Amanda Osbourne, Seeta Indrani, Stefania Licari, Pedro Casarin, Charlotte Laporte, Luna Dai, Toph Enany and Jessica Hulme have been cast in celebrated French dramatist Jean Anouilh’s comedy The Orchestra.
The eight-strong multi-national cast will be directed by multi-award-winning director, Tamasha Theatre co-founder and artistic director of 22 years Kristine Landon-Smith. The creative team also includes Felix Cross who has written, composed or directed over 150 productions.
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A third-rate orchestra in a small French spa town play time worn musical arrangements to an indifferent audience. In between the musical interludes, idle chit chat reveals the power struggles that lurk behind the ensemble’s shiny veneer. As the overture descends into an intoxicating symphony of piercing jealousy, bizarre gossip and thwarted emotions, the musicians reach an unexpected finale – but the music goes jauntily on…
Fizzing comedy and catastrophe collide in this story set just after the second world war exploring the corruption of human relationships and the jealousies aroused between a single male piano player amongst an all-female orchestra.
Kristine Landon-Smith said: “Many many years ago I saw a production of The Orchestra at The Kings Head in Islington. I had never seen anything quite like it: a play set in France just after the war where the musicians between arrangements try to work out who had “collaborated”. Understated yet pricelessly funny, I knew I wanted to direct this classic gem. Ten years ago I did just that and fast forward another ten years and I am drawn again to this quick witted and poignant play in an excellent translation by Jeremy Sams.“
The Orchestra is at Omnibus Theatre 29th January to 17th February 2019.
