Hampstead theatre’s comedy, On The Rocks, which stars Ed Stoppard and Tracy-Ann Oberman as DH Lawrence and his wife Freida, has extended its limited run by one week.
On The Rocks will now close on 2 August. Tickets for the added performances are already available.
The new play by Amy Rosenthal is set in the spring of 1916. The Lawrences find themselves rejuvenated by their new life in the Cornish village of Zennor, so invite friends Katherine Mansfield and John Middleton Murry to join them. When the quartet convenes, though, long-simmering tensions threaten to spoil their idyll.
Rosenthal’s uplifting and passionate comedy is a story of love, struggling marriages and writers striving for creativity.
Oberman is best known for her television appearances, most notably as Chrissie Watts in EastEnders, though she recently appeared in the Laurence Olivier Award-nominated revival of Boeing Boeing. Stoppard, the son of playwright Tom, has West End credits including The Glass Menagerie (Apollo).
Oberman and Stoppard are joined in the cast of On The Rocks by Charlotte Emerson and Nick Caldecott. Emerson’s back catalogue of productions includes extensive work at the National Theatre in productions such as Thérèse Raquin, The Coast Of Utopia, The Good Hope and The Cherry Orchard. Caldecott’s credits include She Stoops To Conquer (Nuffield, Southampton) and The Importance Of Being Earnest (Derby Playhouse).
Speaking about the extension, Anthony Clark, the Artistic Director of Hampstead theatre said: “We are delighted to be able to extend this astute comedy by fast-rising star Amy Rosenthal for an extra week.”
On The Rocks is the final play in Hampstead’s spring/summer season, and will be followed in the autumn by shows including the UK premiere of Brecht’s Turandot, the London premiere of Shared Experience’s Mine, the world premiere of Alexis Zegerman’s comedy Lucky Seven, Michael Pennington’s one-man shows Sweet William and Anton Chekhov, and Hampstead’s family Christmas production The Little Prince.
MA