West End to play in Box (From Stroud News and Journal)

West End to play in Box

THE village hall in Box, near Minchinhampton, will next month be the smallest venue by far on a national tour of a West End production.

An Elegant Madness, which had rave reviews at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London's West End, comes to Box on May 25 and 26.

Charting the decline and fall of Beau Brumell, this is the latest play by Ron Hutchinson, a past writer in residence at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and an Emmy Award-winning screen writer whose work includes Fatherland (with Miranda Richardson), Murderers Among Us (with Ben Kingsley) and The Heist (with Bierce Brosnan).

Beau Brummell was a great English dandie, notorious for regularly having his manservant re-tie his stock 23 separate times until it was perfect, with each of the rejected stocks having to be freshly laundsered and starched.

The play co-stars Sean Brosnan who has worked with Robert Powell, Lisa Goddard and Martin Jarvis. He appears in this production with Richard Latham, who provides the connection with Box Village Hall.

In 1985 Richard gave up a successful West End theatre career when he and his wife Patty moved to the Stroud area to bring up their son and run holidays for children with severe learning difficulties.

While in the West End and touring productions he appeared with such notable actors as Alastair Sim, Richard Briers, Derek Jacobi and Michael Crawford. He returned to the West End last year.

He is very excited to be able to bring this production to Box, a rare opportunity to see a West End-quality production in such intimate surroundings and so close to home. The production runs on Thursday and Friday, May 25 and 26 with a matinee on the Friday.

Tickets from 01453 885231.