Cloud 9

Caryl Churchill's satirical comedy Cloud 9 returns to the stage of the National Theatre Lyttelton in a new production directed by Dominic Cooke. The play moves between colonial Africa and 1970s London.

Cloud 9 follows a family of British colonists in Victorian Africa, where Clive, an administrator who rules his household as a patriarch, sees his wife, son and servant struggle to live up to what is expected of them. The play then jumps a century ahead to 1970s London, where the same family must work out what they can make of themselves in a world where the legacies of empire persist and the idea of freedom beckons.

The piece is a modern classic by Caryl Churchill, and the material describes it as a work of audacious theatricality and sharp wit. Its themes are gender, power and the aftermath of empire, and its satire is aimed squarely at those ideas. Dominic Cooke directs this production, which the source presents as a fresh staging of the play.

The show is performed at the National Theatre Lyttelton, a venue that hosts concerts and shows in London. It suits audiences interested in British theatre of the late twentieth century and in the political questions Churchill raises. Assisted performances are arranged through the National Theatre.