A Comédie Française Production Presented in Collaboration with Park Avenue Armory

The Damned

Ivo Van Hove
Comédie-Française

A Comédie Française Production Presented in Collaboration with Park Avenue Armory

The Damned

Ivo Van Hove
Comédie-Française

July 17, 2018 - July 28, 2018

Wade Thompson Drill Hall

Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove unleashes his visionary creativity at the Armory with the prestigious Comédie-Française, which for more than three centuries has boldly faced the perils of the stage, for the North American premiere of his adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s desperately dark drama The Damned. The historic walls of the Wade Thompson Drill Hall form the backdrop for this remarkable production, which employs cameramen prowling amongst the actors to catch close ups of key moments that are projected on massive screens amongst the minimalist set to create scenography that borders on installation art.

Using the screenplay rather than Visconti’s film as a starting point, van Hove traces the disintegration of the wealthy Essenbeck family and their steel dynasty during the seizure of power of the Nazis in 1933 in Germany, reflecting the ideological debauchery of a society ready to make the most venomous alliances for the benefit of its sole economic interests. This sharply drawn familial chronicle combines intrigue and ambition with betrayal and murder in the insidious struggle for power, and the corruption of relationships echoes the cruelty and brutality of the political context—themes that have the makings of a great modern tragedy.

Performances

Monday–Thursday at 7:30pm
Friday–Saturday at 8:00pm

Run Time & Content Advisory

This performance is approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with no intermission. Performed in French with English supertitles. This production contains scenes that may be inappropriate for young audiences.

“A masterstroke…a dangerous, vast and virtuoso production that confronts its time and context with chilling force, showing, in the director’s own words, ‘a celebration of evil’.”

The Guardian (UK)

“A serious triumph…[a] grandiose and chilling spectacle…a unique combination of epic theater and drama, and between theater and cinema”

Le Monde (France)

Gallery

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

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  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

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  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    3/14

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    4/14

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    5/14

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    6/14

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    7/14

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    8/14

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    9/14

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    10/14

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    11/14

  • Members of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Stephanie Berger

    12/14

  • Elsa Lepoicre (Baronne Sophie von Essenbeck) of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Jan Versweyveld

    13/14

  • Elsa Lepoivre (Baronne Sophie von Essenbeck) and Guillaume Gallienne (Friedrich Bruckmann) of the Comédie-Française in Ivo van Hove's adaptation of Luchino Visconti's The Damned at Park Avenue Armory.
    Photo: Jan Versweyveld

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Related Videos

  • Trailer | The Damned

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  • Producing and Staging The Damned

    2/3

  • Artist Talk: The Damned

    3/3

Artists & Creatives

  • Luchino Visconti

  • Nicola Badalucco

  • Enrico Medioli

  • Director

    Ivo van Hove

  • Scenography and Lighting Designer

    Jan Versweyveld

  • Costume Designer

    An D’Huys

  • Video Designer

    Tal Yarden

  • Original Sound Designer and Sound Concept

    Eric Sleichim

  • Dramaturgy

    Bart van den Eynde

Production Credits

Related Events

Thursday, July 19, 2018 at 6:00 pm

Artist Talk: The Damned

Visionary director Ivo van Hove discusses the creative process and development of this landmark work with James Nicola, Artistic Director of New York Theater Workshop.

Support

The Damned is supported in part by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.