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Photo ©Tony Reading 2008
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| Tickets sold out. 10 'Day Seats' are available from 10.30am in person at the Box Office on the day of the performance and up to 20 standing spaces. |
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British eccentricity mostly (but not always) found in the upper middle classes is the hub of this play. It is -a 'dark comedy' which has been played by the most eminent acting and direction.
Michael Grandage has revived this Fifties play written in an era when a play was a high art that stimulated thinking and carried messages to an audience who discussed these things. (TV had not yet taken over). Theatrical tradition was constantly being challenged by plays and 'the Chalk Garden' was no exception. Kenneth Tynan rated the play so highly as to liken it to a Mozart quintet.
It is rich with Brit wit and sayings celebrate the much valued non conformist individual - the slightly contemptuous style of which has influenced British comedy for many decades and is still the bedrock of 'typical' British dark comedy. This play's suspense derives from a creative plot
"what makes The Chalk Garden so extraordinary is the match of its high camp wit, the inventions of its serious-minded plot and an anarchic philosophy of life that celebrates individuality and eccentricity at the expense of conformity". - Nicholas de Jongh
The story
Set in a country manor with a difficult garden, the grand lady of the house, Mrs. St Maugham is rearing her granddaughter and the flowers but mostly bring on flowers - leaving Laurel to face adolescence in a fantasy world. Her behaviour stimulates the need for a governess who joins the staff of two butlers and a nurse to prove her skill with controlling Laurel and helping also with the flowers. When Laurel's mother arrives to claim her back the story darkens as Mrs. St Maugham resists Laurel's departure.
Cast
• Miss Madrigal - Penelope Wilton • Mrs. St Maugham - Margaret Tyzack , Steph Bramwell, Linda Broughton, Suzanne Burden, • Maitland - Jamie Glover • Laurel - Felicity Jones, Clifford Rose
• Director - Michael Grandage • Designer - Peter McKintosh • Lighting Designer - Paule Constable • Composer & Sound Designer - Adam Cork
| © Covent-Garden.co.uk 2008 | Updated 26th June 2008 |