Written as a vehicle for Coward's own acting talents alongside his frequent stage partner Gertrude Lawrence, Tonight at 8:30 is Coward's ambitious series of one-act plays, which saw him breathe new life into the one-act form. First presented in Manchester in 1935, the plays perfectly showcase Coward's talents as a playwright, providing a sparkling, fast-paced and remarkably varied selection of theatrical gems.
We are delighted to present three plays from the original ten including: Ways and Means, which offers a comic reflection on the antics of the idle rich whilst holidaying in Cannes; the wonderfully light and highly amusing spoof on Victorian family traditions Family Album; and the much celebrated Still Life with its moving portrait of forbidden love amongst England's middle classes in the 1940s. This last play was famously transferred to film as Brief Encounter in 1945.
Ways and Means
Stella Cartwright - Sarah Allen
Toby Cartwright - Joel Davidge
Olive Lloyd-Ransome - Ottilie Mackintosh
Lord Chapworth (Chaps) - Ethan Holmes
Nanny - Louise Bloor
Murdoch - Rory Thomas
Stevens - Assad Zaman
Princess Elena Krassiloff - Georgia Neville
Goston - Max Henry-Walsh
Family Album
Jasper Featherways - Rory Thomas
Jane, his wife - Hayley Gowland
Lavinia Featherways - Emma Romy-Jones
Richard Featherways - Max Henry-Walsh
Harriet Winter - Georgia Neville
Charles Winter - Tom Sparkes
Emily Valance - Bethan Caddick
Edward Valance - Simon Jenkins
Burrows - Ethan Holmes
Still Life
Laura Jesson - Mabel Wright
Myrtle Bagot - Charlotte Jacobs
Beryl Waters - Emma Romy-Jones
Stanley - Joel Davidge
Albert Godby - Tom Sparkes
Alec Harvey - Simon Jenkins
Bill - Assad Zaman
Johnnie - Ethan Holmes
Mildred - Bethan Caddick
Dolly Messiters - Hayley Gowland
Young Man - Max Henry-Walsh
Designer: Olivia Du Monceau