TWO friends who are made redundant from an Oxford car plant go on a road trip along the A40 in unique new play which premieres at the Covered Market tomorrow night.
The latest production by Oxford's Creation Theatre sees the team performing at the heart of the historic shopping arcade.
The play is an adaptation of the famous Spanish novel Don Quixote, and director Jonathan Holloway said his version was a study of growing old, and how each of us can decide our own purpose in life once society thinks we have nothing left to offer.
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He explained: "Don Quixote is a story about a man in his third age, who searches for a more civilised way of living.
“So are the characters of our play: two guys, who find themselves redundant from the car industry in Oxford and plan a road trip along the A40 from Oxford to Fishguard.
“Their goal is to set an example to other men of their age."
In the Creation version of the story, the two middle-aged main characters think of themselves as James Bond and M on a mission.
Mr Holloway added: “There is a low-level political message here: that ageism is the last accepted bigotry in our society.”
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The stars of the show are Eric MacLennan, known to film fans from his appearance in Rogue One: a Star Wars story, and Graeme Rose, who has been recently working with Wickham Theatre in Bristol.
The team behind Don Quixote previously adapted George Orwell’s Ninety Eight-Four (reviewed as ‘doubleplusgood’ by The Oxford Times) and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, which was described as ‘mindblowing’ by this paper.
Staging the show at the Covered Market is part of Oxford City Council’s aim to make better use of the landmark venue.
Council leader Susan Brown said: “We’re keen to use the space at the Covered Market as much as possible, so Creation Theatre’s interest is for us a fantastic opportunity to se the market visited in the evenings.”
Creation Theatre’s hugely successful adaptations of British and world literature classics have previously been praised for mixing theatre with contemporary reality, often offering immersive experiences resembling live-action role play and escape room ideas.
The company's most recent show was a production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest which transformed Osney Mead industrial estate into a Mediterranean island.
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During the play, audience members had to poison an evil witch at Meatmasters, help Ferdinand get into Jericho Coffee Traders’ roastery, and break into the Urbanoid office.
The Oxford Mail’s office had also appeared in the play, described as ‘the place where Prospero’s propaganda is produced’.
Don Quixote will be performed at the Covered Market Mondays to Saturdays from 7.30pm (except for August 26 and 27 and September 2 and 16). Adult tickets are £25, concessions are £2 off. See creationtheatre.co.uk
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