The Winslow Boy

Synopsis

Olivier Award-winning director Lindsay Posner's new production of Terrence Rattigan's The Winslow Boy will run from 19 March (previews 8 March) to 25 May at the Old Vic Theatre.

A drama about a family's moral legal case that creates national interest; Fourteen year old Ronnie Winslow is expelled from Osborne Naval College accused of stealing a postal order. Ronnie swears he did not do it, and so his father Arthur begins a fight to prove his son's innocence. The whole Winslow family is drawn into the consequences of the court action.

Designed by Peter McKintosh, starring Henry Goodman in the role of Arthur, and Charlie Rowe in the role of Ronnie, alongside Deborah Findlay, Nick Hendrix, and [Peter Sullivan]. 

First performed in London in 1946, book tickets now to see this updated version.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 20 March 2013

Even in a decent, unevenly cast production such as this Old Vic revival by Lindsay Posner - Peter McKintosh's design is nothing special, Tim Mitchell's lighting over-shadowy - Rattigan's 1945 play about the Edwardian middle-class young boy alleged to have stolen a five bob postal order is confirmed as a modern classic.

The House of Commons gets in a tizzy over the family's petition of right to a trial (at first blocked by the Admiralty, which has "sacked" the boy from the naval college at Osborne) and is described as a place of too little ventilation and too much hot air; the last revival I saw, Stephen Unwin's for the Rose in Kingston, coincided with the climate of outrage over MPs' expenses.

The focus shifts this time, as our Parlia...

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Latest User Review

David Baxter - 16 May 2013:

The Rattigan revival continues with this timeless clasic which shows no signs of dating and in fact, in its treatment of press behaviour, feels remarkably current. Lindsay Posner directs a very respectful production which, rather like his recent Uncle Vanya, does get a bit bogged down at times but really catches fire during Sir Henry Morton's much imitated brutal cross examination of the unfortunate Winslow boy. Henry Goodman superbly conveys the dibilitating effects of the long drawn out proceedings but I didn't get a sense of the fierce passion for justice that drives him on and Deborah Findlay is perhaps too strong an actor to be totally convincing as the rather shallow Mrs Winslow. However, Naomi Frederick is excellent as the sufragette sister with her own reasons for pursuing the case despite her doubts and beautifully portrays her shifting attitudes to the men in her life. Peter Sullivan is magnificently saturnine as Morton although he does speak awfully quickly. Some of the supporting performances are less successful but there is a nice cameo from Jay Villiers as a lovelorn former Test cricketer turned plodding solicitor. Rattigan again proves to be a master of plot and characterisation and I suspect his plays will continue to be revived long after Pinter, Osbourne and others have been forgotten....

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