MAUREEN LIPMAN in When We Are Married

Lipman returns to the West End stage in Priestley’s classic comedy

Born in Hull, Maureen Lipman trained at LAMDA before making her stage debut in The Knack at the Palace Theatre in Watford. An accomlished stage career has followed including being a member of Laurence Olivier’s Royal National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, playing Joyce Grenfell in Re:Joyce, Madame Armfeldt in Trevor Nunn’s A Little Night Music, Peggy Ramsey in Peggy For You, See How They Run (Olivier Award), Florence Foster Jenkins in Glorious and Live and Kidding and Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!

Her many TV and film appearances include Up The Junction, Educating Rita and The Pianist on film, and Agony, About Face and Ladies of Letters on TV. She has also written ten books.

In J B Priestley’s When We Are Married three highly respectable couples – the Parkers, Soppitts and Helliwells, who were all married in the same Yorkshire church on the same day – are celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss. Then out of the blue, disaster strikes: the vicar was never licensed – they’ve been living in sin all these years!

Directed by Christopher Luscombe, When We Are Married runs at the Garrick Theatre in London from 19 October, and stars Rosemary Ashe (Witches of Eastwick, Phantom of the Opera), Lynda Baron (Open All Hours, Fat Friends), Susie Blake (Coronation Street, Victoria Wood), Michele Dotrice (Some Mothers Do Have ‘Em), David Horovitch (Bedroom Farce, Taking Sides & Collaboration), Roy Hudd (Coronation Street, BBC Radio 2), Sam Kelly (‘Allo ‘Allo), Maureen Lipman (A Little Night Music, Peggy For You) and Simon Rouse (The Bill).

Book tickets to When We Are Married at the Garrick Theatre in London

Credits

Theatre: includes Madame Armfeldt in Trevor Nunn’s A Little Night Music (Menier and Garrick), Florence Foster Jenkins in Glorious and Live and Kidding  (Duchess Theatre), Dim Sum in Aladdin (Old Vic), Mrs Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie (Shaftesbury), Surprise Guest in The Play What I Wrote (Wyndhams), Peggy in Peggy for You (Hampstead, West End and tour), Aunt Eller in Oklahoma! (National and Lyceum Theatre), Gorgeous in The Sisters Rosenwig, Bella in Lost in Yonkers, Kitty Twombley in The Cabinet Minister, Joyce Grenfell in Re-Joyce! (4 West End runs, tour and Long Wharf Theatre Connecticut), Miss Skillon in See How They Run, Ruth in Wonderful Town (Queens Theatre), Messiah, Maggie in Outside Edge, Candida, Nina in Sitting Pretty (Theatre of Comedy), Martha in Martha Josie and the Chinese Elvis (Birmingham Rep), Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!, Second Witch in Macbeth, Cathleen in Long Day’s Journey into Night, Jumpers, Molly Malloy in The Front Page, The School for Scandal, The National Health, Miss Richland in The Good Natur’d Man, Captain of Kopernick and Tyger (National Theatre), Celia in As You Like It (RSC), Joyce Grenfell in Choice Grenfell (The Actors Theatre), Live and Kidding (tour), Thank You for Having Me (Manchester Royal Exchange), Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals (Stratford East), Kitty McShane in On Your Way Riley (Unicorn Theatre), Meg in Meg and Mog (Lyric Hammersmith), Jenny in Chapter Two (Richmond), Smash, Gilda in Design for Living (Brighton), Night and Day, Wilkies the People’s Jack, Dracula, The Gingham Dog, Shakespeare’s Farewell, The White Devil, It’s Called the Sugar Plum, God Made the Little Red Apple and In a Cottage Hospital (Stables Manchester), The Ball Game, Loot, Live Like Pigs, Genie in Aladdin, Brenda in The Waiters and Cathy in Wuthering Heights (Watford), The Knack (Plymouth), Nancy in The Knack (Edinburgh Festival), The Burn, The Fourth World and The Centaur (Royal Court), Eleanor Rigby in No-One Was Saved.

