The White Guard Tickets

During Russia’s Civil War in Kiev, many individuals faced a new future with fear and loneliness as the world changed around them. It is an era that will undoubtedly feature numerous stories and 85 years ago, one Soviet novelist sat down to pen something to document it, hoping to capture the struggle of a White Army Officer’s family during the turbulent times.

This became “The White Guard” by Mikhail Bulgakov, a native of Kiev who penned many well known works of fiction during his life. For much of the time, he was known for his Science Fiction and Fantasy work, but also penned work that was closer to home and helped to cement his status as a forward thinker of modern culture. His stories even had a profound effect upon Joseph Stalin, who banned one of his works that focused on him, but later held high regard of the play “The Day of the Turbins”, which itself was based on “The White Guard”. For Science Fiction and Fantasy, Bulgakov’s famous work consisted of the likes of “The Master and Margarita” (which is regarded as one of the greatest works of the twentieth century), “Heart of a Dog” and “The Fatal Eggs”.

“The White Guard” looks at the struggle faced by the Turbin household during the mentioned Russian Civil War in Kiev. It looks at the ways in which they are affected by the changes going on around them, as a new regime is about to take the mantle, meaning that the world that they hold close to their heart is about to crumble. In particular we observe the beautiful Lena’s horror as her brothers prepare for the battle, fighting alongside the White Guard as friends takes to the streets and bring chaos to the struggle. It is a turbulent time, with love, drunkenness, destruction and music all around her.

As part of the 2010 season for the National Theatre, the play will be making its way to the stage of the Lyttelton National Theatre, accompanying a range of works that will also appear across the Olivier and Cottesloe stages. This new version of Bulgakov’s classic from Andrew Upton will undoubtedly prove to be a compelling production for the national stage.

“The White Guard” appears at the Lyttelton National Theatre from Tuesday 23rd March 2010 (previews from Monday 15th March 2010) until Monday 12th April 2010.