The Christopher Luscombe-directed production of Alan Bennett’s Enjoy, which stars Alison Steadman, will transfer to the West End in the new year. The comedy opens at the Gielgud theatre on 2 February.
Originally staged as part of Peter Hall’s summer season at the Theatre Royal Bath earlier this year, Enjoy, which also stars David Troughton, Carol Macready, Josie Walker and Richard Glaves, begins London previews on 27 January and runs until 2 May.
Set in Leeds, Enjoy follows aging couple Wilf and Connie. With the city being redeveloped, they are about to be moved to a new maisonette with a waste disposal unit and non-slip vinyl flooring. When a sociologist comes to observe them in their daily life, normality takes a decidedly atypical turn.
Though the play was Bennett’s first theatrical failure when it premiered in 1980, Luscombe’s revival met with much critical acclaim when it was reviewed by the press on its August Bath opening. The Daily Telegraph’s Charles Spencer described it as a “pitch perfect revival”, while The Guardian’s Michael Billington said “The performances are just about perfect.”
Leading actress Steadman is a familiar face on both stage and screen. A Laurence Olivier Award winner for her performance in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, Steadman has worked with director Mike Leigh on projects including the seminal Abigail’s Party, Life Is Sweet and Topsy Turvy. More recently her television credits have included Gavin And Stacey and The Worst Week Of My Life.
Troughton has worked extensively with both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre on productions ranging from Henry IV and The Tempest to Peter Pan. His television credits include A Very Peculiar Practice, New Tricks and Casualty 1907.
The Gielgud theatre stage is currently occupied by the Rupert Goold-directed production of Six Characters In Search Of An Author, which has been liberally adapted to bring Pirandello’s 1920s tale into the 21st century. Six Characters In Search Of An Author runs until 8 November.
MA