The Hothouse by Harold Pinter at the Trafalgar Studios
April 22, 2013
Simon Russell Beale and John Simm star in a new revival of Harold Pinter’s tragicomedy The Hothouse. Jamie Lloyd follows his acclaimed production of Macbeth starring James McAvoy with this macabre play at the Trafalgar Studios for a limited season.
It’s Christmas Day in a nameless state-run mental institution where the inmates are subjected to a tirade of mindless cruelty. A maniacal and self-obsessed leader breeds a contagion of hierarchical savagery amongst his staff, who thrive on a noxious diet of delusion and deceit.
Under a veil of devilish wit and subversive humour, Pinter’s biting political commentary on the perils of unchecked power is as vital and pertinent today as when it was written in the 50′s.
The cast includes Simon Russell Beale, John Simm, Harry Melling, Clive Rowe, Christopher Timothy, John Heffernan and Indira Varma.
Theatre: Trafalgar Studios
Simon Russell Beale And John Simm To Star In Harold Pinter’s The Hothouse
March 15, 2013
JAMIE LLOYD AND HOWARD PANTER’S SECOND PRODUCTION FOR TRAFALGAR TRANSFORMED
4 MAY – 3 AUGUST 2013
Jamie Lloyd Productions today announced that The Hothouse, Harold Pinter’s macabre tragicomedy will return to London’s West End in a new production this May. The Hothouse is next up in a thrilling season of work for Trafalgar Transformed, a joint initiative between director Jamie Lloyd (Donmar’s Passion, Broadway’s Cyrano de Bergerac, the National Theatre’s She Stoops to Conquer, Royal Court’s The Pride) and Howard Panter. It comes hot on the heels of the critically acclaimed Macbeth, starring James McAvoy, tickets for which have sold out. The Hothouse, with design by award-winning Soutra Gilmour, runs from 4 May to 3 August, with the press night on 9 May 2013.
Simon Russell Beale (Privates on Parade, National Theatre’s Timon of Athens and Collaborators) is playing Roote and John Simm (Elling, Sheffield Theatres’ Hamlet and Betrayal) is Gibbs. Further casting will be announced shortly.
Jamie Lloyd said “It is a dream come true to be working with Simon Russell Beale and John Simm on this funny, peculiar and frightening play as a part of Trafalgar Transformed. The Hothouse is the third Pinter project I have worked on (following The Caretaker and The Lover & The Collection) and I am thrilled to be introducing Harold’s work to a young, diverse audience via our £15 Mondays ticket scheme.”
It’s Christmas Day in a nameless state-run mental institution where the inmates are subjected to a tirade of mindless cruelty. A maniacal and self-obsessed leader breeds a contagion of hierarchical savagery amongst his staff, who thrive on a noxious diet of delusion and deceit.
The day got off to a lousy start! A death and a birth. Absolutely bloody scandalous! Is it too much to ask – to keep the place clean?
Under a veil of devilish wit and subversive humour, Pinter’s biting political commentary on the perils of unchecked power is as vital and pertinent today as when it was written in the 50’s.
Simon Russell Beale was recently on stage in Privates on Parade at the Noel Coward Theatre. Other stage credits include The Seagull and The Tempest for the RSC, for the National Theatre; Hamlet (for which he won the Evening Standard Best Actor Award), Humble Boy (also in the West End), Jumpers (also in the West End and on Broadway), Much Ado About Nothing, Major Barbara, London Assurance, Collaborators and Timon of Athens (for which he won the Critics Circle Award for Best Shakespearean Performance in 2012). Simon’s stage credits for the Donmar Warehouse include Uncle Vanya and Twelfth Night (for which he won the 2002 Olivier and Evening Standard Awards). Further theatre credits include Spamalot at the Palace Theatre/Broadway, The Winter’s Tale and The Cherry Orchard at the Old Vic and Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre. His film credits include The Deep Blue Sea and My Week with Marilyn. On television, Simon’s credits include Henry IV Parts I & II, A Dance to the Music of Time (for which he won the BAFTA for Best Television Actor) and two series of Spooks and Sacred Music. Simon is an Associate Artist of the RSC and National Theatre.
