The 47th
The 47th is a 2022 play in blank verse by Mike Bartlett. It was premiered at the Old Vic Theatre, London in March 2022 and tells of an imagined future history focusing on who will become the 47th president of the United States, following Joe Biden.
Production history[edit]
The 47th had its premiere production at the Old Vic Theatre from 29 March 2022 to 28 May.[1] It starred Bertie Carvel as Donald Trump, Tamara Tunie as Kamala Harris, and Lydia Wilson as Ivanka Trump.
Cast and characters[edit]
| Character | London (2022)[1] |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump | Bertie Carvel |
| Kamala Harris | Tamara Tunie |
| Ivanka Trump | Lydia Wilson |
| Shaman | Joss Carter |
| Charlie Takahashi | James Cooney |
| Ted Cruz/Paul | James Garnon |
| Steve Richetti/Ohio Senator | Richard Hansell |
| Donald Jr/Matt | Oscar Lloyd |
| Heidi Cruz/Moderator/CIA | Jenni Maitland |
| Eric Trump | Freddie Meredith |
| General Taylor | Ben Onwukwe |
| Tina Flournoy/Nurse Vita | Cherrelle Skeete |
| Rosie Takahashi | Ami Tredrea |
| Joe Biden | Simon Williams |
| Ensemble | David Carr |
| Ensemble | Kaja Chan |
| Ensemble | Flora Dawson |
| Ensemble | Eva Fontaine |
| Ensemble | David Tarkenter |
| Ensemble | Charles Craddock |
Critical reception[edit]
Arifa Akbar in The Guardian described Bertie Carvel as "devilishly good", but felt "this Trumpian satire feels too soon".[2] Andrzej Lukowski for TimeOut describes the play as "tremendous entertainment, that explores the decline of American democracy in an infinitely more enjoyable way than the actual decline of American democracy we must all bear witness to".[3] Writing for the Evening Standard, states that "the language and staging of The 47th is eloquent and clever, but it has surprisingly little to say about a monster so huge."[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "The 47th". www.oldvictheatre.com. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ^ "The 47th review – Bertie Carvel is devilishly good but this Trumpian satire feels too soon". the Guardian. 2022-04-10. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (9 April 2022). "Bertie Carvel is unbelievably good as Donald Trump in the Old Vic's Shakespearean satire 'The 47th'". Time Out London. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ^ Curtis, Nick (2022-04-11). "The 47th review: As Trump, Bertie Carvel is hideously transformative". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2022-08-25.