Cuckoo's Nest at Southbank

Cuckoo's Nest at Southbank

Wire, bliar, limber-lock 

Three geese in a flock

One flew east, one flew west 

One flew over the cuckoo's nest 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has left an indelible mark on literature, theatre and film. It is a boisterous, ribald and ultimately devastating story of a mental hospital and its inhabitants. In a world where sanity means conformity and following the rules is the only way to survive; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a powerful exploration of the beauty and the danger of being an original. 

Dale Wasserman adapted One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest from the novel by Ken Kesey; the play opened on Broadway in 1963 with Kirk Douglas as McMurphy, Ed Ames as the Chief and Gene Wilder as Billy. After opening on Broadway, The New York Times called the play "scarifying and powerful," while The New York Daily News called it "funny, touching, and exciting." In 1975, a film version was released and it won Oscars for Jack Nicholson as McMurphy and Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched. It was also the first film to win Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay since It Happened One Night in 1934. It remains one of only three films to have swept the top five categories at the Oscars.

Ken Kesey published One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to great critical and commercial success. The novel combines the personal and professional experiences of Ken Kesey and reflects the culture in which it was written. Kesey developed the novel while a graduate student in Stanford University’s Creative Writing Program. The novel was partly inspired by his part- time job as an orderly in the Palo Alto Menlo Park Veterans' Hospital. Kesey also had begun participating in experiments involving LSD and other substances for Stanford’s Psychology Department. Speaking to patients under the influence of LSD, Kesey began to perceive that society had turned functional people insane instead of allowing them to find their way back to functioning in society. Kesey's use of LSD also prompted him to have hallucinations while working as an orderly. He often imagined seeing a large Indian mopping the floors of the hospital, prompting him to later add the character of Chief Bromden as the novel's narrator. 

Carl J. Sorheim directs a cast of 15, featuring Michael Robins as McMurphy, Eddie Muliaumaseali’i as the Chief and Catherine Glavicic as Nurse Ratched. with Natalie Bond, Nicholas Denton, Jack Dixon-Gunn, Josh Futcher, David Gannon, Kostas Ilias, Troy Larkin, Stephanie Lillis, Paul Morris, Seton Pollock, Angela Scundi and Ben Sofowora.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is produced by independent theatre company Monster Media (kris&noah Drinkin’, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Penelope Pushpump Presents).

Winner – 2001 Tony® Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play
Winner – Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play

Contains strong coarse language, violence and references to mental illness. This performance is not suitable for children.
 
Southbank Theatre - The Lawler, 140 Southbank Blvd, Southbank

 

May 31-June 11, 2017

Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sat 3.30pm & Sun 2pm (June 11 only)

Bookings: 03 8688 0800 or mtc.com.au | Ticket price: $40 – $50