The Circle
Presented by Chichester Festival Theatre and Duncan C Weldon
By W Somerset Maugham
Directed by Jonathan Church
Monday 15th September – Saturday 20th September
Starring Susan Hampshire
With Bertie Carvel, Anna Farnworth, Richard Lintern, Jack Power, Adam Redmayne, Philip Voss, Charity Wakefield and David Yelland
Dorset, 1921: thirty years ago, Lady Kitty abandoned her husband and young son to run away with politician Lord Porteous, the man she loved. Now Kitty returns from exile in Italy, worn down by age but clinging to her glamorous past. At the family reunion, she discovers that her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, is confronting the same dilemma. Will events come full circle, with the new love triangle mirroring the past, or will lessons be learned to steer a different path?
In this elegant and entertaining social satire, Somerset Maugham explores the conflict between romance and responsibility with his characteristically shrewd understanding of human nature.
Susan Hampshire, one of Britain’s best-loved actresses, plays Lady Kitty. Her theatre credits include The King and I, Relative Values and Lady in the Van. Her work on television includes, most recently, Monarch of the Glen as well as The Forsyte Saga, Vanity Fair, The First Churchills, The Pallisers and The Barchester Chronicles.
Charity Wakefield was recently seen in the BBC productions of Sense and Sensibility, Casualty 1907 and Rapunzel in which she played a young tennis star. Richard Lintern’s films include Jinnah and The Bank Job and he is well-known for the role of Ben Norton in Heartbeat. David Yelland’s numerous credits include Chariots of Fire and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Philip Voss is well-known to Bath audiences for his roles in the Peter Hall Season productions.
Somerset Maugham’s plays include The Letter and The Constant Wife; his novels include Of Human Bondage and The Moon and Sixpence.
Director Jonathan Church is the Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre. His recent productions include The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and Hobson’s Choice, both of which played the Theatre Royal to huge acclaim.
| 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 |
| Wednesday Matinee | £14.00 | £19.50 | £21.00 | £25.50 | £26.50 |
Performance Times
Monday – Wednesday: 7.30pm
Thursday – Saturday: 8.00pm
Matinees Wednesday and Saturday: 2.30pm
Described Performance: Wednesday 2.30pm
