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Back to News & Press King Charles III UK Tour announced Friday, 5 June 2015 Robert Powell will take on the role of King Charles in the Almeida Theatre’s Olivier Award-winning production of King Charles III, which will embark on a UK tour this autumn following sell-out runs at both the Almeida Theatre and in the West End. King Charles III previews at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from Friday 4 September. The full tour schedule will be announced shortly. The Queen is dead: after a lifetime of waiting, the prince ascends the throne. A future of power. But how to rule? Mike Bartlett's play explores the people underneath the crowns, the unwritten rules of our democracy, and the conscience of Britain's most famous family. Directed by the Almeida Theatre’s artistic director Rupert Goold with Whitney Mosery, King Charles III is designed by Tom Scutt, music composed by Jocelyn Pook, with lighting by Jon Clark and sound by Paul Arditti. King Charles III is co-produced by Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Almeida Theatre. Up Up

Back to News & Press Stranger Things: The First Shadow opens to rave reviews Friday, 15 December 2023 Stranger Things: The First Shadow officially opened in London's West End on 14th December to rave reviews. The world premiere began previews on 17th November at the Phoenix Theatre. ★★★★★ ‘BREATHTAKING THEATRE’ The Guardian ★★★★★ ‘THE WEST END EVENT OF THE YEAR’ Daily Telegraph ★★★★★ ‘AS A PIECE OF TOTAL THEATRE, THIS IS STREETS AHEAD OF ANYTHING ELSE’ Evening Standard ★★★★★ ‘THE FIRST SHADOW IS A SCINTILLATING EXPERIENCE’ Metro ★★★★★ ‘SINISTER AND THRILLING TRIP BALANCES HORROR AND HUMOUR TO GREAT EFFECT. THIS IS EXHILARATING LIVE THEATRE…’ Financial Times ★★★★★ ‘JAW-DROPPING FINALE TO THE YEAR’ Culture Whisper ★★★★★ ‘THIS ASTOUNDING SHOW DEFINITELY FEELS LIKE A NEW CHAPTER IN THEATRE. IT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD.’ London Theatre ★★★★ ‘THE SPECTACLE IS AN EXCITING REMINDER OF WHAT THEATRE, AT ITS MOST MAGICAL, CAN DO.’ Daily Mail ★★★★ ‘A GREAT NIGHT OUT FILLED WITH THRILLS, GASPS AND LAUGHS.’ BBC Culture ★★★★ ‘GORGEOUS, SHOCKING THRILLFEST’ ‘ONE OF THE MOST MESMERIC STAGINGS EVER IN LONDON.’ CityAM ★★★★ ‘THE FIRST SHADOW IS SO MESMERISING IT IS IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO BE STUNNED’ The i ★★★★ ‘VISUALLY STUNNING RETRO-HORROR ROMP IS AUDACIOUS, EXHILARATING AND RELENTLESSLY INVENTIVE’ The Stage ★★★★ ‘INTENSELY CINEMATIC AND TECHNICALLY STUNNING SHOW’ The Arts Desk ‘A MAJOR HIT’ Variety Up Up

Back to News & Press Kirsten Foster, Mark McKinney, Ben Schnetzer and Susan Kelechi Watson join Helen Hunt in Eureka Day at The Old Vic this September Friday, 29 July 2022 Joining the previously announced Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets, The Sessions, Mad About You) are Kirsten Foster (Life of Pi, The Sandman) as May, Mark McKinney (The Kids in the Hall, Superstore) as Don, Ben Schnetzer (The Book Thief, Pr;de) as Eli and Susan Kelechi Watson (This is Us, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood) as Carina. Set against the backdrop of a mumps outbreak at a progressive private elementary school in California in 2017, Eureka Day is a satire on the quest for consensus; the central question of 'to vaccinate' or 'not to vaccinate' taking on a whole new meaning in 2022. The creative team are also announced with Set and Costume by Rob Howell , Lighting by Jon Clark , Sound by Donato Wharton , Video by Andrzej Goulding , Music by Jherek Bischoff , Casting by Jim Carnahan , Voice by Charlie Hughes-D'Aeth and Dialect by Penny Dyer . The Baylis Assistant Director is Aaliyah McKay . Eureka Day will play from 06 September to 31 October 2022 at The Old Vic. Up Up

