Difference between revisions of "Enchanted April (2010)"

Revision as of 14:55, 21 May 2010

Poster by Poster Designer

by Matthew Barber, from the novel by Elizabeth von Arnim

Directed by Lily-Ann Green

Performances: Tuesday 5th to Saturday 9th October 2010, Bell Theatre

Introduction

The story of four dissimilar women in 1920s England who leave their damp and rainy environs to go on a holiday to a secluded coastal castle in Italy. Mrs Arbuthnot and Mrs Wilkins, who belong to the same ladies' club but have never spoken, become acquainted after reading an advertisement for villas for rent in a newspaper. They find some common ground in that both are struggling to make the best of unhappy marriages. Having decided to seek other ladies to help share expenses, they reluctantly take on the waspish, elderly Mrs Fisher and the stunning, but aloof, Lady Caroline Dester. The four women come together at the castle and find rejuvenation in the tranquil beauty of their surroundings, rediscovering hope and love.

Cast

• Lottie Wilkins - mid 20s to late 30s, scatty and romantic, a wide-eyed eager, innocent adult trapped in an age that does not allow her the freedom to be or to understand who or what she is. Described as having “a mind like a hummingbird – one seldom sees it land.”

• Rose Arbuthnot - mid 20s to late 30s, a very proper, repressed woman of her time, carrying a huge sadness – she is described as having the look of a “disappointed Madonna”

• Mellersh Wilkins - Lotty’s husband. Early 30s to early 40s, up and coming lawyer, careful with money and eager to progress. He takes himself far too seriously.

• Frederick Arbuthnot - Rose's husband. Mid 30s to late 40s, a writer of lurid historical biographies and a new recruit to the ‘good life’ of the roaring twenties!

• Antony Wilding - mid 20s to late 30s, an artist, a WW1 veteran of some wealth and social standing, if he weren’t so shy and unsure of himself. Speaks Italian fluently. (see note)

• Mrs Graves - 50 to 70, a widow whose outer prickliness and propriety hide an inner loneliness. Her parents were collectors of writers and artists and she knew all of the ‘greats’ as a child. She relives this time and name-drops constantly. She speaks an old fashioned Italian – not terribly fluently. A typical English person abroad – she wants nothing to be different from home but the location.

• Lady Caroline Bramble - early 20s to early 30s, a rich beautiful ‘bright young thing’ tired of being drooled over by the men in her social circle. Her bright, snobbish sarcasm masks a deep sadness. Speaks Italian fluently. (see note)

• Costanza - 50 to 70, the castle's wise-cracking housekeeper/cook and second mother to Antony. She provides much of the comedy as almost all of her dialogue is in Italian therefore it is a wonderful challenge for an actor to still create a character and make her real meanings clear.

Crew

• Stage Manager - SM Name
• Lighting Design - Designer Name
• Lighting Operator - Operator Name

Reviews

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Gallery

Reminiscences and Anecdotes

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See Also

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References

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External Links

• This play on Wikipedia