Australian diving star Matthew Mitcham – the first openly gay athlete to win an Olympic Gold Medal – will make his UK acting debut in Strangers in Between at the Golden Goose Theatre.
Strangers in Between, a captivating Australian classic from Tommy Murphy, is an unflinching look at the highs and lows of growing up gay in modern Australia, bursting with laugh-out-loud one liners, simmering sexual tension and heartfelt confessions.Joining Matthew Mitcham in the cast are Stephen Connery-Brown and Alex Ansdell.Fleeing his family in regional Goulburn, Shane finds himself in Sydney’s Kings Cross district.Attempting to build a surrogate family in the city, he confuses the two families. The city lover he worships morphs into the brother he fears. Meanwhile Peter, an older man who is dealing with the imminent death of his elderly mother, is himself rendered maternal by the needs of runaway Shane.
Matthew Mitcham (Ben/Will) is a retired Australian diver and trampolinist, born in Brisbane. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Matthew executed a two-and-one-half somersault with two-and-one-half twists in the pike position for his final dive, scoring four 10s, giving him not only the highest score on a single dive ever, but the gold medal – the first openly gay athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. He wrote his autobiography, ‘Twists and Turns’, in 2012, adapting it into a cabaret show, that toured Australia to great reviews (the Australian Stage said he was “a born performer who soon has the audience eating out of his hand. …an utterly charming character”). Matthew was in the TV series ‘The Pool’, and came second on the Australian version of ‘Dancing With the Stars’. He was also in the film ‘We All Lie My Darlings’.Stephen Connery-Brown (Peter) was born and raised in Sydney. This is Stephen’s fourth time playing Peter in ‘Strangers in Between’ (King’s Head Theatre/Trafalgar Studios 2). His other roles include Dad in ‘The Sum of Us’ (Above the Stag), Henry Higgins in ‘Pygmalion’ and ‘Scrooge’ in ‘A Christmas Carol’(both European tours).Alex Ansdell (Shane) is making his professional debut.Creative team includes:Director Adam Spreadbury-MaherDesigner David ShieldsProduced by LAMBCO ProductionsStrangers in Between was awarded the prestigious Best Play Award at the New South Wales Premiere’s Literary Awards. It made its debut at the renowned Griffin Theatre Company in Sydney, where it broke box office records. It received its critically acclaimed UK premiere at the King’s Head Theatre in 2016, also directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher.
Strangers in Between is at The Golden Goose Theatre Tuesday 19 September to Saturday 7 October
