The American Clock, Old Vic Theatre

If capitalism is king, what happens when it collapses? Arthur Miller's The American Clock takes us to 1929 New York, after the stock market crash has reaped havoc across every subsection of society. As idealist hopes are dashed by industrial decline, jazz and liquor offer relief and temptation in equal measure.

Described by Miller as 'a mural for theatre', the play builds a big picture of the diverse reality of the Great Depression through vignettes and interlocking stories – from a destitute prostitute to a savvy tycoon. Drawing on Hard Times, Stud Terkel's oral history, the play follows the Baum family and sets their personal struggles in the broader context of a nation in crisis.

Rachel Chavkin, the visionary director behind hit musical Hadestown, has a challenge on her hands to translate this bold panorama of a play for The Old Vic stage. The American Clock was a flop when it first opened in 1980 and closed after 12 performances on Broadway. Six years later the British premiere at the National Theatre was a far more successful revised production bouyed by a jazz band and music hall flourishes. But, with only one subsequent UK revival (a 2012 Finborough Theatre production) the show remains one of Miller's less known works. It will be followed by the far more famous All My Sons in an Arthur Miller double-bill at The Old Vic.

We look forward to seeing how this tapestry of life against a backdrop of discontentment and financial instability resonates in 2019.

Booking for The American Clock at The Old Vic opens at noon on Friday 28 September.