1st Night Photos: Comedians Back Walliams' Land

TV funnymen were out in force to cheer on their fellow, David Walliams, who’s making his stage acting debut in Harold Pinter’s No Man's Land, which opened last night (7 October 2008, previews from 27 September) for a limited season to 3 January 2009 (See News, 2 Jul 2008).

While Walliams’ Little Britain co-creator and co-star Matt Lucas was unable to attend, amongst those laughing it up at the West End’s Duke of York’s theatre were David Baddiel, Chris O'Dowd, Rob Brydon, Peter Serafinowicz and Eddie Izzard, who brings his latest stand-up show to Shaftesbury Avenue next month (See News, 2 Oct 2008).

In Pinter’s 1975 modern classic, Walliams takes to the stage with three highly accomplished thespians: Michael Gambon, David Bradley and Nick Dunning. The four-hander concerns a wealthy Hampstead aesthete, Hirst (Gambon), who meets a shabby and penniless poet, Spooner (Bradley), and invites him home for a late-night session of drinking and games, overseen by his henchmen, Briggs (Dunning) and Foster (Walliams).

Since its premiere at the National with a cast including John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, No Man's Land’s major London revivals have included a 1992 Almeida production, which starred Pinter and transferred to the West End, and a 2001 production, directed by Pinter and starring Corin Redgrave and John Wood, back at the NT. This new production, which opened first at Dublin’s Gate Theatre in August, is helmed by director of the moment Rupert Goold.

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF NO MAN’S LAND's 1st NIGHT PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE "NEXT >" LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

For 1st Night Photos, our Whatsonstage.com photographer Dan Wooller was on hand for the post-show party at Mint Leaf, along with No Man's Land company, author Harold Pinter, the TV funnymen and other first night guests including Lindsay Duncan, Dominic Cooper, Kate Fleetwood, Stephen Poliakoff, Hayley Atwell and Charles Dance.

No Man's Land is designed by Giles Cadle, with lighting by Neil Austin and sound and music by Adam Cork. It’s produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, which has collaborated with the Gate Theatre, Dublin many times in the past. Gate artistic director Michael Colgan has a unique association with Harold Pinter, having presented four festivals of his work to date.

- by Terri Paddock

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