Geoffrey Rush, Yael Stone to Star in Diary of a Madman at BAM

Yael Stone joins the previously reported star Geoffrey Rush in the US premiere of The Diary of a Madman, presented by Belvoir, one of Australia’s most respected theater
companies, and adapted by David Holman with Neil Armfield and Rush. Armfield directs the performance, which will play BAM Harvey Theater, February 11-March 12, with an opening on February 16.

The work is based on Nikolai Gogol’s darkly comic 1853 short story centered on the life of a minor civil servant, Poprishchin, in the repressive era of Nicholas I. Written in a
first-person, diary-entry format, the story follows the protagonist’s yearnings for a senior
official’s daughter and his elaborate delusions, among them his imagined royal status and communication between animals. Only as Poprishchin descends into madness does he attain a measure of greatness.

Rush plays Poprischchin in the two-hander, which features Stone in multiple roles: Finnish maid Tuovi, exasperated yet tender in her care of Poprishchin; Sophia, the privileged young woman with whom he has fallen in love; and Tatiana, a frightened inmate consigned with him to the asylum.

The production will feature set design by Catherine Martin, costume design by Tess Schofield, lighting design by Mark Shelton, sound design by Paul Charlier, and
music by Alan John (after Mussorgsky).

For tickets and more information, click here.