Hamilton’s Hangover Returns Home to Earl’s Court

Hangover Square, set in west London’s Earl’s Court and written by local resident Patrick Hamilton, will return “home” next month, care of the Finborough Theatre. The new production, the first major London revival in 18 years of the play adapted from Hamilton’s best-selling 1941 novel, runs from 11 July to 2 August 2008 (previews from 9 July) as part of the annual Earl’s Court Community Festival.

The story of obsession and addiction centres on alcoholic George Harvey Bone, who becomes hopelessly infatuated with the cool, desirable and contemptuous young actress Netta. As Bone falls under Netta’s spell, he’s cast adrift in darkly comic world of seedy saloon bars, lodging houses and boozing philosophers. And then he realises he must kill her.

Patrick Hamilton is best known to theatregoers for Rope (filmed by Alfred Hitchcock) and Gaslight (also famously filmed, and revived on stage last year at the Old Vic). This adaptation of his novel Hangover Square, by Fidelis Morgan, has not been seen since its production at the Lyric Hammersmith in 1990.

Matthew Flynn stars as Bone with Claire Calbraith and Caroline Faber sharing the role of Netta, in a cast that also includes Jamie De Courcey, Antony Eden, Jonathan Kemp and Gyuri Sarossy. The production is directed by Gemma Fairlie and designed by Alex Marker, with lighting by Trevor Wallace, costumes by Penn O’Gara and sound by Steve Mayo. It’s presented by Swoop Production, the Earl’s Court Festival and the Finborough.

– by Terri Paddock