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Britton Tours New Hobson's Choice to June 2002

Tony Britton stars in a major new revival of Harold Brighouse's classic comedy Hobson's Choice, which opens tomorrow night, 21 February 2002, at Plymouth's Theatre Royal ahead of a four-month UK tour.

First seen in 1915, Hobson's Choice is set in 1880s Salford, Manchester, where cantankerous and obstinate boot shop owner Henry Hobson is trying to get the better of his three irrepressibly bumptious daughters.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Britton became the most famous Professor Henry Higgins since Rex Harrison when he starred in not one, but two separate productions of My Fair Lady, touring the UK and North America and enjoying several years in the West End. Amongst his other London credits are The First Born, Gigi, The Night of the Ball, Kill Two Birds, The Seagull and, more recently, The Doctor's Dilemma at the Almeida and Jeffrey Archer's The Accused (Haymarket). He is best known on TV for his popular series including Don't Wait Up with Nigel Havers.

Britton is joined in the cast of Hobson's Choice by Katherine Rogers (as Maggie), Michael Begley (Willie), Gaye Brown, Ben Casey, Andrew Fishwick, Nicola Herring, Victoria Mosely, Anna Northam, Bill Bingham and Benny Young.

Hobson's Choice is directed by Jonathan Church, who recently took over as artistic director at Birmingham Rep. Church's recent productions include Of Mice and Men, Private Lives, Closer, God and Stephen Hawking and Fanny Burney's A Busy Day which transferred to the West End. The new production is designed by Hayden Griffin, with lighting by Andy Phillips.

Co-produced by Theatre Royal Plymouth and Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Hobson's Choice is presented on tour by the Touring Consortium. Following Plymouth, the production will have four weeks in Birmingham before continuing to Sheffield, Darlington, Malvern, Nottingham, Aberdeen, Guildford, Cambridge, Coventry and Cardiff.

To read Whatsonstage.com's 20 Questions interview with Tony Britton, please click here.

- by Terri Paddock

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