The Overcoat

T01412490858
First published in 1842, Gogol's classic tells the tale of Akaky Bashmachkin - a penniless, aging clerk in an unknown government department of St. Petersburg - who realizes his precious, shabby old coat will not last the winter. He has no option but to tighten his belt to afford a new one. But when his beautiful, immaculately tailored overcoat is finally ready, then his life seems suddenly filled with purpose - while out on the streets wretched souls are desperately yearning for the all encompassing warmth of his overcoat.

Author	Nikolai Gogol
Adapted by	James Fenimore

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Archive :: production:T01412490858, play:S4510, venue:V299

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Production details

Bashmachkin’s desperate struggle with poverty in a society defined by possessions is particularly resonant in the midst of Britain’s current economic climate, and with his scrupulous and scathing realism as well as philosophical depth, Gogol is still considered one of the greatest ever satirists. The company offers a faithful and culturally authentic interpretation of Nikolai Gogol’s absurdist satire, one of Russia’s most important texts, which has inspired Russian writers from Nabokov to Dostoyevsky.