Back to Productions BETRAYAL This production began performances on 27th May and closed 20th August 2011. Magnificent. Rickson’s production is the finest I have seen of Pinter’s masterpiece. The depth and passion of Pinter at his finest… The acting is virtuously flawless. Daily Telegraph Sometimes you’ll find there can be three people in a marriage… Over a period of nine years, we are shown the high price of passion and the damage inflicted by desire. Harold Pinter’s play explores how our loves and our losses echo and accumulate through time. Kristin Scott Thomas takes your breath away. A must-see production. Mail on Sunday “I’ve always rather liked Jerry. To be honest, I’ve always liked him rather more than I’ve liked you. Maybe I should have had an affair with him myself.” Robert, Betrayal Sonia Friedman Productions in association with Robert G. Bartner and Norman Tulchin , 1001 Nights , Max Cooper , Scott M. Delman , Rupert Gavin and Scott & Brian Zeilinger/ Richard Winkler presents “BETRAYAL ”. Beautifully written… Beautifully lucid and perceptive revival. Excellent performances. The Guardian CAST KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – Emma DOUGLAS HENSHALL – Jerry BEN MILES – Robert CREATIVES IAN RICKSON – Director JERMY HERBERT – Designer JOHANNA TOWN – Lighting STEPHEN WARBECK – Music IAN DICKINSON – Sound

Back to News & Press Producer counts her ‘Conquests’ Friday, 27 February 2009 With four of her London productions in the running for a collective 13 Olivier Awards and two Broadway transfers likely to figure in the Tony race for play revival, Sonia Friedman might be forgiven for slowing down. But the Brit producer‘s slate tells another story. In addition to prepping the New York move of Matthew Warchus’ glowingly received revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s “The Norman Conquests,” Friedman is readying Anna Mackmin’s staging of Brian Friel’s “Dancing at Lughnasa” at the Old Vic; Roger Michell’s new take on “Rope” at the Almeida; and a Broadway production, with Roundabout and Bill Haber, of Patrick Marber’s “After Miss Julie,” with Mark Brokaw directing a cast headed by Sienna Miller. In the face of recession, Friedman, 43, is passionate yet realistic, and still surprisingly bullish. Read full article here . Up Up

Back to News & Press First look at the new cast of Sunny Afternoon Monday, 14 September 2015 The new cast is Danny Horn (Doctor Who; The Dead Dogs), who will play Ray Davies, with Oliver Hoare (Antony and Cleopatra, Chichester) as Dave Davies, Tom Whitelock (Times Square Angel, Union) as bassist Pete Quaife and Damien Walsh (Dreamboats and Petticoats) as drummer Mick Avory. At certain performances, the role of Ray Davies will be played by Ryan O’Donnell (Romeo and Juliet, RSC; Quadrophenia). Cast includes: Jason Baughan, Niamh Bracken, Christopher Brandon, Harriet Bunton, Alice Cardy, Oliver Hoare, Danny Horn, Gillian Kirkpatrick, Jay Marsh, Megan Leigh Mason, Ryan O’Donnell, Stephen Pallister, Charlie Tighe, Gabriel Vick, Damien Walsh and Tom Whitelock. Also making up the company, as understudies: Lloyd Gorman, Lia Given, Vicki Manser, Kay Milbourne, Nick Sayce, Robert Took, Alex Tosh and Robbie White. With a book by Joe Penhall, music and lyrics and original story by Ray Davies, and directed by Edward Hall, Sunny Afternoon has established itself as a firm favourite with audiences and critics alike since it opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in October 2014. Sunny Afternoon was the best performing show at this year’s Olivier Awards, winning four awards. The production won Best New Musical, John Dagleish won Best Actor in a Musical, George Maguire won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, and Ray Davies of The Kinks won for Outstanding Achievement in Music. The original cast, including Olivier Award winners John Dagleish and George Maguire, will remain in the show until 3 October 2015. Forty-nine years ago this year, The Kinks were sitting at Number One in the UK charts with their single ‘Sunny Afternoon’. The band’s popularity has not faded since the 1960s, with crowds of all ages filling the Harold Pinter Theatre night after night. Featuring some of The Kinks’ best-loved songs, including You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset and Lola, Sunny Afternoon shows the music of The Kinks is still as popular as ever, more than 50 years since the band’s rise to fame. Up Up

