Peter Hall’s critically acclaimed production of BEDROOM FARCE, one of Alan Ayckbourn’s best loved works, embarks on a national tour following its recent smash hit run in the West End. Real life husband and wife team Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield will star in BEDROOM FARCE as it heads to the Grand Theatre Wolverhampton from Tuesday 16 – Saturday 20 November.
Juliet’s prolific career includes Wild at Heart, Oh! What a Lovely War, The Elephant Man and Billy Wilder’s Avanti! for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress, her Hollywood husband Maxwell Caulfield is best known for his starring roles in Dynasty, The Colbys and Grease 2. Most recently Caulfield played smooth-talking millionaire Mark Wylde in Emmerdale, whose dramatic demise created one of the biggest storylines of last year.
The cast also features Bruce Montague, renowned TV and theatre actor whose credits include Leonard in Carla Lane’s Butterflies, Keeping Up Appearances, Doctors, Oliver at the London Palladium and Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre; Clare Wilkie, soap regular who played Sandra Di Marco in EastEnders, Oliver Boot, a prolific theatre actor whose TV credits include Holby City, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and Hotel Babylon and Julia Mallam and Ayden Callaghan who are best known for their roles as Dawn Woods and Miles De Souza respectively in ITV’s Emmerdale.
The action famously focuses on four couples in three bedrooms, with two celebrations, one blazing row and an illicit kiss (or two)! Alan Ayckbourn’s ingenious comedy shines an illuminating spotlight onto the trials and tribulations of suburban marriage. The brilliance of this production is that almost every married man or woman in the audience will identify with at least one of the characters. Delia and Ernest are the quaint elderly couple whose idea of a good time between the sheets is eating sardines on toast. Malcolm is reduced to impotent desperation attempting to assemble a flat-pack dressing table whilst his wife Kate dissects his lack of flair in the bedroom. The cantankerous, careerists Nick and Jan seem more concerned with conferences than congress and the neurotic Trevor and Susannah wreak havoc as they sweep everyone up in the whirlwind of their dramatically dysfunctional relationship.
BEDROOM FARCE is one of those rare plays in which talent and humour achieve a blissfully happy marriage – which is about the only one on view. The success of the Peter Hall and Alan Ayckbourn premiere was extraordinary, both critically and commercially. Not only did it break records at the National Theatre, but it quickly became one of the most popular and frequently performed of Alan Ayckbourn’s plays. This deft production brings out all the perception, poignancy and hilarity of the play and will leave behind a lasting comedic image.
BEDROOM FARCE opens on Tuesday 16 November until Saturday 20 November, for tickets please book online at www.grandtheatre.co.uk or with the Box Office on 01902 42 92 12.
Bedroom Farce
Starring Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield
Performance Dates: Tuesday 16 November – Saturday 20 November
Performance Times: Tuesday – Saturday at 7.30pm.
Matinees: Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm
Tickets: £9.50 – £23.50 with concessions available
Box Office: 01902 42 92 12
Online: www.grandtheatre.co.uk