John Simm’s stage credits include Speaking In Tongues at the Duke of York’s Theatre, Elling at the Bush Theatre and Trafalgar Studios (for which he was nominated for the Olivier and Theatregoer’s Choice Award for Best Actor 2008), Danny Rule at the Royal Court, Hamlet and Betrayal for Sheffield Theatres and Goldhawk Road at the Bush Theatre. John’s film credits include Everyday, Tuesday, Brothers of the Head, 24 Hour Party People, Wonderland, Human Traffic, Boston Kickout and Understanding Jane. On television, John’s credits include The Village, Mad Dogs, Exile (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor 2012), Doctor Who, The Devil’s Whore, Life on Mars (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor 2007), Blue/Orange, Sex Traffic, State of Play, Crime and Punishment, The Lakes and Cracker.
As part of the Trafalgar Transformed season all tickets will be £15 on Mondays. Half of these will be made available through a special outreach scheme led by the Ambassador Theatre Group Creative Learning Department, targeted towards schools and first-time theatregoers. The other half will be released monthly to the public on the first day of each month for 24 hours, starting on 1 May 2013*, and will be available online or at Trafalgar Studios box office. Additionally, day seats will be available at £10 for all performances, Tuesday through Saturday (* Monday 6 May is excluded)
Harold Pinter wrote twenty-nine plays including The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, The Homecoming, and Betrayal, twenty-one screenplays including The Servant, The Go-Between, The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Sleuth, and directed twenty-seven theatre productions, including James Joyce’s Exiles, David Mamet’s Oleanna, seven plays by Simon Gray and many of his own plays including his last, Celebration, paired with his first, The Room, at The Almeida Theatre in the spring of 2000. In 2005 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Other awards include the Companion of Honour for services to Literature, the Legion D’Honneur, the Laurence Olivier Award and the Moliere D’Honneur for lifetime achievement. In 1999 he was made a Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature. He received honorary degrees from eighteen universities.
Jamie Lloyd’s theatre credits include Macbeth starring James McAvoy, the first production for Trafalgar Transformed, Cyrano de Bergerac at the Roundabout; American Airlines Theatre, Broadway, The Duchess of Malfi at the Old Vic, She Stoops to Conquer at the National Theatre, The Faith Machine and The Pride (Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement) at the Royal Court, Inadmissible Evidence, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Passion (Evening Standard Award for Best Musical) and Polar Bears all at the Donmar Warehouse, Piaf at the Donmar/Vaudeville/Teatro Liceo, Buenos Aires/Nuevo Teatro Alcala, Madrid (Hugo Award for Best Director, Clarin Award for Best Musical Production and ADEET Award for Best Production), The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick Theatre, Three Days of Rain at the Apollo Theatre, The Lover and The Collection at the Comedy Theatre, Elegies: a Song Cycle at the Arts Theatre, The School for Scandal at Theatre Royal, Bath, Salome for Headlong, Eric’s at Liverpool Everyman and The Caretaker at Sheffield Crucible and the Tricycle Theatre. Jamie was Associate Director of the Donmar Warehouse from 2008 to 2011.
Jamie Lloyd Productions is a partnership with Jamie Lloyd and Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG).
Howard Panter is a key figure in the Arts and Entertainment industry – topping The Stage 100 four times consecutively, from 2010 to 2013, alongside his wife and business partner, Rosemary Squire. As co-founder, Joint CEO and Creative Director of the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) Howard has worked on productions throughout the world. He has been responsible for nurturing the talents of some of the brightest lights from film and television in the theatrical world, from Kristen Scott Thomas to Sheridan Smith. Howard is the stimulus behind some of the most important production companies in the West End, UK regions and Broadway, including Sonia Friedman Productions, Theatre Royal Brighton Productions and Jamie Lloyd Productions. With over thirty years’ experience, Howard has worked with world-renowned organisations such as The Royal Court Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company and Michael Codron Ltd.
Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG) was co-founded by Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire in 1992, and is the largest owner/operator of theatres in the UK with 39 venues, an internationally recognised theatre producer and a leader in theatre ticketing services through ATG Tickets. Current and recent ATG co-productions include Posh, Jumpy, and Constellations (Royal Court at the Duke of York’s), Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 the Musical, Monty Python’s Spamalot starring Marcus Brigstocke and Jon Culshaw and now Stephen Tompkinson. Coming in the new year: Passion Play by Peter Nichols starring Zoë Wanamaker directed by David Leveaux (a co-production with Tali Pelman Productions), The Rocky Horror Show, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Maurice’s Jubilee. Recent productions include All New People starring Zach Braff, The Mystery of Charles Dickens starring Simon Callow, South Pacific starring Samantha Womack and Paulo Szot, Dandy Dick starring Patricia Hodge and Nicholas Le Prevost, Blue/Orange starring Robert Bathurst, Ghost the Musical, Matthew Bourne’s The Nutcracker!, Legally Blonde the Musical starring Sheridan Smith, Being Shakespeare (West End, Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Misanthrope starring Damian Lewis and Keira Knightley, West Side Story, Elling starring John Simm, Guys and Dolls starring Ewan McGregor, and in New York, The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, Exit the King starring Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon. Howard Panter, Adam Speers and Evanna White produce for Ambassador Theatre Group.