Back to News & Press New York Theatre Workshop announce MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Monday, 7 March 2022 New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) (Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director Jeremy Blocker) announced today that Merrily We Roll Along , featuring music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim , a book by George Furth , and based on the original play by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart , will complete its 2022/23 Season. Directed by Olivier Award winner Maria Friedman and choreographed by Tim Jackson , Merrily We Roll Along is presented by special arrangement with Sonia Friedman Productions , the Menier Chocolate Factory (Artistic Director, David Babani), and Patrick Catullo , and will star Daniel Radcliffe as Charley. Merrily We Roll Along is planned for late 2022 at New York Theatre Workshop (79 E 4th Street, New York, NY 10003). Additional details, including the full cast, will be announced at a later date. Spanning three decades in the entertainment business, Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. An inventive, cult-classic ahead of its time, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim ’s most celebrated and personal songs. Maria Friedman first directed the musical at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory which subsequently transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre to critical acclaim—the most five-star reviews in West End history—winning the Olivier Award for Best Musical. NYTW also announced today two new cross-season membership packages, offering a special deal for the remaining 2021/22 season, as well as guaranteeing access to the 2022/23 season. Cross-season memberships (7-Play Premiere for $425 or 7-Play Cross-Season for $335) are on sale now at NYTW.org or by calling 212-460-5475. Early renewal for current members is also available for the 2022/23 season. Merrily We Roll Along will complete the NYTW 2022/23 season. It joins the previously announced productions of Anton Chekhov ’s Three Sisters , in a new adaptation by Pulitzer Prize finalist Clare Barron (Dance Nation, You Got Older ), directed by Tony Award winner and NYTW Usual Suspect Sam Gold (Othello, Fun Home ); american (tele)visions by Tow Playwright-in-Residence Victor I. Cazares (Pinching Pennies with Penny Marshall ), directed by NYTW Usual Suspect Rubén Polendo (); 2019 winner of the Yale Drama Prize, How to Defend Yourself by Liliana Padilla (Born 1000 Times ), co-directed by Tony Award winner and NYTW Usual Suspect Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown ), Padilla and Helen Hayes Award winner Steph Paul (The Last Match ); and The Half-God of Rainfall by Inua Ellams (Barber Shop Chronicles ). Up Up

Back to Productions HERGÉ'S ADVENTURES OF TINTIN This production began its strictly limited season on 6th December 2007 and closed on 23rd February 2008. Brilliantly staged... gripping, funny, and blessed with tremendous heart. Unexpectedly inspirational and tremendous fun. Daily Telegraph The show follows its eponymous hero, his loyal dog Snowy and the curmudgeonly Captain Haddock as they battle to rescue their friend Chang, who has disappeared in a plane crash in the high Himalayas. With time running out, and rumours of the Yeti prowling the peaks, Tintin and friends have a real adventure in store. The production presents a touching, imaginative adventure about friendship, which introduces this well-loved character to a new generation. Utterly charming... Go and see this show The Independent Following a nationwide tour, Rufus Norris ' critically acclaimed production of Hergé's Adventures of Tintin arrived in the West End for a limited 2007 Christmas season in the centenary year of Tintin 's creator Hergé . Originally performed at the Barbican as part of BITE:05, the Young Vic production brings together a hugely talented creative team to tell the story of Tintin in Tibet. 2007 marked the centenary of the birth of Tintin's creator, the Belgian artist Hergé . Hergé was the pen name of Georges Remi and The Adventures of Tintin have proved to be one of the most popular graphic novel creations of all time. Over 200 million copies of the books have been sold worldwide, and continue to sell. Tintin and his friends are about to become global superstars as Steven Spielberg and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson have just announced a three film deal. Tintin has inspired scholarly interpretation and study. In Autumn 2007, Tintin specialist and expert Michael Farr published both a biographical portrait of Hergé: The Adventures of Hergé , and a companion guide to the characters in the novels: Tintin and Co. The centenary is being marked around the world with exhibitions and displays of Tintin memorabilia. The exhibition, held at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, was one of their most successful ever. Such is the strength of Tintin's following, that each year when original artwork is put on sale at an annual auction in Paris, items are sold for staggering amounts of money. The action scenes are spectacular Evening Standard CAST MATTHEW PARISH – Tintin STEPHEN FINEGOLD – Haddock DAI TABUCHI – Tharkey DANIEL TUITE – Nestor/Grand Abbot/Ensemble MILTOS YEROLEMOU – Snowy DOMINIC CHARLES-ROUSE – Thompson/Ensemble NINA KWOK – Chang/Ensemble NEIL D'SOUZA – Mr Rama/Ensemble NICOLA BLACKWELL – Castafiori/Ensemble STEVEN LIM – Blessed Lightening/Ensemble DANIEL LLEWLYN WILLIAMS – Yeti/Ensemble DAVID NEWMAN – Calculus/Head Porter/Ensemble ANIL DESAI – Low Porter/Ensemble CREATIVES RUFUS NORRIS – Director DAVID GREIG & RUFUS NORRIS – Adaptation IAN MACNEIL – Set Designer JOAN WADGE – Costume Designer RICK RFISHER – Lighting Designer PAUL ARDITTI – Sound Designer ORLANDO GOUGH – Music TOBY SEDWICK – Movement JULIA HORAN – Set Designer

