Wesker seminal play ends tour in Nottingham

Published: 19 May 2012
Reporter: Steve Orme

Roots - Credit Robert Day, Nottm PlayhouseA new co-production of Arnold Wesker’s revolutionary 1959 play Roots completes a short tour this week at Nottingham Playhouse.

Giles Croft, the Playhouse’s artistic director, commented, “We’re absolutely delighted to be co-producing Roots with Colchester Mercury Theatre Company in this, Arnold Wesker’s 80th year.

“It’s a great play, at the heart of his ground-breaking trilogy, with a resonance that speaks across the years.

“We’re so pleased that Andrew Breakwell, a long-standing colleague at Nottingham Playhouse, is directing this fine cast in this important work.”

When asked what the audience can expect from this production, Andrew Breakwell said, “I hope they’ll find it enthralling and really amusing.

“For some people, hopefully, it may just change some of their perceptions of the world and it may raise some questions about our experiences now in 2012 which were also common to those people in 1959.”

The cast comprises: Linda Broughton (Mrs Bryant); Roger Delves-Broughton (Mr Bryant); Gina Isaac (Jenny Beales); Natasha Rickman (Beatie); Thomas Richardson (Frankie/Mr Healy); Adrian Stokes (Stan Mann); Tim Treslove (Jimmy Beales); and Ella Vale (Pearl).

Designer is Jane Linz-Roberts; lighting designer David Phillips; sound designer Adam McCready; movement Sue Lefton; and music Pat Whymark.

Roots runs from Wednesday (23 May) until Saturday, 2 June.

There’ll also be two events to coincide with Roots.

There’ll be a rehearsed reading of the final part of the Wesker Trilogy I’m Talking About Jerusalem from 12 to 2pm in the Playroom at the Playhouse on Thursday (24 May) to celebrate the playwright’s 80th birthday.

Wesker’s Four Portraits – Of Mothers will be staged in the Playroom on Friday, 1 June from 1 to 2pm.

Places are free but should be reserved by calling the box office on 0115 941 9419.

*Some links, including Amazon, Stageplays.com, ATG Tickets, LOVEtheatre, BTG Tickets, Ticketmaster, The Ticket Factory, LW Theatres and QuayTickets, are affiliate links for which BTG may earn a small fee at no extra cost to the purchaser.

Are you sure?