Charley's Aunt
a farce by Brandon Thomas
Directed by John Cummings
- Charles Wykeham - Kevin Kay.
- Jack Chesney - Rob Hartley.
- Lord Fancourt Babberley - James Bateman.
- Brassett - Steve Grist
- Colonel Sir Francis Chesney - Peter Allen.
- Stephen Spettigue - Alan Bailey.
- Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez - Lynne Cummings.
- Kitty Verdun - Jessica Cummings.
- Amy Spettigue - Laura Yates.
- Ela Delahay - Leigh Palfreeman.
Production Team.
- Director - John Cummings.
- Assistant Director - Howard Rogers.
- Producer - David Baxter.
- Stage Manager - Martin Chadwick.
- Wardrobe - Anne Dunlop, Frances Singleton.
- Props - Kath Riley and team.
- Sound and Lighting - Richard I’Anson.
- Set design - John Cummings.
- Scenic Artist - Noreen Lobo.
- Set Construction - Martin Chadwick, David Baxter and the Garrick team.
- Publicity - Lynne Atkinson and Team.
- Front of house - David Baxter and team.
- Programme - David Lewis.
- Prompt - Karen Wood
Director's notes:
Jack's madly in love with Kitty - worse than anything he ever took up - even cricket! Charley's similarly 'gone' on Amy. In fact they're both regularly nonplussed! Worse still, the girls are off to Scotland, they're soon to be 'gone down' from college and the boys could lose their chance forever...
Hope springs eternal, however, and the imminent arrival of Charley's aunt - Donna Lucia from Brazil - seems to provide the ideal chaperone to enable them to pursue their romantic intentions. Nothing could go wrong could it? They have reckoned, however, without the capricious nature of the female of the species, and the unpredictable interventions of their eccentric friend Fancourt Babberley!
Brandon Thomas's perennial classic was first performed over a hundred years ago when it broke all records with an original run of 1466 performances. It has subsequently been translated into numerous languages - at one time running simultaneously in 48 theatres in 22 different languages! - and today continues to be performed regularly throughout the world.
About the author Brandon Thomas
Brandon Thomas (1850-1914) was born Walter Brandon Thomas on 24th December, 1850, in Liverpool. He started his career as a journalist but then made money writing and performing in Music Halls.
He made his London debut as an actor in 1879 and was a prominent member of the Hare/Kendall Company and, among other things, he starred in the 1895 revival of The Rivals.
It was in 1892 that he wrote what was to be his most famous play, Charley's Aunt.