Boy in Darkness, at the Blue Elephant Theatre

A Boy wanders into darkness, a land of broken things.

There he meets a goat, a hyena and a lamb with diabolical schemes.

The Boy escapes the oppressive Castle of his birthright on his fourteenth birthday. As he ventures into the unknown, his rebellion leads him on a descent to ancient alchemy and present danger. He must call on his wits to escape - or be trapped forever.

Storytelling and physical theatre intertwine in a bold, new stage interpretation of Mervyn Peake's novella 'Boy in Darkness', performed as a solo show by Gareth Murphy. Capturing a chilling adventure in the teenaged years of Titus Groan, hero of the celebrated Gormenghast trilogy, Boy in Darkness is a gothic fairytale underpinned by Peake's rich and powerful language.

The Blue Elephant continues to bring the work of one of the twentieth century's greatest writers to the stage with this original adaptation, following the world stage premieres of Mervyn Peake's plays The Cave and Noah's Ark.

"But it is extraordinary: a howl, an imperfect and painful philosophical struggle, part of a remarkable artist's testament. Honour to the little theatre."

Libby Purves, The Times on The Cave

13th March to April 4th, 2015 (Wednesdays and Saturdays)

More information from Blue Elephant Theatre

World Premiere of a Peake play

The Cave or Anima Mundi, a play by Mervyn Peake, will be performed at the Blue Elephant Theatre, 59a Bethwin Road, Camberwell, London SE5 0XT at 7.30pm on 21st June.

From their website: "A play in three acts, The Cave or Anima Mundi was written in 1961 and has never been previously staged. With the co-operation of the playwright's son, Sebastian Peake, The Cave has been adapted as a rehearsed reading by award-winning writer Brian Sibley, as part of the Camberwell Arts Festival, and produced by Flat Pack Productions. It will be accompanied by an introduction setting the play within the context of Mervyn Peake's ‘Gormenghast’ novels and other work and will be followed by a Q&A session."

Reviews for The Cave

The well known journalist and presenter of Radio 4's Midweek, Libby Purves was at The Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell, on 21st October, to attend the press night of The Cave. Other write-ups follow, and there have been several on the internet all of which I'm sure my late father would have been delighted with.
Katie Shellard writes for Running Heels.
From Broadway World
Victoria Claringbold writes in London Theatre Reviews
Caroline Jowett writes in The Express.
Paul Vale writes in The Stage
Stewart Pringle writes in What's on Stage
Sandra Girogetti writes in The British Theatre Guide
Barbara Lewis writes in London Grip
Victoria Claringbold writes in Theatre Reviews London

Aaron Paterson on The Cave

One of several plays my father wrote will be performed in October this year at the Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell south east London. The Cave, will run for three weeks and will be promoted both locally and in the wider press. Aaron Paterson writes about his thoughts on being asked to direct the play.

Teaser video.

Actors interested in working on the play might read the blog below.

The Cave

A three week run of the previously unperformed play by Mervyn Peake, will begin on 19th October 2010. The Blue Elephant Theatre, Bethwin Road, London SE5 will stage the powerful piece, which follows the fortunes of the same family set against a background of three distinctly different periods in human history.

In the dramatic denouement; at a read-through the invited audience gasped as one, a degree of resolution to the central theme of the play is reached, though the prevailing metaphor is a questioning of one's very existence.

Telephone 020 7701 0100 for further information.

Actors wanted, for The Cave

Anyone interested in becoming involved with the new production of The Cave at the Blue Elephant Theatre may be interested to read this.

Mervyn Peake play performed in Camberwell

One of Mervyn Peake's plays was performed at the tiny Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell on 21st June, which produced a great response from the full house. Adapted by Brian Sibley, The Cave was performed by Flat Pack Productions who brought this powerful piece to life. The denouement of the play; the whole cast die from gut shots, brought gasps from the rapt audience. A complete triumph, and one which hopefully will repeated in the not too distant future.

Reuters' press release

With the forthcoming staging of The Cave at the Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell, Reuters News Agency have just put out the following press release regarding both the play and the writer.

The Cave, at The Blue Elephant Theatre

Taken from The London Word, Nicole Rapaport talks to Jasmine Cullingford of the Blue Elephant Theatre who gives a timely plug to the forthcoming play which opens on 19th October.