Lindsay Posner – The Theatre Playbook

Noises Off is returning to the West End, with Felicity Kendal set to star in the production at Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Kendal (The Good Life) will play Dotty, with Jonathan Coy as Frederick Fellows and Alexander Hanson as Lloyd Dallas. Further casting is to be announced.

This celebrated 40^th anniversary production of Michael Frayn’s farce is directed by Lindsay Posner (God of Carnage). It opened to critical acclaim at Theatre Royal Bath in Autumn 2022 before transferring for its initial West End run to the Phoenix Theatre in January this year.

The play serves up a riotous double bill – a play within a play. Hurtling along at breakneck speed, Noises Off follows the on and off-stage antics of a touring theatre company as they stumble their way through the fictional farce, Nothing On. From the shambolic final rehearsals before opening night in Weston-super-Mare, to a disastrous matinee in Ashton-Under-Lyme seen entirely, and hilariously silently, from backstage, before we share their final, brilliantly catastrophic performance in Stockton-on-Tees.

The creative team for this production includes Simon Higlett (designer), Paul Pyant (lighting designer), Greg Clarke (sound designer), Will Stuart (composer), Ruth Cooper-Brown (movement and fight director), George Jibson (associate director) and Ginny Schiller (casting director).

Noises Off will run for a 12-week season at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from September 27, 2023. Tickets: www.trh.co.uk

The original cast and writers of TV comedy Drop the Dead Donkey are reuniting for a new stage adaptation.

Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! – by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin – will star Stephen Tompkinson, Neil Pearson, Susannah Doyle, Robert Duncan, Ingrid Lacey, Jeff Rawle and Victoria Wicks.

The reunion comes 30 years after the launch of the trailblazing series, with the team performing on stage for the very first time. Directed by Lindsay Posner, the production opens at Richmond Theatre in 2024.

Drop The Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! exposes the underside of the broadcasting industry in all its riotous glory. Whether you’re one of the legions of die-hard fans of the TV sitcom that was watched by millions, or a British comedy fanatic, come and experience this hilarious revival of an all-time comedy classic.

Produced by Hat Trick and Simon Friend Entertainment, it is written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, directed by Lindsay Posner and designed by Peter McIntosh, with lighting designs by Peter Mumford.

The show will run at Richmond Theatre from January 30-February 3, 2024.

For tickets, visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/drop-the-dead-donkey/richmond-theatre/