British stage and screen actress Susannah York returns to London theatre in October, to star in the world premiere of Ben Ellis's The Final Shot at Theatre503. Ellis's drama, which runs at the Battersea venue from 9-27 October, was inspired by recent events in the media, and questions what should or should not be filmed for public consumption.
York's performances have been many and varied. With the RSC, her credits have included Hamlet, Camino Real and The Merry Wives Of Windsor, while she has also appeared in productions including Amy's View, The Cherry Orchard, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, Hedda Gabler and, most recently, The Wings Of A Dove. On screen, York received an Oscar nomination for They Shoot Horses Don't They?, won the Best Actress Award at Cannes for Images and also appeared in Superman, Superman II and Superman IV.
The Final Shot follows Adam, who is about to die from Huntington's Disease. There is a 50/50 chance that it will also kill his son, and watching fate play out is destroying Denise. Josh is documenting everything that happens and must decide whether to keep the camera rolling.
Ellis's play follows in the wake of the ITV screening of Malcolm And Barbara: Love's Farewell earlier this summer. The documentary showed composer Malcolm Pointon, who suffered from Alzheimer's Disease, sinking into an unconsciousness from which he did not wake. The programme courted controversy first for screening someone's death on television and then, when it became apparent that this was not the case, for making such an untrue claim.
York is joined in the cast by Tom McKay, who recently starred in the highly acclaimed Frost/Nixon, and Fred Pearson. The production is directed by Theatre503's joint Artistic Director Tim Roseman, and is his first directorial duty since taking the post.
MA