Back to News & Press Original London cast recording will be released mid-April 2017 Thursday, 2 March 2017 This brand new double-album was recorded live last month at the Savoy Theatre. It captures the on-stage exhilaration of the original London cast of Dreamgirls , the 14 piece band and the audience, and features iconic songs from the musical including ‘And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going’, ‘I Am Changing’, ‘Listen’ and ‘One Night Only’. The Dreamgirls Original London Cast Recording is produced by Henry Krieger and mixed by Andy Bradfield. This cast recording features Amber Riley as Effie White, Liisi LaFontaine as Deena Jones and Ibinabo Jack as Lorrell Robinson - making up the soulful singing trio ‘The Dreams’; Joe Aaron Reid as Curtis Taylor Jr, Adam J. Bernard as Jimmy Early, Tyrone Huntley as C.C. White, Nicholas Bailey as Marty and Lily Frazer as Michelle Morris and Michael Afemaré, Jocasta Almgill, Callum Aylott, Hugo Batista, Samara Casteallo, Chloe Chambers, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Joelle Dyson, Kimmy Edwards, Candace Furbert, Nathan Graham, Ashley Luke Lloyd, Gabriel Mokake, Siân Nathaniel-James, Sean Parkins, Kirk Patterson, Ryan Reid, Rohan Richards, Noel Samuels, Durone Stokes and Tosh Wanogho-Maud. The long-awaited UK premiere of Dreamgirls opened at the Savoy Theatre in December 2016 to widespread critical acclaim, 35 years after originally opening on Broadway and is Directed and Choreographed by Olivier and Tony Award®-winning Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon , Disney’s Aladdin and Something Rotten! ), with Set Design by Tim Hatley, Costume Design by Gregg Barnes, Lighting Design by Hugh Vanstone, Sound Design by Richard Brooker and Hair Design by Josh Marquette. The Musical Supervisor is Nick Finlow, the Orchestrator is Harold Wheeler, with Additional Material by Willie Reale. Swarovski is delighted to be the Set and Costume Design partner for Dreamgirls , bringing to life the incredible visions of Tim Hatley and Gregg Barnes. Over one million Swarovski crystals have been incorporated into the production, adorning 275 costumes and 3 crystal curtains. Dreamgirls transports you to a revolutionary time in American music history. Dreamgirls charts the tumultuous journey of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called ‘The Dreams’, as they learn the hard lesson that show business is as tough as it is fabulous. With Book and Lyrics by Tom Eyen and Music by Henry Krieger, the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls , Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett, opened in 1981 and subsequently won six Tony Awards®. The original cast recording won two Grammy awards for Best Musical Album and Best Vocal Performance for Jennifer Holliday’s ‘And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going.’ In 2006 it was adapted into an Oscar winning motion picture starring Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx. Liisi LaFontaine is appearing with the support of UK Equity, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and UK Equity. Up Up

