First look rehearsal images are released for Mercury Theatre Colchester and the Barn Theatre in Cirencester’s English premiere production of David Greig and Gordon McIntyre’s play with songs Midsummer. The production marks the first co-production between the two venues.
Penned by award-winning playwright, David Greig, and composed by songwriter, Gordon McIntyre, Midsummer is a rose-tinted musical rom-com that provides a fast-paced, funny look at love, life, and the ache of aging. The co-production will run from 3-18 May in Colchester and 22 May – 22 June in Cirencester.
One Midsummer night in Edinburgh, two ill-matched thirty-somethings – a high-powered, hard-drinking lawyer called Helena, who’s stuck in a dead-end affair with a married man, and a small-time crook called Bob – collide with one another for one short night of wild abandon, with hilarious consequences. It’s an unlikely coupling as both are all too aware, but it’s Midsummer and anything can happen…
The Mercury’s creative director Ryan McBryde (Baskerville, The Comedy of Errors) will direct the riotously funny, touchingly romantic 90-minute tour d’amour in all its drunken, heartfelt glory.
The cast of Midsummer will be Ross Carswell (Girl From The North Country – UK Tour) as Bob, Karen Young (Kidnapped – National Theatre of Scotland) as Helena, Will Arundell (Kinky Boots – New Wolsey Theatre & Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch) as Narrator 1 and Laura Andresen Guimarães (Unbelievable – Mercury Theatre & West End) as Narrator 2.
Joining McBryde on the creative team is Libby Todd as Designer, Paul Herbert as Musical Director, Rory Beaton as Lighting Designer, Mark Melville as Sound Designer, Chihiro Kawasaki as Movement Director, Natalie Gallacher for Pippa Ailion Casting as Casting Director and Chani Merrell as Assistant Director.
McBryde said of the show, “David Greig is one of our most exciting writers and we’re delighted to be sharing his and Gordon McIntyre’s multi award winning romantic comedy with our audiences. Full of laughs and tinged with hope, this play with songs is an inventive, laugh out loud, love-song to everyone who has ever felt stuck in a rut: reminding us that no matter how repetitive, dull, or hopeless our lives might seem, change is always possible.”
Iwan Lewis, CEO & Artistic Director, Barn Theatre said, “In today’s world, it’s crucial for theatres to adapt and seek innovative approaches to their productions. For a small, independent theatre like the Barn, which harbours large aspirations yet operates without subsidies, finding the right partners can prove challenging. With the Mercury, we’ve discovered an incredibly inspiring ally. They not only share our vision but have also broadened our horizons, showing us what’s possible at the next level. ‘Midsummer,’ is a musical comedy that I’ve hoped to stage for many years and is the perfect production for our first collaboration.”
Tickets can be bought at www.mercurytheatre.co.uk and www.barntheatre.org.uk.
