The Browning Version
By Terence Rattigan
BATH THEATRE ROYAL & UK TOUR
Summer, 1954. The atmosphere at The Beauregard Private Hotel, Bournemouth, is marked by a blend of repressed emotions and post-war gentility. Each of the staff and guests has their own reason for seeking the solace of quiet anonymity, but trying to hide from the social and cultural change sweeping over the country is proving impossible.
Meanwhile, in the heart of the Midlands, the end of the school term brings to a climax the intrigues, deceptions and lies in the lives of its teachers. The ensuing implosion of classicist Andrew Crocker Harris’s career triggers the collapse of his marriage.
Britain is changing. Nothing will ever be the same again.
Terence Rattigan’s one act masterpieces ‘Table Number Seven’ (from Separate Tables) and ‘The Browning Version’ are paired for the first time, capturing one quietly momentous evening seventy years ago. Together, they confirm Rattigan as one of the great twentieth century chroniclers of the paradoxes of the human heart.
Set and Costume Designer: Mike Britton
Lighting Designer: Charlfes Balfour
Associate Director: Sarah Stacey
Composer: Valgeir Sigurðsson
Sound Designer: Bella Kear
Movement Director: Arielle Smith
Voice and Dialect: Charmian Hoare
Fight Director: Maisie Carter
Casting Director: Ginny Schiller
Cast:Nathaniel Parker, Siân Philipps, Lolita Chakrabarti, Alexandra Dowling, Angela Jones, Jeremy Neumark Jones, Simon Coates, Richenda Carey, Kishore Walker, Pamela Miles, Fiona Tong, Rosalind Lailey, Bertie Hawes, Hugh Osborne, Claire Carpenter.
★★★★ “Dacre’s Summer 1954 delivers thought-provoking plays for today.” The Observer
★★★★ “Vivid characterisations, witty dialogue and deep-dives into the vagaries of the human heart.” The Telegraph
★★★★ “A quietly devastating portrait… a rewarding snapshot of the mores and hypocrisies of a lost era.” The Times
★★★★ “exquisitely crafted object lessons in conciseness, full of subtlety and compassion, packing a world of drama into an hour each side of the interval.” Plays International & Europe
★★★★ “Featuring excellent performances from a strong cast, Summer 1954 effectively displays Rattigan’s many qualities as one of our finest dramatists.” Stage Talk
★★★★ “Two wonderful one-act plays make for a timely revival of Rattigan’s oeuvre and a much-needed historical appreciation of what the 1950s was really like.” London Theatre