Release issued by: Emma Holland PR
Old Times at the Harold Pinter Theatre starring Kristin Scott Thomas
October 24, 2012
A Harold Pinter play finally makes it to the theatre named in his honour as his compelling drama Old Times plays at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 12 January 2013.
Old Times features an all-star cast including Hollywood actress Kristin Scott Thomas alternating in the role of Kate and Anna with Lia Williams, and Rufus Sewell as Deeley.
Kristin Scott Thomas teams up again with director Ian Rickson for the piece, following their successful and acclaimed collaborations on Pinter’s Betrayal and Chekhov’s The Seagull.
Pinter’s seductive and hypnotic drama is set in a remote farmhouse, as Kate, Deeley and Anna reminisce about their lives as young people in London. But conflicting memories and sexual tensions rear up to make the past seem surprisingly present.
Kristin Scott Thomas has won a number of awards for both her screen and stage roles including an Oscar nomination for The English Patient, a BAFTA award for Four Weddings and a Funeral and an Olivier Award for The Seagull. Lia Williams is a stage actress with credits including Pinter’s The Homecoming and David Hare’s Skylight. Rufus Sewell is an award-winning actor with roles including Eleventh Hour for CBS and recently Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Theatre: Harold Pinter Theatre
Comedy Theatre to be renamed in honour of Harold Pinter
September 7, 2011
Major theatre owner Ambassador Theatre Group has announced that it will rename one of its London playhouses in honour of playwright, screen writer and director Harold Pinter, who died in 2008.
Harold Pinter
The Comedy Theatre on Panton Street, which opened in 1881 as the Royal Comedy Theatre, will be called The Harold Pinter Theatre from 13 October 2011. Its first production will be a revival of Death and the Maiden starring Thandie Newton.
The renaming of a London theatre after a theatre professional follows theatre owner Cameron Mackintosh’s decision in the 90′s and 2000′s to rename the Albery, Strand and the Globe theatres after Noel Coward, Ivor Novello and John Gielgud respectively.
The Comedy Theatre, which was designed by Thomas Verity and built by J. H. Addison, has a long association with Pinter and has been home to seven Pinter productions in the last 21 years including The Homecoming, No Man’s Land, Moonlight, The Hothouse, The Caretaker with Michael Gambon, The Lover The Collection starring Gina McKee, and most recently Betrayal starring Kristin Scott Thomas. Pinter also directed at the venue, including Otherwise Engaged by Simon Gray, Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose and The Old Masters by Simon Gray.
The Comedy Theatre in London
The first show to open at the newly named Harold Pinter Theatre, on 13 October, will be Death and The Maiden by Ariel Dorfman starring Thandie Newton.
Ambassador Theatre Groups ’s Joint Chief Executive and Creative Director Howard Panter said that, “the re-naming of one of our most successful West End theatres is a fitting tribute to a man who made such a mark on British theatre who, over his 50 year career, became recognised as one of the most influential modern British dramatists.”
Harold Pinter wrote 32 plays, 22 screenplays and directed 36 theatre productions throughout his long career. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005.
LINKS
Betrayal starring Kristin Scott-Thomas – Round-up of Reviews
June 17, 2011
A round-up of reviews of Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre starring Kristin Scott-Thomas.
Kristin Scott-Thomas and Ben Miles in Betrayal
Ian Rickson’s new production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Douglas Henshall and Ben Miles, at the Comedy Theatre until 20 August 2011.
Over a period of nine years, Pinter’s play shows the high price of passion and the damage inflicted by desire, exploring how our loves and our losses echo and accumulate through time.
See a round-up of Betrayal reviews, below.
LINKS
SPECIAL OFFER: Book tickets to Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre in London
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS in Betrayal
June 6, 2011
Hollywood star Kristin Scott Thomas returns to the West End in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal.
Kristin Scott Thomas was last on the London stage playing Arkadina in Ian Rickson’s celebrated production of The Seagull at the Royal Court Theatre. She won the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Actress, reprising the role on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theater the following year, produced by Sonia Friedman Productions.
Her other theatre credits include Jonathan Kent’s production of As You Desire Me and Michael Blakemore’s production of Three Sisters both for the Playhouse Theatre in London.
