Filumena - Almeida Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
MICHAEL Attenborough will direct Samantha Spiro in Tanya Ronder’s new English version of Eduardo de Filippo’s Filumena, which runs at the Almeida Theatre from March 22 (previews from March 15) to May 12, 2012.
In the balmy heat of late ‘40s Naples, Filumena Marturano lies on her deathbed waiting to marry Domenico Soriano, the man who has kept her as his mistress for twenty-five years.
But no sooner has the priest completed the ceremony, than Filumena makes a miraculous recovery. As he reels in shock, Domenico discovers that this brilliant, iron-willed woman has a few more surprises for him.
Olivier award-winning Samantha Spiro will be making her Almeida debut in the title role. She was most recently seen on stage in Arnold Wesker’s Chicken Soup with Barley at the Royal Court, where she has also appeared in The Family Play.
Her previous theatre credits include Hello Dolly, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Lady Be Good, Macbeth and The Boys from Syracuse (all for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Twelfth Night (Donmar Warehouse at Wyndham’s Theatre), Funny Girl (Chichester Festival Theatre) and Two Thousand Years and Emanuelle and Dick (National Theatre).
On screen, she has appeared in Rock and Chips, Grandma’s House, After You’ve Gone, Coupling and Cold Feet (TV); A Running Jump, Tomorrow La Scala, From Hell, Cor Blimey and Beyond Bedlam (film).
Tanya Ronder previously wrote a new version of Lorca’s Blood Wedding for the Almeida as well as Or Nearest Offer, a new play for the Almeida Youth Theatre and Chain Play II, a fundraising event for the Theatre. Her other adaptations include Vernon God Little and Peribanez (both at the Young Vic), Peter Pan (Kensington Gardens) and Ionesco’s Macbett (Royal Shakespeare Company).
Michael Attenborough is Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre where his productions include The Mercy Seat, Five Gold Rings, Brighton Rock, The Late Henry Moss, Enemies, There Came A Gypsy Riding, Big White Fog, Awake and Sing!, The Homecoming, In a Dark Dark House, When the Rain Stops Falling, Measure for Measure, Through A Glass Darkly and, most recently, The Knot of the Heart. His production of Neil LaBute’s Reasons To Be Pretty opens in November.
Italian playwright, actor, screen writer, poet and author Eduardo De Filippo‘s other plays include Napoli Milionaria, La Grande Magia, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and The Syndiacte.
Filumena will be designed by Rob Jones, with lighting by Tim Mitchell and sound by John Leonard. Casting will be announced shortly.
Stephen Poliakoff’s My City continues at the Almeida until November 5, 2011.