The Damned: Trailer

Watch Here: vimeo.com/275337121
Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove unleashes his visionary creativity at the Armory with the prestigious Comédie-Française, which for more than three centuries has boldly faced the perils of the stage, for the North American premiere of his adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s desperately dark drama The Damned. The historic walls of the Wade Thompson Drill Hall form the backdrop for this remarkable production, which employs cameramen prowling amongst the actors to catch close ups of key moments that are projected on massive screens amongst the minimalist set to create scenography that borders on installation art.
Using the screenplay rather than Visconti’s film as a starting point, van Hove traces the disintegration of the wealthy Essenbeck family and their steel dynasty during the seizure of power of the Nazis in 1933 in Germany, reflecting the ideological debauchery of a society ready to make the most venomous alliances for the benefit of its sole economic interests. This sharply drawn familial chronicle combines intrigue and ambition with betrayal and murder in the insidious struggle for power, and the corruption of relationships echoes the cruelty and brutality of the political context-themes that have the makings of a great modern tragedy.
Tickets & Info: bit.ly/PAADamned
#PAADamned

[@_Sheehogue_]

I guess I probably won’t get an answer, but was this production ever filmed in full? I’m a student researching Visconti and a big fan of van Hove’s work, and I’m desperate to see this. Would love to know if it was ever recorded, or if it’s available anywhere.

[@antinea2]

Yes, the play has been filmed at Avignon. You can buy the dvd on the "comédie française boutique".