Accolade - Finborough Theatre
THE FIRST revival of Emlyn Williams’ controversial pay, Accolade, runs at Finborouh Theatre from Tuesday, February 1 to Saturday, February 26, 2011, as part of the Finborough’s RediscoveriesUK season.
Will Trenting, famous for his scandalous novels, is about to be knighted – an accolade which will welcome him to the establishment. But Will has been leading a double life and the award turns the spotlight on it.
Tales surface of drunken parties, orgies and rough trade, and on the eve of his knighthood Will is accused of a shocking crime. Threatened with blackmail, he must decide where his priorities lie.
Described as darkly comic and shocking, Accolade blows the lid off British hypocrisy.
Blanche McIntyre directs a cast that includes Patrick Brennan, Olivia Darnley, Simon Darwen, Alan Francis, Aden Gillett, Emma Jerrold, Patrick Osborne, Graham Seed and Saskia Wickham.
Accolade opened at the Aldwych Theatre on September 7, 1950, with Williams himself playing Will Trenting. This will be the first revival since the original production.
Emlyn Williams was one of the most successful writers of the 1930s and 1940s. His numerous plays include A Murder Has Been Arranged, The Late Christopher Bean, Spring 1600, Someone Waiting, The Morning Star, The Wind of Heaven, The Light Of Heart and Trespass.
His greatest works, Night Must Fall and The Corn Is Green, were adapted for film, the former starring Albert Finney and Susan Hampshire, the latter with Bette Davis (in 1945) and Katharine Hepburn (in 1979). He also worked with Alfred Hitchcock and Carol Reed as a screenwriter.
Williams’ autobiographical comedy The Druid’s Rest, which launched the career of Richard Burton, was revived for a sell-out Sunday and Monday run at the Finborough Theatre in 2009.
Accolade is designed by James Cotterill, with lighting by Neill Brinkworth and sound by Edward Lewis.
RediscoveriesUK is a three month season of rediscovered plays by writers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Graham Greene’s The Potting Shed, also part of the RediscoveriesUK series, continues until January 29, 2011.