Scott Thomas’s extensive film credits include most recently Sous Ton Emprise, Une Femme Parfaite and Nowhere Boy as well as Easy Virtue, The Other Boleyn Girl, the multi-award winning Gosford Park, The Horse Whisperer, The English Patient, Mission Impossible, Angels & Insects, for which she won the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress, and Four Weddings and a Funeral, for which she won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a supporting role and the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress.
She has just completed filming on Bel Ami and Salmon Fishing in Yemen, both due for release later this year. On television her credits include Gulliver’s Travels, Belle Epoque, Body and Soul, Weep No More My Lady and The Secret Life of Ian Fleming.
Kristin Scott Thomas joins Douglas Henshall and Ben Miles in the cast of Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre, in Ian Rickson’s new production of Harold Pinter’s play, produced by Sonia Friedman Productions.
Book tickets to Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre
Rehearsal Photos: Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre starring Kristin Scott Thomas
May 28, 2011
Ian Rickson’s new production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal has started previewing at the Comedy Theatre in London.
Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, the play stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Douglas Henshall and Ben Miles.
Written by Harold Pinter in 1978, the world premiere of Betrayal took place at the National Theatre, directed by Peter Hall with a cast comprising Daniel Massey, Michael Gambon and Penelope Wilton and went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. In 1983 David Jones directed the Academy Award and BAFTA nominated film of Betrayal with Patricia Hodge, Jeremy Irons and Ben Kingsley.
Photos by Michael Birt.
LINKS
Betrayal cast information and news
Betrayal starring Kristin Scott Thomas – Special Offer Save £12.50 on tickets
May 26, 2011
Save £12.50 on tickets to see Betrayal starring Kristin Scott Thomas at the Comedy Theatre in London
Offer valid Friday matinees at 5.30pm
Kristin Scott Thomas stars in Betrayal
An all-star production of Harold Pinter’s 1978 play Betrayal comes to London’s Comedy Theatre this month.
Directed by Ian Rickson, the play stars Hollywood actress Kristin Scott Thomas, plus theatre and TV stars Douglas Henshall and Ben Miles. Betrayal runs from 27 May until 20 August 2011.
Set over a period of nine years, the play charts the high price of passion and the damage inflicted by desire, exploring how our loves and our losses echo and accumulate through time.
Kristin Scott Thomas was last on the London stage playing Arkadina in Ian Rickson’s celebrated production of The Seagull at the Royal Court Theatre. She won the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Actress, reprising the role on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theater the following year, produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, who also produces this production of Betrayal.
Enjoy a special offer on the Friday early evening shows of Betrayal, which promises to be a truly thrilling night at the theatre.
LINKS
Offer valid Friday matinees at 5.30pm
First Look Photos: Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre starring Kristin Scott Thomas
May 13, 2011
Ian Rickson’s new production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal opens at the Comedy Theatre on 27 May 2011, with an press night on 16 June.
Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, the play stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Douglas Henshall and Ben Miles.
Written by Harold Pinter in 1978, the world premiere of Betrayal took place at the National Theatre, directed by Peter Hall with a cast comprising Daniel Massey, Michael Gambon and Penelope Wilton and went on to win the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. In 1983 David Jones directed the Academy Award and BAFTA nominated film of Betrayal with Patricia Hodge, Jeremy Irons and Ben Kingsley.
Photos by Michael Birt.
LINKS
Betrayal cast information and news
BEN MILES in Betrayal
April 26, 2011
Coupling star Ben Miles joins Kristin Scott Thomas in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal.
Ben Miles was last on stage playing the Duke in Michael Attenborough’s production of Measure for Measure at the Almeida Theatre.
Previously his theatre credits included Tom in Matthew Warchus’ multi award-winning production of The Norman Conquests both at the Old Vic and on Broadway, produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, My Child for the Royal Court, Bolingbroke in Richard II for the Old Vic, The Cherry Orchard, The London Cuckolds and Mary Stuart for the National Theatre and Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Ben’s TV work includes leading roles in Coupling, Lark Rise to Candleford, Freezing and Sex, The City and Me all for the BBC, as well as roles in Cold Feet, Prime Suspect, Hustle, Sea of Souls and Trial and Retribution. His film credits include Speed Racer, V for Vendetta, The Affair of the Necklace and The Wings of a Dove.
Ben Miles joins Kristin Scott Thomas and Douglas Henshall in the cast of Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre, in Ian Rickson’s new production of Harold Pinter’s play, produced by Sonia Friedman Productions.
Book tickets to Betrayal at the Comedy Theatre
