by Richard Strand

4 September – 4 November 2023

Preview performances on 4th, 5th and 6th September

A Civil War drama with laughs? It may sound a bit odd, but that’s exactly what this unique play is – funny as well as intensely dramatic, with most of the humor stemming from the idiosyncrasies of the four characters. It’s 1861, on the eve of the American Civil War. A runaway slave, Shepard Mallory, shows up at a Union-held fort in Virginia demanding refuge. But federal law compels the return of escaped slaves to their owners, which puts Major General Benjamin Butler, commanding officer at the fort, in the hot seat. Does he uphold the law when Major Cary of the Confederacy appears to collect Mallory? Or does he find a way to bend the law in the slave’s favor? This critically acclaimed play is based on real historical characters and a real event that ultimately changed the course of American history.

Meet the Cast

CAST

MAJOR GENERAL BENJAMIN BUTLER  | Jonny Magnanti

  LIEUTENANT KELLY | Cameron Barclay

 SHEPARD MALLORY| Hayden Mampasi

MAJOR CARY | Will Middleton

PRODUCTION

Direction: Clifford Dean

Set Design: Mathias Wardeck 

Costume Design: Jutta Kreischer

Lighting & Sound Technician: Heiko Böttner 

Music & Sound Design: Paul Glaser

Stage Management and Props: Rebecca Delmas 

Set Design Assistance: René Ahnert 

PRESS FOR BEN BUTLER

Hamburger Abendblatt “Urkomisch”, “Mal wieder geht das English Theatre mit einer großartigen Inszenierung in seine neue Spielzeit”

Theaterzeit Hamburg “Ein unterhaltsamer, intelligenter Abend. Zweieinhalb Stunden […] können blitzschnell vergehen.”

Ganz Hamburg “Fazit: ansehen – unbedingt!”

MOPO “Bestform”, “Regisseur Clifford Dean glückte eine packend-einfühlsame, auf dem schmalen Grat zwischen Tragik und Komik wunderbar ausbalancierte Inszenierung. Langen Applaus gab es am Premierenabend für die feine Leistung des Ensembles”