Lesere - Jermyn Street Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
LESERE, a gripping psychological thriller by Ashley G Holloway, runs at Jermyn Street Theatre from July 10 (previews from July 7) to August 1, 2015.
1921. Rural France. Jane and John Lesere have survived The Great War and created their own Garden of Eden.
On an ordinary day in an extraordinary era, a charming stranger arrives who smashes the façade of their French idyll. In a deadly game of cat and mouse, he exposes the falsehoods upon which they’ve built their new life and shatters their fragile tranquillity. But what for?
Lesere is a vintage psychological thriller, which explores the scars of war and the human capacity for survival.
Lesere will be directed by Donnacadh O’Briain, the Artistic Director of Natural Shocks. His career highlights include creating daring pop-up-venue PEEP; assisting Sir Michael Boyd on the RSC’s multi-award winning Histories Cycle and his critically acclaimed London and Dublin production of Leo Butler’s The Early Bird.
He has developed and directed plays by Leo Butler, Billy Roche, Jon Brittain, Pamela Carter, Luke Barnes, Kay Adshead, Samantha Wright, John Grogan and Kefi Chadwick amongst others, and worked with the likes of Complicité, Kneehigh, Gate Theatre, Dublin and RADA. He also creates performances for choir and orchestra at the National Portrait Gallery and Latitude Festival.
The production will transform Jermyn Street Theatre to an in-the-round space in a bold and atmospheric design by Ellan Parry, winner of the Jocelyn Herbert Award and Linbury prize finalist. It will feature a haunting original score by Greg Batsleer, recipient of the Arts Foundation Fellowship Award and nominee for the 2014 Off West End award for sound design.
The full cast for Lesere will be announced at a later date.
Lesere is Ashley G Holloway’s debut work for the stage following writing the screenplays for several short films. Most recently, he has completed the script for a full-length feature film Jamestown (a black comedy set in the mid-1700’s). He is currently writing Hounds of Plenty, bringing the events of Jamestown to the stage, and the feature film Bird Island, a political thriller set in the 1980’s.
Holloay has over thirty years’ experience working behind the scenes in media and publishing and began writing film scripts ten years ago.
Lesere is presented by Keep Calm and Carry On Productions.
Tickets: £22, £18 concessions. £16 early bird (book before June 15). To book, call the box office on 020 7287 2875 or visit www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/.
Times: Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm; Saturday matinees at 2.30pm.
The musical revue Jerry’s Girls, which celebrates the music of Jerry Herman, continues at Jermyn Street Theatre until May 31. It will be followed by Michael Puzzo’s acclaimed one act dark comedy The Dirty Talk (June 2 to June 6) and Told Look Younger, Stephen Wyatt’s provocative and frank comedy about sex, love, friendship and growing old (June 9 to July 4, 2015).