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman: The West End queen driving this prince of Denmark Monday, 10 August 2015 "The producer with a gift for creativity, winning awards and making money looks to have another hit with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet." Read the full Sunday Times article here . Up Up

Back to News & Press Jeremy Herrin to direct stellar comedy cast in Ayckbourn classic Absent Friends Friday, 9 December 2011 Previewing at the Harold Pinter Theatre (formerly the Comedy Theatre) from 26 January 2012. With press night on 9 February Absent Friends, produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions and Bob Bartner, is currently booking until 14 April. Designs are by Tom Scutt with lighting by Peter Mumford and sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph. When Colin loses his fiancée, his married friends invite him round for comfort over tea and sandwiches. As the tea starts to pour, it's clear that trouble is brewing with a wickedly funny blend of jealousy, infidelity and barely concealed loathing. Tension starts to boil and maybe Colin isn’t the one who needs help… with friends like these, who needs enemies? Absent Friends premiered in 1974 at the Stephen Joseph Theatre and received its London premier a year later at the Garrick Theatre. Sonia Friedman Productions has previously produced Ayckbourn’s The Norman Conquests which, following its sell-out run at the Old Vic, transferred triumphantly to Broadway in 2009. Katherine Parkinson (Diana) is best known on television for playing Jen in the Channel 4 series The IT Crowd, a role for which she won the British Comedy Best Actress Award. She is soon to be seen on BBC 1 playing Conceptiva in The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff alongside Robert Webb. Her theatre credits include Pattie in Ayckbourn’s Season’s Greetings at the National Theatre, Lady Teazle in The School for Scandal at the Barbican as well as roles in Cock and The Seagull for the Royal Court and Other Hand and Flush for Soho Theatre. Her other television credits include Doc Martin, The Old Guys and The Great Outdoors. Her film credits include St Trinian’s II: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold, The Boat that Rocked, Easy Virtue and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. Reece Shearsmith (Colin), a quarter of the hugely successful award-wining comedy team The League of Gentlemen and co-creator and writer of the BBC’s Psychoville, has recently completed a run as Gilbert Chivers in Betty Blue Eyes. Previously he has been seen on stage in Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre, Comedians at the Lyric Hammersmith. Shearsmith also played Leo Bloom in The Producers at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane as well as Jacques in As You Like It at the Wyndhams’ Theatre and Yvan in Art at the Whitehall Theatre. His other television credits include the critically acclaimed Catterick (Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer’s BBC road trip comedy series), Channel 4’s Spaced and Horrible Histories. His film work includes Burke and Hare, The Cottage, Birthday Girl, Shaun of the Dead and The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse. in which he stared and co-wrote. Elizabeth Berrington (Marge) was last on stage playing Bev in Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party at Hampstead Theatre and in the West End. She will next be seen on television playing Paula in the BBC 1 Christmas Eve comedy, Lapland. On television her more recent credits include food technology teacher Ruby Fry in Waterloo Road, Dr Who, Crimson Petal and the White, Psychoville and A Touch of Frost and well as playing Marie-Antoinette in the French and Saunders series Let Them Eat Cake. On film her credits include In Bruges, Nanny McPhee, A Cock and Bull Story, Onegin and Mike Leigh’s Naked and Secrets and Lies. Kara Tointon (Evelyn) has most recently played Eliza Doolittle to great critical acclaim in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre alongside Rupert Everett and Diana Rigg. Tointon is best known on television for playing Dawn Swann in EastEnders, a role she played for four years. Other television roles include Bedlam, The Bill and Dream Team. Her film credits include The Last Passenger, The Sweeney and Just My Luck. Tointon was the winner of the 2010 Strictly Come Dancing series. Steffan Rhodri (Paul) can currently be seen in The Kitchen Sink at the Bush Theatre. On television he is best known for playing Dave Coaches in Gavin and Stacey. His previous theatre credits include Clybourne Park for the Royal Court and Abigail’s Party for Hampstead and The New Ambassadors Theatres. Other TV includes roles in Crawford Park, Belonging, Wire In The Blood and Tales From a Pleasure Beach. His film credits include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ironclad, Submarine and Ali G Indahouse. David Armand (John) is best known for his roles in the TV sketch shows Sorry I’ve Got No Head and Fast and Loose, as well as The Peter Serafinowicz Show, Peep Show, Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show and The Armstrong and Miller Show. His stage credits include The Secret Policeman’s Ball at the Royal Albert Hall, Local for the Royal Court Upstairs and The Hollow Man: A Tribute and Live at the Lounge at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. His other television credits include How Not To Live Your Life and Pulling. His film credits include Elizabeth: The Golden Age and St. Trinian’s. Jeremy Herrin is Associate Director of the Royal Court where he directed the UK premiere of David Hare's The Vertical Hour as well as Richard Bean’s The Heretic and Polly Stenham's award-winning That Face which subsequently transferred to the West End. His other recent theatre credits include Much Ado About Nothing starring Charles Edwards and Eve Best at Shakespeare’s Globe earlier this year and South Downs for the Chichester Festival Theatre. Herrin will direct Joe Penhall’s Haunted Child for the Royal Court opening in December this year and in 2012 he will direct Matthew Dunster’s Children’s Children at the Almeida Theatre. Olivier and Tony award-winning playwright Alan Ayckbourn has written more than 75 plays, over half of which have been produced in West End as well as on Broadway. Ayckbourn was Artistic Director at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough from 1972-2009 and was an Associate Director at the National Theatre from 1986-88. He was awarded a CBE in 1987 and in 1997 was knighted for services to the theatre. Up Up

