Chimerica

By Lucy Kirkwood. Directed by Lyndsey Turner.

A co-production with the Almeida Theatre.

WORLD PREMIERE

Tiananmen Square, 1989. As tanks roll through Beijing and soldiers hammer on his hotel door, Joe – a young American photojournalist – captures a piece of history.

In New York, 2012 Joeis covering a presidential election, marred by debate over cheap labour and the outsourcing of American jobs to Chinese factories. When a cryptic message is left in a Beijing newspaper, Joe is driven to discover the truth behind the unknown hero he captured on film. Who was he? What happened to him? And could he still be alive?

Writer Lucy Kirkwood NSFW (Royal Court), It Felt Empty When The Heart Went At First But It Is Alright Now (Clean Break at the Arcola) and director Lyndsey Turner Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Donmar Warehouse), Posh (Royal Court and West End) make their Almeida debuts with Chimerica, a provocative new play which examines the changing fortunes of two countries whose futures will come to define our own.

Chimerica is presented in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Jean Doumanian and the Almeida Theatre.

Visit www.chimerica.co.uk for all the latest news about Chimerica in the West End.

“ A man goes out to buy a paper, or a new shirt or something, and by the end of the day, he’s part of history. ”

★★★★★ Stunning Sunday Times
Chimerica [is] much more than an overnight sensation: commissioned and nurtured over a six-year period by Headlong and in the epic style of its obvious predecessor, Lucy Prebble's Enron Guardian
★★★★★ a theatrical thriller Sunday Express
★★★★★ For me this is the play of the year so far Daily Express
★★★★★ If we see a better new play this year, we'll be extremely lucky Guardian
★★★★★ hugely entertaining and at times deeply affecting play performed with rare panache. I cannot recommend it too highly. Telegraph
★★★★★ Lucy Kirkwood’s new play is both fluent and seductive. It’s a tremendously bold piece of writing Evening Standard
★★★★★ Brilliantly directed by Lyndsey Turner, ‘Chimerica’ is a triumph of storytelling Time Out
★★★★★ Kirkwood’s epic new drama is rich, riveting and theatrically audacious The Arts Desk
★★★★ Lyndsey Turner elegantly directs...dramatic twists, sharp laughs, and fine work from all the cast. Times
★★★★ a whirring narrative of visual imagery, sleuthing & newspaper politics Independent
★★★★ Lyndsey Turner's production is dazzlingly fluid Independent on Sunday
★★★★ Full of visual flair Metro
exhilarating Observer