13 (play)

13 is a 2011 play by Mike Bartlett. It premiered at the National Theatre, London, in October 2011 and centres around John, a christ-like figure, who returns from absence to preach an anti-war movement.

13
Play script cover artwork.
Written byMike Bartlett
Date premiered18 October 2011 (2011-10-18)[1]
Place premieredNational Theatre, London
GenreDrama
SettingLondon, United Kingdom

Production history

The play premiered at the National Theatre, London, on October 18, 2011,[1] directed by Thea Sharrock, with Trystan Gravelle as John and Shane Zaza as Zia.[2]

In 2014, the play premiered at the Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.[3]

Reception

Michael Billington of The Guardian awarded the play four stars and stating that Bartlett had written a "powerful, disturbing play", and described the set design of the production as "excellently served" by Thea Sharrock and Tom Scutt.[4]

Charles Spencer of The Telegraph gave the play three stars, stating his main problem with it was the Jesus-like hero, John, believing that he'd never gain such a following and describing him as a "sanctimonious Welsh windbag". Spencer also found the set design of the National Theatre production failing to capture the atmosphere of modern London. He compared the play to Bartlett's previous one, Earthquakes in London, which made him feel spellbound, whilst '13' made him feeling fidgety.[5]

Print

The play was published by Bloomsbury Methuen, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, on October 16, 2013.[6]

References
  1. Woolman, Natalie (2011-06-03). "Mike Bartlett's new play 13 part of National Theatre autumn season". The Stage. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  2. "Trystan Gravelle and Shane Zaza star in 13". Curtis Brown. 2011-10-21. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  3. Price, Karen (2014-07-24). "Why 13 is the lucky number as Mike Bartlett drama premieres in Wales". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  4. Billington, Michael (2011-10-26). "13 – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  5. Spencer, Charles (2011-10-26). "13, National Theatre, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  6. "13". Bloomsbury Publishing. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
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