1st Night Photos: Steadman Enjoy, Horne Entertains

Producers pressed ahead with the opening night of Enjoy at the Gielgud theatre last night, despite widespread cancellations across theatreland due to the heavy snow (See News, 2 Feb 2009).

Alan Bennett's play was a famous "flop" when it first opened in 1980, but Christopher Luscombe's current revival opened to critical acclaim at the Theatre Royal Bath last year, and has enjoyed a succesful national tour prior to its West End transfer (See News, 22 Sep 2008).

Enjoy is set in the playwright’s home town of Leeds, where an ageing couple living in the city’s last, and soon-to-be-demolished back-to-back are soon to be re-housed in a modern maisonette. When a sociologist comes to observe them in their daily life, normality takes a decidedly atypical turn. Alison Steadman and David Troughton lead the cast that also includes Carol Macready, Josie Walker and Richard Glaves.

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF ENJOY's 1st NIGHT PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE "NEXT >" LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

Amongst the guests who made it through the snow on press night were Daisy Haggard, Rebecca Night and Nikolai Foster, who joined the company for a wintry aftershow party at Stanza. Enjoy is currently booking at the Gielgud until 14 May 2009.

On Friday (30 January 2009, previews from 22 January), a new revival of Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr Sloane, starring Mathew Horne in the title role, opened at Trafalgar Studios 1, marking the play's first major London outing since 2001 (See News, 31 Oct 2008).

Orton’s “breakthrough” play, Entertaining Mr Sloane is considered the most autobiographical in his short career (Orton was bludgeoned to death by his former lover Kenneth Halliwell in 1967). It centres on the sexual tug-of-war between siblings Kath and Ed for the affections of handsome young lodger Sloane. 

Alongside Horne, the cast also features two-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton (Kath), Simon Paisley Day (Ed) and Richard Bremmer (Dada). Entertaining Mr Sloane is directed by Nick Bagnall and designed by Peter McKintosh. It continues until 11 April 2009.

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE'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 curtain call and post-show drinks reception at Cafe in the Crypt. First night guests included Jim Broadbent, Neil Pearson, Greg Dyke, James Alexandrou, Kathy Burke (who acted as an artistic associate on the production), Elonie Orton (Joe's younger sister), Angus Deayton, Martin Clunes, Timothy West, Samantha Bond, Prunella Scales, James Corden, Sheridan Smith and Victoria Wood.

- by Theo Bosanquet

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