Ladykillers begins UK and Ireland tour at Plymouth

Graham Linehan’s hit adaptation of the classic 1955 Ealing comedy The Ladykillers, directed by Sean Foley will embark on a 26 week tour of the UK and Ireland in 2012, beginning on 14 September at Theatre Royal Plymouth.

The Ladykillers tells the story of the eccentric little old lady Mrs Wilberforce who lives alone with her parrot in a strange lopsided house in King’s Cross. Her life is turned upside down by the arrival of Professor Marcus and his four friends, who between them make up the most unlikely group of criminals. Planning the heist of a security van, they decide to use Mrs Wilberforce as cover and involve her unwittingly in the plot. Things do not go well and the Professor’s plan starts to unravel in spectacular and hilarious fashion.

This stage production has been adapted by Graham Linehan, best known for TV comedies Father Ted and The I.T. Crowd. Director Sean Foley is a multi award winning stage director whose work in the West End includes Play What I Wrote, Do You Come Here Often, Ducktastic, Pinter’s People and Joe Orton’s What The Butler Saw.

Paul Bown plays Professor Marcus, while Clive Mantle plays Major Courtney. Chris McCalphy (One-Round), William Troughton (Harry), and EastEnder Shaun Williamson (Louis) complete the line-up of villains, while Michele Dotrice plays the eccentric Mrs Wilberforce.

The UK and Ireland tour of The Ladykillers follows the critically acclaimed West End run at London’s Gielgud Theatre. The production was nominated for five awards in the 2012 Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best New Play, Best Direction, Best Set Design, Best Sound Design and Best Actress in a Play for Marcia Warren. The play smashed all known box office records at the Gielgud Theatre, by taking just under £400,000 in a single week between Monday December 26th and Sunday January 1st 2012 and recouping its entire West End outlay in less than seven weeks.

The Ladykillers
Theatre Royal Plymouth
Friday 14 – Saturday 22 September