher, JT Rogers Tony Award-winning play is about a couple who orchestrate secret talks between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation – these talks resulted in the Oslo Accords on 1993. Rogers’ play opened on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in April of this year, and following a limited three-week run at the National, it will transfer to the West End in the Harold Pinter Theatre until December.
Images have been released of rehearsals taking place for Oslo, the Tony Award-winning play opening at the National Theatre next month, before transferring to the West End. The play, by JT Rogers, tells the true story of a young Norwegian couple who orchestrated top-secret meetings between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisations. Directed by Bartlett Sher, it won the Best Play award at this year’s Tony Awards, and in London it will star Toby Stephens (Black Sails), Lydia Leonard (Wolf Hall) and Peter Polycarpou (Working).
Last Sunday I was fortunate enough to attend The 62nd Annual Drama Desk Awards in New York City - widely regarded as the second most important night of the Broadway Awards Season behind the Tony Awards, which will take place this coming Sunday, 11 June at Radio City Music Hall. One of the most coveted trophies awarded on Sunday was for "Outstanding Play" and J.T. Rogers' epic, political drama Oslo saw off some strong competition from the likes of Paula Vogel's Indecent and Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat, among others, to come out on top. Moments later, I caught up with Mr.