TV: includes Ladies of Letters, Cold Enough for Snow, Eskimo Day, Shiftwork, Absent Friends, Absurd Person Singular, See How They Run, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Outside Edge, The Knowledge, Rogue Male, The Evacuees, Regan, Long Day’s Journey into Night. Series include Casualty, Sensitive Skin, Doctor Who, The Fugitives, Where the Heart Is, Winter Solstice, Jonathan Creek, Coronation Street, Agony Again, Exclusive Yars, About Face (2 series), The Little Princess, All at No.20 (2 series), Objects of Affection, Smiley’s People, Agony (3 series), A Soft Touch, The Sweeney, Couples, Crown Court, Doctor at Large, Code Name.

Film: includes Bridge of Lies, Supertex, Flight of Fancy, The Pianist, Discovery of Heaven, Oklahoma!, Solomon and Gaenor, Captain Jack, Carry On Columbus, Water, Educating Rita, The Wildcats of St Trinians, Gumshoe, School for Unclaimed Girls, Up the Junction.

IMAGES

When We Are Married – production images.

OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Play Winners

OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Play Winners

Best New Play

2011 Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris
2010 The Mountaintop
2009 Black Watch by Gregory Burke
2008 A Disappearing Number
2007 Blackbird by David Harrower
2006 On The Shore Of The Wide World by Simon Stephens
2005 The History Boys by Alan Bennett
2004 The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh

The BBC Award for Best New Play

2003 Vincent In Brixton by Nicholas Wright
2002 Jitney by August Wilson
2001 Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall
2000 Goodnight Children Everywhere by Richard Nelson
1999 The Weir by Conor McPherson
1998 Closer by Patrick Marber
1997 Stanley by Pam Gems
1996 Skylight by David Hare
1995 Broken Glass by Arthur Miller
1994 Arcadia by Tom Stoppard
1993 Six Degrees Of Separation by John Guare
1992 Death And The Maiden by Ariel Dorfman
1991 Dancing At Lughnasa by Brian Friel
1989/90 Racing Demon by David Hare
1988 Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker
1987 Serious Money by Caryl Churchill
1986 Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton
1985 Red Noses by Peter Barnes
1984 Benefactors by Michael Frayn
1983 Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
1982 Another Country by Julian Mitchell
1981 Children Of A Lesser God by Mark Medoff
1980 The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, adapted by David Edgar
1979 Betrayal by Harold Pinter
1978 Whose Life Is It Anyway? by Brian Clark
1977 The Fire That Consumes by Henry de Montherlant, English version by Vivian Cox with Bernard Miles
1976 Dear Daddy by Denis Cannan

Best Revival

2011 After the Dance directed by Thea Sharrock
2010 Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
2009 The Histories
2007 The Crucible by Arthur Miller
2006 Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen in a new version by Richard Eyre
2005 Hamlet by William Shakespeare
2004 Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O’Neill
2003 Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare and Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekov
1995 As You Like It by William Shakespeare
1994 Machinal by Sophie Treadwell
1993 An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley
1992 Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
1991 Pericles by William Shakespeare

OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Comedy Winners

OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Comedy Winners

Best New Comedy

2010 The Priory
2009 God of Carnage
2008 Rafta Rafta
2007 John Buchan’s The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon
2006 Heroes by Gerald Sibleyras translated by Tom Stoppard

Best Comedy

2003 The Lieutenant Of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh
2002 The Play What I Wrote by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben
2001 Stones In His Pockets by Marie Jones
2000 The Memory Of Water by Shelagh Stephenson
1999 Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle And Dick by Terry Johnson
1998 Popcorn by Ben Elton
1997 Art by Yasmina Reza
1996 Mojo by Jez Butterworth
1995 My Night With Reg by Kevin Elyot
1994 Hysteria by Terry Johnson
1993 The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright
1992 La Bête by David Hirson
1991 Out Of Order by Ray Cooney
1989/90 Single Spies by Alan Bennett
1988 Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell
1987 Three Men On A Horse by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott
1986 When We Are Married by J.B. Priestley
1985 A Chorus Of Disapproval by Alan Ayckbourn
1984 Up’N’Under by John Godber
1983 Daisy Pulls It Off by Denise Deegan
1982 Noises Off by Michael Frayn
1981 Steaming by Nell Dunn
1980 Educating Rita by Willy Russell
1979 Middle Age Spread by Roger Hall
1978 Filumena by Eduardo de Filippo, adapted by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall
1977 Privates On Parade by Peter Nichols
1976 Donkey’s Years by Michael Frayn

