Park Theatre announces Virginia Gay’s Cyrano as Christmas show
The gender-flipped Cyrano plays at Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the Traverse Theatre before coming to Park Theatre
The north London venue has also announced Ali Smith novel adaptation Autumn as part of their coming season, and further Park Laughs show from Gabby Bryan
X (Twitter): @ParkTheatre | www.parktheatre.co.uk
Park Theatre has announced its Park200 Christmas show will be Cyrano by Virginia Gay, which plays at the Traverse Theatre as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe before coming to the north London venue. The gender-flipped show sees Virginia as Cyrano as she falls for the brilliant and beautiful Roxanne, and plays in Park200 from 11 Dec – 11 Jan. Adding to their next season, Park Theatre is also announcing Autumn by Seasonal Productions, and Gabby Bryan will be part of their ongoing comedy programme Park Laughs.
Cyrano (11 Dec – 11 Jan) is Virginia Gay’s joyous, gender-flipped retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac, a big-hearted, irreverent rom-com, packed with music and wit. Cyrano is the most interesting person in any room – a wordsmith, a charmer. She works twice as hard and runs twice as fast as the pretty boys, because she’s deeply ashamed of something about herself. Enter Roxanne, with a penchant for poetry and a way with words, just like Cyrano, but with eyes only for Yan, who suddenly starts saying the most amazing things…
Based on the novel by Ali Smith, Autumn (16 Oct – 2 Nov) is set in summer 2016, when Britain has voted to leave the European Union, Elisabeth has returned home to the village she grew up in, and her elderly former next-door neighbour Daniel won’t wake up. New fences are going up, the library is closed, and elsewhere the sleeping Daniel Gluck dreams – of his long-lost little sister, of Christine Keeler; of art, poetry and music. As the divides between people become ever starker, Autumn finds connections across time and experience, and the resilience of the most unlikely of love stories.
And Gabby Bryan is joining the Park Laughs comedy programme on 30 Aug. Direct from New York (via Edinburgh Fringe), she is bringing her headlining stand-up comedy act for you, and only you, alongside global girlies Stef Dag and Chris Hall. Drink 1.5 espresso martinis before entering… and dress hot.
Park Theatre presents exceptional theatre in the heart of Finsbury Park, boasting two world-class performance spaces: Park200 for predominantly larger scale productions by established talent, and Park90, a flexible studio space, for emerging artists. In eleven years, it has enjoyed eight West End transfers (including Rose starring Maureen Lipman, The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss, Pressure starring David Haig and The Life I Lead starring Miles Jupp), two National Theatre transfers, 14 national tours, seven Olivier Award nominations, has won multiple OffWestEnd Offie Awards and won a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage.
Listings information
Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP
www.parktheatre.co.uk | 020 7870 6876*
* Telephone booking fee of £3 per transaction applies. All ticket prices are inclusive of a £1.50 building levy.
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Park200 Fri 30 Aug
Gabby Bryan | Presented by WIZARD Live in association with Park Theatre
Gabby Bryan is your best friend. Direct from New York (via Edinburgh Fringe), she is bringing her headlining stand up comedy act for you, and only you, alongside global girlies Stef Dag and Chris Hall. Drink 1.5 espresso martinis before entering… and dress hot.
Gabby Bryan is a New York based stand-up comedian, actress, Emmy award winning producer and documentarian. She has acted in Life, Itself on Amazon Prime alongside Olivia Wilde and Oscar Isaac, Ruta Viva a bilingual film on HBO and featured in Comedy on Earth Ilana Glazer’s special on Comedy Central.
She co-hosts the podcasts L’Podcast and Let Me Ask My Dad which have built global audiences and consistently rank in the Top 40 Comedy Charts.
Gabby has built an audience of over 300K followers across her social media platforms and tours the world doing stand-up style comedy. In the UK, she has appeared on Have A Word Podcast, 16 Degrees with Jamie and Spencer on the BBC and is a regular at Top Secret Comedy Club & The Bill Murray.
She is a featured regular on the 2024 series of ITV’s Stand Up Sketch Show.
Running Time: 90 mins (inc interval)
Fri 30 Aug, 9.30pm | Standard Price: £20 (Access Price: 50% off up to two tickets)
Park200 4 Sept – 5 Oct |
23.5 Hours | Presented by Blue Touch Paper Productions and OPM Productions in association with Park Theatre
European Premiere
Written by Carey Crim | Directed by Katharine Farmer
Leigh Hodges, wife of a once-beloved high school teacher, finds herself thrust into the turbulent aftermath of her husband’s imprisonment. Standing by him amidst doubt and scrutiny, Leigh navigates the ultimate test of love, truth, and loyalty. Each revelation forces her to re-evaluate their life together while she struggles to shield their son Nicholas.
As family bonds strain and secrets unravel, this gripping drama explores the profound impact of a conviction for sexual misconduct and how it impacts their lives, close friends, and wider community. With its thrilling exploration of the collateral damage of past and present actions, 23.5 Hours delves deep into the complexities of trust, family dynamics, and the pursuit of justice.
Running time 2hrs 10min inc interval
Captioned Thu 24 Sep 19.30 | Audio Described Sat 28 Sep 15.00 with a touch tour at 14.00 | Parents and Babies performance Thursday 3 October 11am
Mon – Sat 7.30pm, matinees Thu and Sat 3pm I £47.50 – £22.50 (standard), £26.50 – £20 (65+ Mon eve and Thu mat), £17.50 (access), £10 (Park Up 16-26 years Band C throughout the run) I Previews 4 – 6 Sept, £15 – £29.50
Park90 18 Sept – 12 Oct |
Ostan | Talking Shop Productions in association with Park Theatre
World Premiere
Written by Arzhang Pezhman | Directed by Gaby Dellal
Rebin has been stuck in the UK immigration system for almost a decade, which has given him plenty of time to get into a routine.
Work.
Play.
Apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.
Repeat.
Work is the local hand carwash, under the nurturing eye of the manager, Destan, an Iranian-Kurd. The Iranian bit helps because the owner, Shapur, is very proud of his Persian roots.
Play is online gaming with friend Noah, a truck driver and loyal customer of the carwash. Though maybe not so loyal on the virtual battlefield.
Indefinite Leave to Remain is Gorkem. New worker, fresh off the boat. A Turkish-Kurd who claims to be the grandson of the Kurdish ‘freedom fighter’, Apo Ocalan.
Rebin, an Iraqi-Kurd with no safe passage home, just sees history repeating itself. While he stays true to his story and stuck in the system, he’s seen half a dozen like Gorkem make their way through the carwash, claiming ‘heroic’ tales of escape, securing indefinite leave to remain and moving on with their lives.
Rebin has heard it all before.
That is until the boss, Shapur, proposes using the struggling business as a front for a human trafficking enterprise. Smuggling immigrants into the country in the boots of the carwash client’s cars.
Rebin’s routine is about to be shattered. Indefinitely.
Running time 90 mins (approx.)
Audio Described Fri 4 Oct 19.45, with touch tour at 18.45 & Sat 5 Oct 15.15, with touch tour at 14.15
Captioned Thu 10 Oct 19.45 (English and Sorani), Fri 11 Oct 19.45 (English and Kurmanji) & Sat 12 Oct 15.15 (English and Farsi)
Mon – Sat 7.45pm, 3.15pm matinees Thu & Sat | £25 – £15 standard, £9 (access), £10 (Park Up 16-26 years, throughout the run I Previews 18 – 21 Sept (£15)
Park200 11 Oct – 7 Dec
The Forsyte Saga: Parts 1 and 2 | Presented by Ashley Cook for Troupe in association with Park Theatre
World Premiere
By John Galsworthy
Adapted by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan | Directed by Josh Roche
‘’Now I know what Soames did, what my father did, I will never be able to not know it.’’
London, 1886. Wealthy solicitor Soames Forsyte is a man of property, and his beautiful wife Irene is his most prized possession. When he commissions an architect to build him a house in which to keep her, the cracks in their marriage finally begin to show, until something happens so shocking that it tears the Forsyte family apart. Years later, Soames’ daughter Fleur is haunted by the family secret when history begins to repeat itself…
John Galsworthy’s classic story The Forsyte Saga (famously adapted for television and recently for BBC Radio 4) is newly dramatized for the stage in two parts by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan, bringing the unheard female voices to the fore for the first time. Spanning 40 years from the last gasp of the Victorian age to the beginning of the roaring 1920s, this is an epic tale of sex, money and power.
The Forsyte Saga Part 1: Irene and The Forsyte Saga Part 2: Fleur play across alternate nights and run consecutively on matinee days, featuring a cast of nine in a stylish period production.
Running time Part 1: 2hr 20 min including interval | Part 2: 2hrs 20 mins including interval
Captioned performances (Part 1 & 2) Saturday 26 October | Audio described performances (Part 1 & 2) Saturday 2 November
Mon – Sat 7.30pm, matinees Thu and Sat 3pm I £47.50 – £22.50 (standard), £26.50 – £20 (65+ Mon eve and Thu mat), £17.50 (access), £10 (Park Up 16-26 years Band C throughout the run) I Previews 11 – 18 Oct, £15 – £29.50
Book for both parts together and save 10%*. The two parts of The Forsyte Saga are separate and intended to be seen sequentially. However, each part constitutes a complete theatre-going experience on its own.
