People, the much anticipated comedy by award-winning English playwright Alan
Bennett is the next production from London’s National Theatre Live series. The play is
about a family disputing the fate of their old English manor, and the quirky
personalities who live in or have ties to the house.
People releases locally at Cinema Nouveau theatres at Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria,
Rosebank Mall in Johannesburg, Gateway in Durban and V&A Waterfront in Cape Town
on Saturday 27 April for four performances only.
Bennett is lauded as one of Britain’s most celebrated playwrights, and People is the
sixth of his plays to have its premiere at the National Theatre. The recent staging of
People was sold out, following on the success of The History Boys, which was turned
into a film directed by Nicholas Hytner and with a cast including Olivier Award-winning
actress Frances de la Tour.
For this production of People, Bennett has reunited with Hytner and De la Tour, who
plays the leading role of Dorothy Stacpoole, an impoverished aristocrat living in a
decaying stately mansion with her companion, Iris.
The title of the play refers to the public – and people spoil things. Dorothy laments
that there are so many people and that so many of them are plodding through the
mansion. However, with the garden looking more like a park-sized jungle and with a
bath on the billiard table, she has little choice but to allow “people’ access to the
mansion.
Her younger sister June wants to hand the estate over into the care of the National
Trust. But Dorothy is more creative in her approach, such as selling the mansion to a
shadowy consortium or renting it out as a favoured location for the making of “porn’
films.
In People, June is played by Selina Cadell and her companion Iris by Linda Bassett.
Others actors include Miles Jupp as Bevan, Nicholas le Prevost as Ralph Lumsden and
Andy de la Tour who plays the Bishop.
Bennett and Hytner also collaborated on the award-winning play and film, The
Madness of King George and their last stage production together, The Habit of Art,
was broadcast as part of the National Theatre Live season in 2010.
People runs for two hours and 20 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.
For booking information, visit www.cinemanouveau.co.za or sterkinekor.mobi, or
call Ticketline on 082 16789. Follow @nouveaubuzz on Twitter.
The broadcast of People will take the combined total audience for the National
Theatre’s series of live broadcasts past 1.3 million people. National Theatre Live is
supported by Aviva and distributed by New York-based BY Experience, Inc.: www.byexperience.net.
