Tamara Harvey will direct a series of Simon Gray plays to be performed in rep over nine weeks at the Hampstead Theatre’s Downstairs space from 20 March.
The plays, which include three world premieres, are based on the same characters in the same situation but all tell a different story with entirely different outcomes.
Playing until 17 May, the quartet of works from the Butley and Quartermaine’s Terms playwright is entitled In The Vale Of Health and include Japes, Michael, Japes Too and Missing Dates.
Japes tells the story of Michael and Jason (Japes), whose parents died in an accident when they were teenagers. The family home they inherited remains unchanged, but their lives are altered forever when Michael and Japes both fall in love with the same girl.
The remaining three plays came about during rehearsals for the West End run of Japes in 2001. During rehearsals Gray realised that the characters could have easily made different choices leading to different conclusions, which gave rise to Michael, Japes Too and Missing Dates.
The late playwright described the plays as featuring “the same characters in the same situation in the same house, but telling a slightly different story through to an almost opposite conclusion, or to the same conclusion but by an unexpected (at least by me) route.”
Harvey directs the plays following her recent production of Tim Rice musical From Here To Eternity in the West End. Casting for the plays is still to be announced.