Epic Russian tale Anna Karenina brought to the Sussex stage

The play runs approximately two hours 40 minutes including an interval.

Spokeswoman Tamsin Mastoris said: “In Anna Karenina, adapted by Helen Edmundson, Tolstoy’s huge novel is reduced to a gripping play which somehow manages to be both intimate and epic, getting right to the heart of the characters, but also capturing the scale of the novel.

“This play, set in late 19th century Russia, was first performed by Shared Experience Theatre Company, for which it won the Time out Award in 1992 for Outstanding Theatrical Event, and has all the hallmarks of their theatrical style – a successful union of text and physical theatre, a style which enables the audience to be immersed in the world the characters find themselves in, whilst also allowing them to see into their private world, to see expressed in the theatre what is usually concealed in life.”

Director Diane Robinson said “I was drawn to this play because of the opportunity it presented for a really creative approach and also because it has a bit of everything – romance, tragedy, drama, social commentary, and even a few moments of comedy to lighten the mood.

“With original music created by Liz Ryder-Weldon, an evocative set designed by Judith Berrill and fabulous costumes designed by Lindsay Midali and Maggi Pierce, this play is a vibrant and deeply moving meditation on the nature of love.”

Tickets can be bought through the Wick Theatre website: www.wicktheatre.co.uk or Ticket Source 0333 666 3366. Ticket price: £12.

Anna – Amelia Leigh; Levin – Dan Dryer; Dolly – Isabel Boreham; Count Vronsky – Daniel Lovett; Stiva/Nikolai – Rich Jayston; Princess Betsy – Claire Wiggins; Kitty/Seriozha – Esther Dracott; Karenin – David Peaty; Agatha/Railway widow – Zoe Edden; Countess Vronsky – Rosy Armitage; Governess – Maggi Pierce; Priest – Derek Fraser; and Muffled figure/Death – Jas Crawford.