Coup, The
By Mustapha MaturaSetting:
The altar of a cathedral; a prison cell; a prison cell on the island of Trinidad; a beach; the cell; A blood-spattered wall.
Cast total:
13
Male cast:
11
Female cast:
2
Synopsis
A funeral oration of President Eddie Jones; a precarious military takeover with trigger-happy squabbling factions: Mustapha Matura's farcical, fictional coup, set in independent Trinidad and Tobago, swings with the fluid language and magical lyricism of the Caribbean and explores the chimerical quality of nationhood where foreign money overpowers dreams.
Original production
Opening night:
12/07/1991
Company:
Original Cast:
| Oscar James | Archbishop / Arawak Priest |
| Norman Beaton | President Edward Francis Jones |
| Lennie James | Mickey Jones |
| Stefan Kalipha | Lieutenant le Grange |
| Gordon Case | Lieutenant Chan |
| T Bone Wilson | Christopher Columbus / First Workman / Guard of Honour |
| Marc Matthews | Monk / Second Workman / Guard of Honour |
| Lenny Aljernoon-Edwards | Captain |
| Oscar James | Arawak Priest |
| Jeffery Kissoon | Major Ferret |
| Tony Armatrading | Black Lighting |
| T Bone Wilson | First Workman |
| Marc Matthews | Second Workman |
| Maureen Hibbert | First Nun / Arawak |
| Josephine Melville | Second Nun / Arawak |
| Lenny Aljernon-Edwards | Soldier |
| T Bone Wilson | Guard of Honour |
| Lenny Aljernon-Edwards | Guard of Honour |
| Marc Matthews | Guard of Honour |
| Josephine Melville | Arawak |
| Maureen Hibbert | Arawark |
| Lenny Algernon Edwards | Captain / Soldier / Guard of Honour |
Production Team:
| Roger Michell | Director |
| Paul Greaves | Assistant Stage Manager |
| Angela Bissett | Deputy Stage Manager |
| Jason Barnes | Production Manager |
| Tim Bray | Assistant to the Lighting Designer |
| Miles King | Design Assistant |
| Rick Fisher | Lighting Designer |
| Ivan (1953 - 2004) Kyncl | Rehearsal Photographer |
| Emma B Lloyd | Assistant Stage Manager |
| Ernest Hall | Stage Manager |
| Paul Groothuis | Sound Score |
| Wendy Griffiths | Costume Supervisor |
| Edward Kemp | Staff Director |
| Michael Mayhew | Designer of Poster and Programme Cover |
| Rose Towler | Poster / Programme cover designer |
| William Dudley | Designer / Programme cover design |
Publications
| Title | Year | Publisher | NT Library |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Coup : A Play Of Revolutionary Dreams | 1991 | Methuen Drama | No |
Assets
| Type | Code |
|---|---|
| Article by Raoul Pantin | BBPA/2/3/1 |
| Poster | National Theatre Archive, RNT/PP/2/4/127 |