Beat the Devil, the autobiographical play by writer David Hare, will be coming to Audible later this month. According to the official listing, the one-man show will be released as an Audible original on October 24. Hare will perform his play, following an introduction from Audible founder Don Katz.
The official synopsis is as follows: “In the spring of 2020, as the world grappled with the deepening coronavirus pandemic, acclaimed British screenwriter and playwright David Hare was struck down by the virus himself.
With brutal honesty, sharp humor, and his trademark insight, the renowned writer of modern classics like Skylight and Plenty brings us into his own experience battling the bizarre and terrifying symptoms of Covid-19. But Hare’s masterful storytelling transforms his personal odyssey into a universal reckoning on life’s fragility and preciousness–and the shared trauma we must grapple with in the virus’s aftermath.
Originally premiered at the Bridge Theatre in London in August 2020, this searing monologue was the first production to proudly reopen the West End to theatergoers after lockdown. Now, this powerful solo performance comes to Audible with a special introduction from Audible Founder Don Katz, allowing listeners to intimately experience one of our era’s preeminent creative voices as he ruminates on mortality, resilience, and love.”
Actor Ralph Fiennes played Hare in that first production in 2020 and reprised the role in the Showtime film version in 2021.
David Hare has written West End plays Plenty, Racing Demon (1990), Skylight (1997), and Amy’s View (1998). The four plays ran on Broadway in 1982-83, 1996, 1998 and 1999 respectively, earning Hare three Tony Award nominations for Best Play for the first three and two Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play.
Other notable projects on stage include A Map of the World, Pravda, Murmuring Judges, The Absence of War and The Vertical Hour. He wrote screenplays for films including The Hours (2002) and The Reader (2008) and the BBC dramas Page Eight (2011) and Collateral (2018).
Hare has also enjoyed great success with films, receiving two Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing The Hours in 2002, based on the novel written by Michael Cunningham, and The Reader in 2008, based on the novel of the same name written by Bernhard Schlink.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos
