| Le Gateau Chocolat, Neil Hamburger and Gemma Whelan to make guest appearances in The Boss of It All The streaming of the Lars von Trier adaptation stars Josie Lawrence in the title role Neil Hamburger, Gemma Whelan, Gerry Howell, Natalie Palamides, Anuvab Pal and Le Gateau Chocolat will make guest appearances in the final scene Streamed by Soho Theatre for five performances from 18th – 20th September |
“Sharp and smart” **** The Stage
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Acclaimed comedians and performers from around the world have been confirmed to join the cast of Lars von Trier’s The Boss of It All when it livestreams 18th – 20th. The film has been adapted for Zoom, updating the office comedy to a work from home set up, by New Perspectives Artistic Director Jack McNamara based on his previous stage version. For every performance a different special guest will Zoom in live from their homes, ranging from London, Los Angeles and Mumbai, to play the enigmatic Icelandic boss Finnur in the final scene.
The opening performance on 18th September will feature international cabaret sensation, Le Gateau Chocolat, followed by Indian comedian Anuvab Pal and America’s $1 Funnyman Neil Hamburger on the 19th at 4pm and 8pm respectively. Game of Thrones star Gemma Whelan will be performing alongside her husband, comedian Gerry Howell, for the 4pm show the 20th, and finally the evening show that day will feature Los Angeles based clown and comedian Natalie Palamides (Nate).
They join an already stellar cast including Josie Lawrence, Jamie De Courcey, Ross Armstrong, Rachel Summers, David Alade, Angela Bain and Japanese comedian Yuriko Kotani.
Artistic Director Jack McNamara said, “We wanted to give our live audiences a real treat with a special guest who appeared just for them. These are some of the most inventive, beautifully off-the-wall people in contemporary comedy and performance and it is a serious thrill to have them on board with this production. They will each add such a distinctive flavor to the show they appear in, making each performance a one of a kind for the audience. I cannot wait to see my own script pulled in a wholly unexpected directions by each guest!”
The office comedy drama was originally presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013 to widespread critical acclaim before transferring to Soho Theatre. In 2020 the office setting has now become a remote working set up, with the action taking place via a series of Zoom meetings.
For years the boss of an IT company has tricked his staff into believing he is simply another co-worker. So when he needs a ‘real’ boss to help close the deal of a lifetime, he hires an actor to play the role. What could possibly go wrong? Marking one of Lars von Trier’s rare forays into comedy, this distinctive and eccentric exploration of office politics has been rewritten for the stage by Jack McNamara following its hit premiere seven years ago. The play has since been performed around the world
New Perspectives is an East Midlands based company with over 40 years’ experience of touring high-quality productions to venues of all sizes across the UK, from mid-scale theatres to village halls. With a strong rural core, they create productions to fit spaces of any size in order to bring new work that is unexpected and thought-provoking to a wide range of audiences. Since 2012, New Perspectives has been led by Artistic Director Jack McNamara whose productions include The Boss of It All by Lars von Trier (Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh and Soho Theatre), The Lovesong of Alfred J Hitchcock by David Rudkin (Brits off Broadway, New York and UK tour), Darkness, Darkness (Nottingham Playhouse co-production) and the Stage Award winning The Fishermen by Gbolohan Obisesan (Trafalgar Studios, Assembly George Square Studios and UK Tour). Their podcast series PlacePrints is currently available, and their postcard drama Love From Cleethorpes is available again from October.
Soho Theatre is London’s most vibrant producer for new theatre, comedy and cabaret. We pursue creative excellence, harnessing an artistic spirit that is based in our new writing roots, the radical ethos of the fringe and the traditions of punk culture and queer performance. We champion voices that challenge from outside of the mainstream, and sometimes from within it too. We value entertainment, accessibility and enjoy a good show. We are a registered charity and social enterprise and our audiences are diverse in age, background and outlook.
Ordinarily our work plays to live audiences of 250,000 audiences a year in our Dean Street venue, at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond. Since our temporary closure due to Covid-19 we have re-launched our online platform Soho Theatre On Demand, which hosted the phenomenally successful live recording of Fleabag. We are also working towards the opening of an exciting second venue, a “local theatre with a national profile” in Walthamstow, currently slated to open in 2022.
Soho Theatre’s board is chaired by Dame Heather Rabbatts DBE and the company is led by Executive Director Mark Godfrey and Creative Director David Luff.
sohotheatre.com | sohotheatreondemand.com | @sohotheatre
Company Inforrmation
Director Jack McNamara Design Consultant Lily Arnold
Digital Consultancy TECH:SQUAD Digital Producer Darius Powell
Technical Delivery Officer Adam Crowther Stage Manager Oran O’Neill
Cast
Kristina Josie Lawrence Ravn Ross Armstrong
PA David Alade Gorm Angela Bain Lise Rachel Summers
Mette Yuriko Kotani Spencer Jamie de Courcey The Voice Tone Haldrup Lorenzen
Listings information
18 – 20 September
Friday 18 September at 8pm
Saturday 19 September at 4pm and 8pm
Sunday 20 September at 4pm and 8pm
Tickets from £8 – £15 | sohotheatre.com
A New Perspectives and Soho Theatre co-production in association with Derby QUAD. Presented by arrangement with Nordiska ApS, Copenhagen. New Perspectives is supported using public funding from Arts Council England, Lottery Funded.