T.S Eliot plays
Though most famed as a master of Modernist poetry, T.S Eliot also wrote for the stage (long before Andrew Lloyd Webber considered Cats). Eliot's most famous prose play The Cocktail Party premiered at the Edinburgh festival in 1949 and went on to impress in London and New York, winning a Tony Award for Best Play. Now, this rarely revived play will begin the new season at Notting Hill's Print Room Theatre.
The Cocktail Party: play summary
Now considered a pinnacle of Modern drama, The Cocktail Party inverts the traditions of 'drawing room comedy' -- staring with light humour and moving towards deeper examination of human behaviour. Married couple Edward and Lavinia arrange an elegant soiree. But when Lavinia leaves her husband just days before the party, Edward attempts to continue as normal, dismissing queries about his absent wife. The increasingly knotty narrative inevitably collapses, revealing the complexity of domestic life and echoing Eliot's preconceptions with existentialism.
2015 revival: Print Room winter season
Having worked at the Donmar and brought Richard Bean's The Mentalists to the West End, Up-and-coming director Abbey Wright is a competent pair of hands for this long overdue Eliot revival. We are particularly interested to see how this production of The Cocktail Party makes use of the stage space: it will be the first production to be staged in the newly revamped main auditorium of the Print Room's new Coronet home.
Plus, for an extra shot of authenticity, the stalls area will be transformed into a 1950s style cocktail bar, so audiences can enjoy their own cocktail party in the interval.
Though most famed as a master of Modernist poetry, T.S Eliot also wrote for the stage (long before Andrew Lloyd Webber considered Cats). Eliot's most famous prose play The Cocktail Party premiered at the Edinburgh festival in 1949 and went on to impress in London and New York, winning a Tony Award for Best Play. Now, this rarely revived play will begin the new season at Notting Hill's Print Room Theatre.
The Cocktail Party: play summary
Now considered a pinnacle of Modern drama, The Cocktail Party inverts the traditions of 'drawing room comedy' -- staring with light humour and moving towards deeper examination of human behaviour. Married couple Edward and Lavinia arrange an elegant soiree. But when Lavinia leaves her husband just days before the party, Edward attempts to continue as normal, dismissing queries about his absent wife. The increasingly knotty narrative inevitably collapses, revealing the complexity of domestic life and echoing Eliot's preconceptions with existentialism.
2015 revival: Print Room winter season
Having worked at the Donmar and brought Richard Bean's The Mentalists to the West End, Up-and-coming director Abbey Wright is a competent pair of hands for this long overdue Eliot revival. We are particularly interested to see how this production of The Cocktail Party makes use of the stage space: it will be the first production to be staged in the newly revamped main auditorium of the Print Room's new Coronet home.
Plus, for an extra shot of authenticity, the stalls area will be transformed into a 1950s style cocktail bar, so audiences can enjoy their own cocktail party in the interval.
| What | The Cocktail Party, The Print Room Theatre |
| Where | The Coronet Theatre, Print Room, 103 Notting Hill Gate, London, W11 3LB | MAP |
| Nearest tube | Notting Hill Gate (underground) |
| When |
10 Sep 15 – 10 Oct 15, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM |
| Price | £10 - £25 |
| Website | Click here to book via the Print Room |
