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Constant Wife Moves to Lyric for 13 More Weeks

Edward Hall's revival of William Somerset Maugham's 1926 play The Constant Wife has extended its West End season with a transfer to a new Shaftesbury Avenue. The production finishes booking at the Apollo Theatre, where it opened on 11 April 2002 (previews from 2 April) on 29 June, then reopens, on 2 July, next door at the Lyric Theatre, where it is booking up to 2 October 2002.

Jenny Seagrove and Simon Williams star in the story about the attempts of an apparently devoted wife to stop her family and friends from telling her that her seemingly devoted husband is having an affair with her best friend. In the war-between-the-sexes piece, Maugham's heroine is an early feminist who gains financial and emotional independence from her husband.

Seagrove's other West End credits include The Female Odd Couple, Brief Encounter, Hurlyburly, Dead Guilty and Present Laughter; while on film and television, she's been seen in A Woman of Substance, Don't Go Breaking My Heart and Local Hero.

Prior to The Constant Wife, Williams led an extended UK tour of the comedy Nobody's Perfect, which he also wrote and directed. In the West End, he's previously been seen in A Friend Indeed, Hay Fever, His Hers and Theirs, The Collector, No Sex Please, We're British, Gigi and The Winslow Boy. The actor is perhaps best known for his TV roles in popular sitcoms such as Upstairs, Downstairs and Don't Wait Up.

In The Constant Wife, they are joined by Linda Thorson, Serena Evans, Steven Pacey, Lucy Fleming, Eric Carte and Robin Browne. The production is designed by Micheal Pavelka, with lighting by Ben Ormerod.

At the Apollo, The Constant Wife makes way for a new revival of Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth, which is also produced by Bill Kenwright. Starring Peter Bowles and Gray O'Brien, the classic thriller opens on 10 July, following previews from 2 July. Both productions originated at the Theatre Royal in Windsor.

- by Terri Paddock

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