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Johnson Premieres Hitchcock Blonde at Court, 2 Apr

Following the London transfer of Rona Munro's Edinburgh hit Iron, which runs from 22 January to 1 March 2003 (See News, 29 Oct 2002), the Royal Court's spring season will continue in the main house Jerwood Theatre Downstairs with the premiere of Terry Johnson's new play, Hitchcock Blonde. The production, also directed by Johnson, opens on 2 April 2003 (previews from 27 March) and continues to 10 May.

In Hitchcock Blonde, a media lecturer and his female protégé find some deteriorated Hitchcock footage in the basement of a Spanish villa. It would appear they had discovered some early rushes, but what film were they for and who is the mysterious blonde? Though not a play about Hitchcock, he may make a cameo appearance and the Blonde will remove most of her clothing.

Johnson was most recently represented in the West End with The Graduate, which he adapted and directed. His other award-winning plays include Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick, Dead Funny and, at the Royal Court, Hysteria and Cries from the Mammal House. His other directing credits include The Memory of Water (Hampstead/West End) and The Libertine (with John Malkovich in Chicago).

Hitchcock Blonde will be designed by William Dudley (Whatsonstage.com award-nominated for The Coast of Utopia - click here to vote). Casting has not yet been announced.

Meanwhile, in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs studio space, the International Playwrights: Focus Russia will run from 31 January to 1 March 2003, with the UK premieres of two plays - Black Milk by the Evening Standard award-winning author of Plasticine Vassily Sigarev, and Terrorism by the Presnyakov Brothers.

The Russian season will be followed Upstairs, from 10 April to 3 May 2003, by Under the Whaleback, the new play directed by Richard Wilson and written by Richard Bean, the joint winner of the 2002 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright. Bean's first play for the Royal Court was Toast while his piece The Mentalists featured in the National's recent Transformation season of new work.

- by Terri Paddock

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