Chimerica (NHB Modern Plays)

A powerful, provocative play about international relations and the shifting balance of power between East and West.

Tiananmen Square, 1989. As tanks roll through Beijing and soldiers hammer on his hotel door, Joe - a young American photojournalist - captures a piece of history.

New York, 2012. Joe is covering a presidential election, marred by debate over cheap labour and the outsourcing of American jobs to Chinese factories. When a cryptic message is left in a Beijing newspaper, Joe is driven to discover the truth behind the unknown hero he captured on film. Who was he? What happened to him? And could he still be alive?

A gripping political examination and an engaging personal drama, Chimerica examines the changing fortunes of two countries whose futures will shape the whole world.

Originally premiered to critical acclaim at the Almeida Theatre, London, in a co-production with award-winning touring company Headlong, this updated version of the play was published alongside

Chimerica's transfer to London's West End.

'ambitious, sprawling, morally fascinating, as gripping as a good novel'

The Times

'a tremendously bold piece of writing... topical without being gimmicky and well-informed without being showily so... a landmark production'

Evening Standard

'a gripping, multilayered and meticulously researched thriller... like an expansive HBO mini-series expertly compacted into an evening at the theatre... Kirkwood's sharp, incisive dialogue is splendid'

Time Out