September
Volatile, dark, humorous, thought-provoking and with strong language, Leicester’s Curve theatre makes the ambitious move this autumn to put on a stage production of one of the most iconic novels and screenplays of the last fifty years, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Based on the classic 1962 novel and directed by the award winning Michael Buffong, Curve’s production promises to be a night to remember.
69 Degrees Culture Editor Gemma Sharpe takes a look at the show’s novel routes, the film adaptation that made Jack Nicholson a household name as well as the show’s legacy…
Written by Ken Kesey in 1959 and published in 1962, a stage adaptation of OFOTCN was produced for Broadway, which ran from 13 November 1963 to 25 January 1964 for 82 performances. Kirk Douglas starred in the leading role on opening night and snapped the film rights with the intention of continuing the role on screen, but as it took so long for the project to get started he was too old. Kirk’s son, Michael Douglas, and director Milos Forman finally got the ball rolling to bring us the iconic film we’ve known and loved since 1975!
The Story:
Based on Kesey’s past work at the Veteran’s Administrative Hospital in Palo Alto, CA., and his own experiences of being experimented on, ‘Cuckoo’ follows Randle Patrick McMurphy (played by Jack Nicholson) who has himself declared insane and enters a mental hospital in Oregon as a means of avoiding a term of hard labour in prison. What he believes will be a comparatively comfortable way of serving his time is ruined by the presence of the tyrannical Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) who has browbeaten the other patients into submission. McMurphy and Ratched face off repeatedly, his anti-authoritarian attitude and compassion for his fellow patients making him a prime target for the insanely fearsome matriarch, which leads to explosive results for everyone including those caught in the cross-fire, throwing up questions aboutthe nature of sanity is in the twisted reality of the wards.
The Legacy:
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is the second of only three films to ever win the Academy Award ‘Grand Slam’, scooping Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress in 1975. The others are It Happened One Night (1934) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Mass appeal and critical acclaim catapulted the characters and events into public consciousness, becoming a cultural landmark and cementing Cuckoo into the pop-culture reference hall of fame. If you haven’t seen the cult classic on film, on stage or on the page you’ll have missed out on a rich tapestry of homage’s made in everything from Columbo, ER, The Green Mile, Futurama, Buffy, West Wing, Peep Show, Philadephia, The Simpson’s (many times) and even Finding Nemo!
Green Day and Eminem both have music videos based on the storyline of Cuckoo, Metallica cites the book as inspiring ‘Welcome Home (Sanitarium)’ from their Master of Puppets album, and Supertramp reference the novel in the song ‘Asylum’. In short, it would be indecent to continue with this gap in your knowledge. If you’re at all familiar with the tale you’ll already be dialling 0116 242 3595 for Curve tickets 
Curve’s Production:
Curve’s production of OFOTCN runs from 14 October until the 5th November and features Michael Beckley as Randle P. McMurphy. Beckley, perhaps best known for his regular role as Rhys Sutherland in HOME & AWAY leads the cast of fourteen in this landmark production and 69 degrees readers have the opportunity to see the show at a bargain rate.
Tickets for special preview performances are available at a heavily discounted rate, from just £7.25, whilst for those under 26, there’s a number of £5 tickets available as part of membership of the Curve Young Company, an exciting new young people’s theatre company for 12-26 years which, whilst giving members the opportunity to get involved with Curve, offers discounted tickets to shows within the theatre.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Next runs from the 14th Oct to 5th Nov @ Curve, Rutland Street, Leicester LE1 1SB. Call 0116 242 3595 or visit curveonline.co.uk