Please see website for Part 1 and Part 2 schedule
Park90 16 Oct – 2 Nov |
Autumn | Presented by Seasonal Productions in association with Park Theatre
Based on the novel by Ali Smith | Adapted by Harry McDonald | Directed by Charlotte Vickers
“Whoever makes up a story makes up a world, so you should always try and welcome people into the home of your story. That’s my suggestion.”
Summer 2016. Britain has voted to leave the European Union, Elisabeth has returned home to the village she grew up in, and her elderly former next-door neighbour Daniel won’t wake up. New fences are going up, the library is closed, and her mother keeps talking about the latest antiques show on TV.
Elsewhere, the sleeping Daniel Gluck dreams – of his long-lost little sister, of Christine Keeler; of art, poetry and music.
From writer Harry McDonald (Foam, Don’t Smoke in Bed) and director Charlotte Vickers (Sap, Andromeda) comes an adaptation of Ali Smith’s Booker-Prize shortlisted novel. As the divides between people become ever starker, Autumn finds connections across time and experience, and the resilience of the most unlikely of love stories.
Running time 90 mins (approx.)
Captioned performance tbc
Mon – Sat 7.45pm, 3.15pm matinees Thu & Sat | £25 – £15 (standard), £9.50 (access), £10 (Park Up 16-26 years, throughout the run I Previews 16 & 17 (£15)
Park90 6 Nov – 30 Nov |
Going For Gold | Presented by ComeForGold Productions in association with Park Theatre
London Premiere
By Lisa Lintott I Directed by Philip J Morris
Cast includes: Jazz Lintott, Cyril Blake
Going For Gold is a riveting drama inspired by the true story of Frankie Lucas, a young black boxer navigating the vibrant yet challenging world of 1970s London. Frankie’s dreams of sporting glory face relentless trials as he confronts the intricate politics of boxing, the weight of his ambitions, and the pressing needs of his family.
At the heart of the play, we witness Frankie’s astonishing rise, marked by his early victories winning the National ABA middleweight title. But his journey is far from straightforward. When the path to representing Team GB at the Commonwealth Games is blocked, Frankie turns to his roots, competing for the island of Saint Vincent under extraordinary circumstances. His resilience and determination lead to an unexpected triumph that redefines his career and legacy.
Back in the UK, with his sights set on professional boxing, Frankie’s career is shaped by his association with legendary trainer George Francis. Yet, the road ahead is fraught with personal and professional challenges that test his spirit and resolve to the utmost limits. Amidst these trials, Frankie’s story delves deep into themes of identity, belonging, and the true essence of success.
Going For Gold explores the profound questions of what we fight for and what we leave behind. This powerful narrative invites audiences to reflect on the meaning of home, the bonds of family, and the enduring spirit of perseverance. Frankie’s journey is not just about winning in the ring but about finding one’s place in the world and leaving a lasting legacy.
Running time 2hrs 10 mins inc interval
Captioned Mon 18 Nov 19.45 | Relaxed Thu 28 Nov 15.15
Mon – Sat 7.45pm, 3.15pm matinees Thu & Sat | £25 – £15 (standard), £9.50 (access), £10 (Park Up 16-26 years, throughout the run I Preview 6 Nov (£15)
Park200 11 Dec – 11 Jan |
Cyrano | Presented by Roast Productions in association with Park Theatre
London premiere
Written by Virginia Gay | Directed by Clare Watson
Virginia Gay’s joyous, gender-flipped retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac, packed with music, wit and aching romance, is a love letter to hope; to language and desire; to the irrepressible magic of theatre. A big-hearted, irreverent rom-com, perfect for a feel good Christmas treat.
Cyrano is the most interesting person in any room – a wordsmith, a charmer. She works twice as hard and runs twice as fast as the pretty boys, because she’s deeply ashamed of something about herself. Enter Roxanne: brilliant and beautiful, with a penchant for poetry and a way with words, just like Cyrano. But Roxanne only has eyes for Yan: hot, manly Yan; all brawn-and-no-brains Yan; who is dumbstruck around Roxanne. Probably shy, right? Until suddenly he starts saying the most amazing things. But it’s not Yan writing these perfect love scenes, it’s Cyrano …
Running time 90 mins (approx.)
Mon – Sat 7.30pm, matinees Thu and Sat 3pm I £44.50 – £22.50 (standard), £22.50 – £20 (65+ Mon eve and Thu mat), £18.50 (access), £10 (Park Up 16-26 years Band C throughout the run) I Previews 11 – 16 Dec, £15 – £25
Social Media
Instagram: @cyranolive
Twitter: @CyranoLive_