''Pravda'' is a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

play by David Hare and

Howard Brenton Howard John Brenton FRSL (born 13 December 1942) is an English playwright and screenwriter. While little-known in the United States, he is celebrated in his home country and often ranked alongside contemporaries such as Edward Bond, Caryl Chu ...

exploring the role of journalism in society. It was first produced at the National Theatre in London on 2 May 1985, directed by Hare and starring

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

in the role of Lambert Le Roux,

white South African White South Africans generally refers to South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original settler ...

media mogul A media proprietor, media mogul or media tycoon refers to a entrepreneur who controls, through personal ownership or via a dominant position in any media-related company or enterprise, media consumed by many individuals. Those with significant co ...

. It is a satire on the mid-1980s newspaper industry, in particular the Australian media and press baron

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

. Its title refers to the Russian Communist party newspaper ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the ...

''. The play won 1985 Best Play Award from both the London

Evening Standard Awards The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standar ...

and

City Limits magazine City limits are the defined boundary of a city. City Limits may also refer to: * ''City Limits'' (magazine), a magazine in London * ''City Limits'' (New York magazine), a New York City investigative journalism magazine founded in 1976 * ''City L ...

. It has been described as "one of the biggest hits in the history of the National Theatre."

Original cast

*Andrew May -

Tim McInnerny Tim McInnerny ( ; born 18 September 1956) is an English actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Darling in the 1980s British sitcom ''Blackadder''. Early life McInnerny was bor ...

*Bill Smiley - Richard Hope *Bishop of Putney - Daniel Thorndike *Cartoonist - William Sleigh *Cliveden Whicker-Baskett - Guy Williams *D P P Payne - Christopher Baines *Donna Le Roux - Zoe Rutland *Eaton Sylvester -

Bill Nighy William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with '' The Illuminatus!'' in 1977. There he ...

*Elliot Fruit-Norton - Basil Henson *Hamish McLennan; Hannon Spot - Fred Pearson *Harry Morrison - Ron Pember *Jack ‘Breaker’ Bond - Bill Moody *Journalist - Robert Ralph *Journalist - Paul Stewart *Lambert Le Roux -

*Larry Punt - Mark Jax *Leander Scroop - Nigel Le Vaillant *Lord Silk; Ian Ape-Warden - Olivier Pierre *Michael Quince M.P. - Peter Blythe *Miles Foley; Mac ‘Whipper’ Wellington; *Doug Fantom - Ian Bartholomew *Moira Patterson - Patricia Franklin *Newsvendor - Glenn Williams *Photographer - Desmond Adams *Princess Jill -

Harriet Thorpe Harriet Amelia Thorpe (born 8 June 1957) is an English actress. Thorpe trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. She is known for her roles in the British sitcoms, '' The Brittas Empire'' (1991–97) and '' Absolutely Fabulous'' ...

*Rebecca Foley -

Kate Buffery Katharine Rose Buffery (born 23 July 1957) is an English actress. She is known for her numerous roles on British television, including the ITV drama series ''Wish Me Luck'' (1988–1990), BBC miniseries ''Close Relations'' (1998), Channel 5 l ...

*Sir Stamford Foley - Ivor Roberts *Suzie Fontaine - Miranda Foster *Waiter - Norman Warwick

Critical reception

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pu ...

'' called it "A savagely bitchy and often wildly funny evening"; the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' noted "A magnificent epic drama"; and ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' wrote of "sulphorous and crackling entertainment."

References

External links

Literary Encyclopaedia''Chicago Tribune'' review of production in 2005Study Guide for Play by Timeline Theater, Chicago IL USA
*https://www.hitpages.com/doc/6307672185896960/10/ 1985 plays Plays by David Hare Plays by Howard Brenton {{1980s-play-stub