Bedlam - Shakespeare's Globe
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
NELL Leyshon’s new play, Bedlam, receives its world premiere at Shakespeare’s Globe where it runs from September 9 (previews from September 5) to October 1, 2010.
Leyshon presents a fictional portrayal of a London hospital for the insane. She has worked closely with the Bethlem Royal Hospital to get a glimpse of life both then and now.
Bedlam is set in 18th-century London against an anarchic backdrop of binge drinkers, gin sellers and ballad singers.
Under the supervision of the prejudiced Dr Carew and his imbecile son, Bedlam’s philosophy lies in containing rather than curing patients. But with the arrival of a lovely country girl, May, and the appointment of a more enlightened governor, Carew’s inhuman regime starts to crumble, along with his own sanity.
Described as noisy and chaotic, Bedlam contains dance and song with scenes of lust, violence and absurd comedy.
Jessica Swale (The Rivals, Southwark Playhouse) directs a cast that includes a number of actors from Dominic Dromgoole’s acclaimed productions of Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, including Sam Crane (as Laurence), Danny Lee Wynter (Oliver), Barbara Marten (Annabel) and Jade Williams (Nancy).
Joining them are Rose Leslie (as May), Finty Williams (Gardenia) and Ella Smith (Phyllis), who won the 2008 Evening Standard Award for Outstanding Newcomer and the 2008 Critics Circle Award for Most Promising Newcomer in Neil Labute’s award-winning play Fat Pig (Trafalgar Studios and Comedy Theatre).
Completing the cast are Jason Baughan, Patrick Brennan, Daon Broni, Phil Cheadle, Sophie Duval, Christopher Godwin, Sean Kearns, James Lailey, Kevork Malikyan, Joseph Timms and Lorna Stuart.
This production marks the Globe’s first ever staging of a known female playwright, at either old or new incarnations of the theatre, and continues Dominic Dromgoole’s vision for new writing at the Globe.
Leyshon’s second play, Comfort Me with Apples won the 2005 Charles Wintour Award for most promising playwright in the Evening Standard Awards, and was shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award. Her other work includes an adaptation of Don’t Look Now (Sheffield and Lyric Hammersmith) and the play Glass Eels (Hampstead Theatre).
Leyshon is writer in residence for Vita Nova, who work with recovering drug addicts.
Bedlam is designed by Soutra Gilmour, with music by Olly Fox.
Tickets: £5 to £35 – available on 020 7401 9919/020 7087 7398 or at www.shakespeares-globe.org
Access Performances: Sign Language-interpreted performance – Friday, September 24 at 7.30pm. Audio Described performance – Saturday, September 25 at 2pm.