About the Play

A play about death, desire and Beethoven.

A man boards a train: the confined space of the carriage triggers potent memories. Soon he is confessing to a terrible crime, one for which he holds Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata responsible.

Written in 1889, Leo Tolstoy’s novella became instantly notorious, and was banned in both Russia and America. Tolstoy hoped one day to see it performed to the accompaniment of live music. In this adaptation by Nancy Harris, musicians and actors come together to bring the story to life for the stage.