Antic Disposition celebrate 10th anniversary with Henry V and A Christmas Carol
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
AWARD-winning theatre company, Antic Disposition, are celebrating their 10th anniversary year with two special productions, both in spectacular and historical site-specific locations in central London – Henry V in Temple Church and A Christmas Carol in Middle Temple Hall.
Marking both the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt and the ongoing centenary of the First World War, this new production of Shakespeare’s Henry V runs from Monday, August 24 to Saturday, September 5, 2015.
Performed by a cast of British and French actors led by recent RADA graduate Freddie Stewart in the title role, this uplifting production celebrates the complex historical relationship between our two nations – from the Hundred Years War to the Entente Cordiale.
Located in the secluded and tranquil heart of London’s legal quarter between Fleet Street and the River Thames, Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar in the 12th-century and is one of London’s most beautiful and historic buildings. Perhaps best known for its unusual round form and stone effigies of medieval knights, Temple Church became famous more recently as a key location in Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code.
Henry V is directed by Ben Horslen and John Risebero, who also designs, with original music by James Burrows and musical direction by Christopher Peake.
Tickets: £20 – £40.
Times: Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm, Saturday matinees at 3pm.
Following sell-out seasons in 2012 and 2014, Antic Disposition’s acclaimed musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens festive classic, A Christmas Carol, will return to the spectacular Elizabethan setting of Middle Temple Hall, where it runs from Tuesday, December 22 to Wednesday, December 30, 2015.
Combining the ghostly tale of miser Ebenezer Scrooge with a score of original songs inspired by the carols of a traditional Victorian Christmas, Antic Disposition’s A Christmas Carol has already been seen by over 5,000 people and is now established as one of London’s most magical festive treats.
A Christmas Carol will be performed in the highly atmospheric 16th-century Middle Temple Hall, a location well known to Dickens himself, who studied law at the ancient institution. Just a short distance from Temple Church, the stunning hall was completed in 1573 and remains virtually unchanged to this day. With its cobbled alleyways and gas-lit courtyards, a visit to the Middle Temple is a journey into the London that Dickens himself knew, creating the perfect backdrop for this celebration of his much-loved Christmas classic.
The historic hall will be decked for the occasion with boughs of holly, and mulled wine, mince pies and other traditional festive fare will be available to add to the Yuletide spirit.
Based on the novella by Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol has a book and lyrics by Ben Horslen and John Risebero, and music by Christopher Peake. The production is directed by Ben Horslen and John Risebero, who also designs.
Tickets: £20 – £45.
Times: Daily at 3pm and 7.30pm; 11am and 3pm on December 24; no performances on December 25 and 26.
Antic Disposition has won critical acclaim for staging visually striking, site-specific productions in spectacular historic buildings, including recent sold-out runs of The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and A Christmas Carol in Elizabethan Middle Temple Hall, and Romeo and Juliet in the ancient Temple Church.
The company triumphed last year at the Peter Brook/Empty Space Awards, winning the coveted Peter Brook/Equity Ensemble Award.
To book tickets, call the box office on 0333 666 3366 or visit www.anticdisposition.co.uk/. Season Discount: 10% discount if booking both productions in one transaction.