Born in the Gardens
A Comedy by Peter Nichols
Director Stephen Unwin
Set Designer John Gunter
Lighting Designer Peter Mumford
Sound Designer Gregory Clarke
Costume Designer Mark Bouman
Tuesday July 15th – Saturday August 9th
Starring Stephanie Cole, Simon Shepherd, Allan Corduner and Miranda Foster
Maud and her son Mo live in a decaying mock-Tudor house in Bristol. She chats to people on the telly, he converses with the cat and both share a penchant for bizarre cocktails, tinned food and keeping the past alive.
When older son, Hedley and Mo’s twin, Queenie, return for their father’s funeral, they try to persuade Maud and Mo that the time is ripe to escape the confines of their crumbling home – but not everyone wants freedom when it’s offered…
Peter Nichols’s comedy was originally commissioned by Bristol Old Vic to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 1979. Gleefully observant, hilarious throughout and quintessentially English, Born in the Gardens is set incontrovertibly in Bristol where Alfred the gorilla is a hero, Bright’s has become Dingle’s and Maud is struggling to master the Michael wave!
Stephanie Cole
With her roots firmly in the city, the part of Maud might have been written for Stephanie Cole. She has previously starred in Peter Nichols’s So Long Life in addition to leading theatre roles in A Passionate Woman, Quartet, Blithe Spirit and Noises Off. Her diverse television roles include Tenko, Keeping Mum and Waiting For God for which she won Best Actress in the British Comedy Awards.
Simon Shepherd’s many credits include ITV’s Peak Practice and the West End productions of The Secret Rapture and Art.
Bristol-born Peter Nichols is the author of some of the greatest British plays of recent years including A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Privates on Parade, The National Health and Passion Play.
Director Stephen Unwin was, for fifteen years, artistic director of English Touring Theatre.
| Mon–Fri Evenings & Sat Matinee | £15.50 | £21.00 | £23.00 | £26.00 | £28.00 |
| Saturday Evening | £18.00 | £22.00 | £24.00 | £27.00 | £30.00 |
| Midweek Matinees & Sat 11am | £14.00 | £19.50 | £21.50 | £25.50 | £26.50 |
Performance Times
please see The Peter Hall Company 2008 for performance times
Described Performance: Tuesday 5 August 2.30pm
Signed Performance: Wednesday 30 July 2.30pm
Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes, including interval