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TORCH PERFORM AWARD WINNING COMEDY BY WRITER OF CALENDAR GIRLS
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Helen Mirren and Julie Walters were two of the starring names in that gloriously funny film Calendar Girls, but can you remember the author’s name? We certainly should because Calendar Girls, went to number one in the UK and became one of the top fifty grossing films in UK cinema history. With an enviable cluster of awards under his belt, its screenwriter, Tim Firth, is the name also identified with the worldwide hit comedy Neville’s Island, which opens the Torch Theatre Company’s lively autumn season of entertainment. [Wednesday 8 – Saturday 25 October]
The writing of Neville’s Island was originally commissioned by that master of comedy, Alan Ayckbourn, for the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Following its transfer to London’s West End, it has since been seen in translation all round the world and has been in almost continuous production for over ten years. It seemed fitting for the Torch therefore that this successful and hilariously funny production, which made Peter Doran’s debut as Artistic Director for the Torch ten years ago, should also kick off the autumn season at the new Torch.
Described as A Comedy in Thick Fog , the award winning Neville’s Island is set on a rather damp November day on Rampsholme Island near Derwentwater in
the Lake District where four middle-aged managers find themselves marooned after their outward bound team-building exercise takes an unexpected detour. With only one sausage between them, this is a story of survival: of going back to nature - without a duvet in sight. As in the unforgettable moment in Calendar Girls – when ‘more buns’ were required to protect the ladies modesty when posing topless – our hapless managers on ‘Neville’s’ Island have an equal poser to avoid exposing their nether regions! For some, the great outdoors can be a nightmare, where the only clear resolve is to find themselves a large gin and a hot bath afterwards, so if you don’t ‘do’ camping, you have a good starting point in understanding the mood of the piece!
Yet, beneath the brilliant quick-fire humour lies “…a psycho drama of considerable power” and as the play unfolds and night begins to fall, a darker element emerges.
Neville’s Island, written by Tim Firth and performed by the Torch Theatre Company, opens at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven on Wednesday 8 October and runs until Saturday 25. Tickets may be reserved by calling their Box Office on 01646 695267 or by visiting their website at www.torchtheatre.co.uk.
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Torch Theatre Milford Haven
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Friday, September 26, 2008 |
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