The Evening Standard interviews Howard Brenton
Posted on 5 May 2016.
Posted in: Interviews with cast and creatives

New play Lawrence After Arabia casts hero as a ‘damaged saint’
by robert dex, evening standard
Award-winning playwright Howard Brenton says his new play about Lawrence of Arabia is the story of a “damaged saint” rather than the hero portrayed by Peter O’Toole on screen.
Brenton, whose CV includes writing for Spooks and the 1980 play The Romans In Britain — which sparked a court case after complaints about a rape scene, said he wanted to tell the story of “a conflicted man”.
T E Lawrence became a hero in Britain after leading Arab guerillas against the Ottoman Empire in the First World War. In the play, which is set in 1922, he tries to escape his fame by joining the RAF under an assumed name.
Brenton was interested in why Lawrence, who died in 1935 and was played by O’Toole in Lawrence Of Arabia in 1962, had a breakdown after the war.
He said: “He was both an Army intelligence officer reporting back to Cairo — a spy really against the Arabs — and he was an Arab freedom fighter advising them, and he wanted a settlement for Arab independence right across the region at the end of the war, so he had two loyalties and they tore him apart. He was a very heroic man and he hated and loved celebrity, and the play is about a man trying to reinvent himself and stop being Lawrence of Arabia.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BOOK TICKETS HERE
Latest from Twitter:
-
Hampstead Theatre @Hamps_Theatre
🚨 Calling all Lighting Extraordinaires 🚨 We're looking for an exceptional individual to deliver all lighting, sou… https://t.co/5uJ9znX0Sv
5 days ago -
Hampstead Theatre @Hamps_Theatre
In light of the recently announced lockdown, we regretfully confirm that rest of the programmed run of The Dumb Wai… https://t.co/GKxHkOXkZC
15 days ago -
Hampstead Theatre @Hamps_Theatre
Thank you for all your support and encouragement this year. We can’t wait to see you in 2021 - until then, take car… https://t.co/fJrQPyG8hL
1 months ago
KEEPING YOU SAFE AT HAMPSTEAD

SOCIAL DISTANCING

REDUCED AUDIENCE CAPACITY

FACE MASKS REQUIRED

TEMPERATURE CHECKS

START OF THE ART VENTILATION

ENHANCED CLEANING

CONTACTLESS TICKETS

HAND SANITIZING STATIONS

CASHLESS PAYMENT