Controversial comedy of manners with thought-provoking theme
The Supper Party is to premiere at the Tabard Theatre following a week long run of previews last April at the Old Sorting Office Barnes. The play will run from October 30-November 17.
Advised that her play was too controversial to stage publicly, Barnes writer A.J. Evans decided to produce it herself at her local theatre where it met with an enthusiastic response. The original director, Eleanor Teasdale, is now joined by director/actor, James Beedham (The Crucible Attic Theatre, Stratford-on-Avon; Blue Remembered Hills, The Apollo Theatre Company) and a carefully selected professional cast for this revised and extended version of The Supper Party.
When two young hopefuls attend a party given by playwright Hector Grey and his wife, Lady Cynthia, they soon discover that this group of self-seeking celebrities have little interest in helping them climb the ladder – being far too busy attempting to promote themselves and outdo one another. But when an uninvited guest turns up the party rapidly descends from harmless charades into a full-blown horror show.
The play has been described as a comedy of manners (with all its sniping and flirting), but at another level it is a satire on journalism and the hypocrisy surrounding child abuse. Underlying this is an exploration of the human impulse to weave tales about ourselves and others – and to exploit those others for the sake of a good story.
Performance dates: Tuesday 30 October to Saturday 17 November 2012
October 25, 2012
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