Best Comedy Performance

1995 Niall Buggy for Dead Funny
1994 Griff Rhys Jones for An Absolute Turkey
1993 Simon Cadell for Travels With My Aunt
1992 Desmond Barrit for The Comedy Of Errors
1991 Alan Cumming for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist
1989/90 Michael Gambon for Man Of The Moment
1988 Alex Jennings for Too Clever By Half
1987 John Woodvine for The Henrys
1986 Bill Fraser for When We Are Married
1985 Michael Gambon for A Chorus Of Disapproval
1984 Maureen Lipman for See How They Run
1983 Griff Rhys Jones for Charley’s Aunt
1982 Geoffrey Hutchings for Poppy
1981 Rowan Atkinson for Rowan Atkinson in Revue
1980 Beryl Reid for Born In The Gardens
1979 Barry Humphries for A Night With Dame Edna
1978 Ian McKellen for The Alchemist
1977 Denis Quilley for Privates On Parade
1976 Penelope Keith for Donkey’s Years

An Inspector Calls

Round-up of An Inspector Calls reviews at the Novello Theatre, London:

Telegraph: 5/5

Evening Standard: 3/5

Times: 4/5

OPENING THOUGHTS

Times: More than 15 years after its first appearance at the National Theatre in 1992, it’s still heart-thumpingly thrilling.

Telegraph: Daldry’s 1992 calling-card production hasn’t even begun to settle into some dusty, well-worn groove. In fact, not only is it ever-green fresh but it dawns on you that no other revival in this dying decade has come close to matching its breathtaking daring and faultless execution.

DIRECTION

Times: Stephen Daldry’s extraordinary reinvention of J. B. Priestley’s classic has lost none of its fierce pertinence

Telegraph: Daldry creates a running conversation between past and future, cause and effect, dream and reality. What could just be a soap-box for socialism becomes a multi-layered, mind-blowing box of tricks…. The fact that this Inspector has triumphed over time – and looks set to run and run – is rather apt since Daldry’s direction, which works hand in glove with Ian MacNeil’s exquisite expressionistic design, plays such ingenious games with temporal perspective.

ES: The real achievement of Daldry is to make something Wagnerian out of a play that is usually conceived in the idiom of Agatha Christie. It’s tempting to think of him as an alchemist, an instinctive master of how to fuse story and spectacle… Daldry’s feat is to reclaim Priestley as an experimental artist. He reimagines the play as a darkly psychological drama complete with brooding string music and sepulchral woodwind.

DESIGN

Times: Ian MacNeil’s design is as impressive as ever, and even if it no longer comes as a surprise to many, the cacophonous collapse of the Birling home as the family’s shameful secrets are exposed is a stunning coup de théâtre.

ES: The design, by Ian MacNeil, is the production’s star turn.

ACTING

Times: A faintly coarse note creeps into a couple of the performances, but the acting is mostly compelling.

Telegraph: Recently out of RADA, Robin Whiting impresses as the disturbed young Eric, as does Marianne Oldham as his equally stricken sister Sheila. Hats off first and last, though, to Nicholas Woodeson, superbly tense, tough and watchful as Goole.

ES: The action is neatly constructed… Nicholas Woodeson, in a suit he appears to have borrowed from a much larger man, is an appropriately beady-eyed Inspector. But he is mostly too self‑effacing – and then briefly stentorian, thundering out his moralistic criticism.Around him there are performances that are enjoyable yet far from subtle.

LAST WORD

Times: This is, though, outstanding theatre: a production of provocative, penetrating and exuberant brilliance.

Telegraph: Nicholas Woodeson [is] superbly tense, tough and watchful as Goole and powering the evening towards a conclusion that is as shattering as it is artistically satisfying.

ES: The production is entertaining but in the end a little too elaborately packaged.

Times: Sam Marlowe

Telegraph: Dominic Cavendish

Evening Standard:  Henry Hitchings

Book tickets to An Inspector Calls at the Novello Theatre, London and SAVE £13