Back to News & Press Tom Stoppard's first Jewish play announced Friday, 26 June 2020 The eminent playwright has written a play set in Vienna in 1900. 'It's got the lot' says director Patrick Marber speaking exclusively to the JC. A new Tom Stoppard play, set in Vienna during the first half of the 20th century, is to receive its world premiere in London’s West End early next year. Called Leopoldstadt,after the city's Jewish quarter, the play centres on three generations of a Jewish family. Described as “an intimate drama with an epic sweep”, Patrick Marber will direct the work which is produced by Sonia Friedman, the same team that revived Stoppard’s 1974 play Travesties in 2017. “We are in Vienna between 1899 and 1955”, said Marber speaking exclusively to the JC. “It’s a play about a Jewish family through time. And of course, as you would expect with a Stoppard play, it is multi-themed, and one of those themes is antisemitism.” In 1900, Vienna was the centre of culture in Europe. A tenth of the population were Jewish, partly the result of Jews being granted full civil rights by Emperor, Franz Josef a generation earlier. Hundreds of thousands fled the Pale and pogroms and many settled in Vienna’s old Jewish quarter, Leopoldstadt. “My grandfather wore a caftan, my father went to the opera in a top hat and I have the singers over to dinner,” says factory owner Hermann, one of the characters in the play nearly half a century before the Holocaust. Much of Stoppard’s family died in the Holocaust. His parents fled Moravia in 1939 and lived in Singapore. However, the play is not necessarily a direct response to today’s antisemitism, says Marber. “I would say it is as much concerned with Tom’s past and his escape from Czechoslovakia as a boy. I think it’s a very personal play in many respects.” Yet the director does see parallels with today. The play “feels incredibly important now,” says Marber. “And of course, as a Jew, a Stoppard play about antisemitism goes straight to the heart. For as along as I have been alive since 1964, I don’t think there has been a decade when there wasn't a feeling antisemitism was coming back. I don’t remember a decade as a Jew feeling, ‘Oh yes, that’s over now, that period of history.’ [But] it does feel particularly potent at the moment it has to be said. I think we all feel that.” The work is a big ensemble play says Marber. “Think Arcadia, Coast of Utopiamore than Invention of Love. It’s a big company play which as a director is incredibly exciting to do. It’s got the lot.” “He hasn’t written that many plays with a family structure. I think this is the first time he has really addressed it with parents, children, then the child grown up, and that child’s child. It’s very moving. Tom’s 81 years old and it’s an inspiration for me personally as a playwright that you can keep going. He still has the energy, the bravura force, wit and brilliance of Tom from any period in his writing life.” Read the article on The Jewish Chronicle Up Up