THE FATHER

About the show

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE A giant of Australian theatre for over 50 years, John Bell makes a very welcome return to the STC stage for The Father, an extraordinary new play which has captivated Paris, London and New York. Now 80 years old, André (John Bell) was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter Anne (Anita Hegh) and her husband Antoine. Or was he an engineer whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? Either way, he’s still wearing his pyjamas and he can’t find his watch. He’s starting to wonder if he’s losing control. A touching, funny and deeply unsettling story, The Father, by French playwright Florian Zeller, is a winner of the Molière Award, France’s most prestigious honour for a new work of theatre. And its English translation, by renowned writer Christopher Hampton (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), was The Guardian’s pick for Play of the Year in London, and nominated for two Tony Awards in New York, including Best Play. Director Damien Ryan, who has met acclaim leading independent theatre company Sport for Jove, brings his skills to STC for the first time in this co-production with Melbourne Theatre Company.