Harold Pinter's play, The Birthday Party, has divided opinion ever since it opened in London in 1958. Warmly received on its pre-London tour, it was panned by critics and closed after just eight performances.  But a positive review in the Sunday Times restored its reputation and it went on to become a modern classic.

Now it's about to return to the stage at the Apollo for the first time in over 40 years.

The play is about Stanley Webber, a piano player who lives in a shabby boarding house run by Meg and Petey Boles, in an English seaside town, ‘probably on the south coast, not too far from London’.  Meg organises a birthday party for Stanley, but two sinister strangers, Goldberg and McCann, who appear to have come looking for him, turn the birthday party into a nightmare. 

The cast includes John Hannam theatre award winner, Ellie Warren, who is making her Apollo debut.  By contrast, Colin Ford first played McCann in the original Apollo production  in 1974 and is in this role again, being directed by his wife, Marylyn Ford, who said: "This play combines the comedy of everyday life with mystery and menace, and the Apollo's intimate atmosphere is the perfect setting."

The cast also features Simon Cardew, Sue Edwards, Pete Harris and Michael Arnell. 

The Birthday Party runs from Friday April 1st and Saturday 2nd April, then from Tuesday 4th to Saturday 9th.

For more details and to book online, go to http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/the-birthday-party/

Picture caption:  Left to right, standing: Michael Arnell and Colin Ford, in rehearsal with Pete Harris (seated).

The Rule of Three....

It's an old saying that everything happens in threes, and this has certainly proved true for the current Apollo production of The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter.

Shortly after casting, one member unfortunately had to turn down the offer of a role; then sadly Joe Plumb fell ill and had to relinquish the role of Stanley; now we have to report illness has also meant Rod Jones has had to step down as Petey, meaning three roles have had to be re-cast during the production. All for very good reasons, but a potential headache for the director, Marylyn Ford.

Thankfully, all the parts have been taken up by experienced and very talented actors, so the old adage that 'the show must go on' has remained true: the Apollo Players would like to welcome Simon Cardew to the role of Petey and thank him for stepping in at such short notice.

So if you do see him on stage with a script as a 'comfort blanket', please bear in mind that he has joined the show with two weeks to go before opening night! And if he is word perfect, he will deserve a huge accolade!

The teamwork and mutual support:onstage, backstage and front of house is a wonderful feature of the Apollo Theatre - it's one of the reasons why we enjoy being members. Another reason is that we can all participate in putting together a truly entertaining evening for our audiences.

So, on with the show - all we need now are audience members to come and enjoy the fruits of our labour: seats are being snapped up rapidly so with less than two weeks to go, make sure that you secure your tickets here:

http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/the-birthday-party/

The Birthday Party runs from 1 - 9 April. See you there!

Simon Cardew (right) as Petey, with Sue Edwards as Meg and Pete Harris as Stanley.
Picture courtesy of Paul Jennings

The Birthday Party at The Apollo

The Birthday Party  was first performed in Cambridge on 28 April 1958, and it’s pre-London tour also included Oxford and Wolverhampton. Although it received excellent reviews at all these places, its first London season, at the Lyric, Hammersmith, closed after only eight performances, in the wake of poor reviews and low box offices. Perhaps audiences were not ready for such a play in those days!

However, a ‘rave review’ published in the Sunday Times after its closure thankfully rescued ‘The Birthday Party’ from oblivion, and it has gone on to become a classic. Its fiftieth anniversary in 2008 was celebrated with a revival season at The Lyric – this time to packed houses!

The play is about Stanley Webber, who lives in a seedy seaside boarding house ‘probably on the south coast’ (so not too far from the Isle of Wight!). The boarding house is run by Meg and Petey Boles, who are preparing to celebrate Stanley’s birthday when two mysterious strangers, Goldberg and McCann, turn up, apparently looking for him, and turning the day into a nightmare as everything is questioned.

 Is it really Stanley’s Birthday?

Who are these strangers?

Are Meg and Petey really running a boarding house?

The ambiguity and contradictions invite the audience to question the relationship between past and present; truth and lies, and what humans can do to other humans.

Here is your chance to see a world-acclaimed, thought-provoking and entertaining theatre classic at the Apollo Theatre from April 1 – 9. Don’t miss it.

Further information and booking here: http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/the-birthday-party/

The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter 1st to 9th April

   Thoughts from the Director,  Marylyn Ford

Directing a play at the Apollo Theatre, the National Theatre of the Isle of Wight, is like riding on a tumbrel to the guillotine:  slow but inexorable, no going back. 

Rotten eggs are thrown by the production crew, usually because the director hasn't made her/his intentions clear, with no changes. 

Squashed tomatoes hurled by the cast find their mark. especially at that point in rehearsals when there's no more time for meandering discussions of character or motivation, or the set/costume is thought to be "wrong". 

Mme. Defarge awaits, knitting up hubris. 

To quote Sydney Carton, aka the Scarlet Pimpernel, I can only say, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done;  it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known." 

Or, mine's a small Chardonnay, chilled.


(Apologies to Charles Dickens)


The set is being built as we speak....photo courtesy of Paul Jennings.