In HD: National Theatre Live's 'The Last of the Haussmans' Oct. 28

Posted: Oct. 22, 2012 at 8:45 a.m.

ANN ARBOR - The University Musical Society, in collaboration with the Michigan Theater, presents a high-definition screening of Stephen Beresford's new play, "The Last of the Haussmans," in a production by the National Theatre, London. Directed by Howard Davies, this screening is a delayed cinema broadcast of a live performance at the National Theatre. The event will take place Sunday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.

This eagerly anticipated new play is a funny, touching and sometimes savage portrait of a family that's losing its grip. Anarchic, feisty but growing old, high society drop-out Judy Haussman remains in spirit with the Ashrams of the 1960s while holding court in her dilapidated Art Deco house on the Devon coast. After an operation, she's joined by wayward offspring Nick and Libby, sharp-eyed granddaughter Summer, local doctor Peter, and Daniel, a troubled teenager who makes use of the family's crumbling swimming pool. Together they share a few sweltering months in this chaotic world of all-day drinking, infatuations, long-held resentments, free love, and failure.

The National Theatre, founded in 1963 and established on the South Bank of the River Thames in London in 1976, presents an eclectic mix of new plays and classics, with seven or eight productions in repertory at any one time. The National aims constantly to re-energize the great traditions of the British stage and to expand the horizons of audiences and artists alike, and aspires to reflect in its repertoire the diversity of the nation's culture. The National recognizes that the theater doesn't begin and end with the rise and fall of the curtain. With National Theatre Live, it shares its work with audiences in the UK and abroad.

Tickets are $22 adults, $18 Michigan Theater Members/UMS subscribers & donors, and $12 students. For tickets or information, call 734-764-2538 or log on to www.ums.org

The Michigan Theater is located at 603 E. Liberty Street, Ann Arbor.