“WHALESONG.” “THE COCA-COLA DRAGON”
Both productions were performed in the Olivier auditorium of the Royal National Theatre.
EXTRA INFORMATION:
Both productions were written and entered for the National Theatre’s Challenge, sponsored, at the time, by Lloyds Bank. Out of over 400 entries the two productions got to the finals, held at the Royal National Theatre on two consecutive years.
“WHALESONG,” based on Heathcote William’s book, “Whale Nation,” examined man’s relationship with the largest mammals on earth. Through dialogue, movement and song, the history and nature of the relationship was examined.
Described, in review, as: “Clear, direct, punchy acting in a highly informative piece in praise of the whale with striking visual imagery to drive home the polemic message. It displayed enormous imagination and energy, strong theatricality and was, all in all, a captivating show.” The National Theatre in-house review.
“THE COCA-COLA DRAGON,” was a powerful evocation of the effects of the Vietnam war on both a group of young, American conscripts and on mirrored groups of Vietnamese. The “coup de theatre” was, undoubtedly, the fight of the two ceremonial dragons, one traditional Vietnamese and one made of Coca-cola tins.
Performed at the time of the Gulf War the piece held a particular, political power. A reviewer described it thus: “With or without this political context, this was an emotive and theatrically sophisticated event, which had a bombshell effect on its audience.”
Sir Ian McKellen, a Patron of the festival, described the battle scene as, “The best battle I have seen on this stage!”
“THE COCA-COLA DRAGON” marked the debut performance of LENA HEADEY, who went on to become an award-winning film and television actor, probably best-known for her portrayal of Queen Cercei in the blockbuster series, “Game of Thrones”.
