The Circle
Theatre Royal Bath Productions present The Orange Tree Theatre production
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Tickets from £14
An exceptional cast. Thrilling to watch. A comic treat.WhatsOnStage
By Somerset Maugham
Starring Jane Asher, Clive Francis and Nicholas Le Prevost
Directed by Tom Littler
Will history come full circle? Or can one generation learn from their parents’ mistakes?
Jane Asher (Alfie, Deep End) plays Lady Kitty, a society beauty who notoriously abandoned her stuffy husband Clive (Clive Francis, The Crown), and eloped with the handsome Lord Porteous (Nicholas Le Prevost, Shakespeare in Love, Testament of Youth).
Thirty years later, love’s young dream has descended into non-stop squabbling... Meanwhile Clive and Lady Kitty’s son Arnold (Pete Ashmore, The Lovely Bones) faces the same marital fate, as his wife Elizabeth (Olivia Vinall) threatens to elope with the dashing Teddie Luton (Chirag Benedict Lobo).
Somerset Maugham’s sparky comedy of manners was first staged in 1921 and has remained a firm favourite with audiences ever since. Maugham was among the most successful novelists and playwrights of the inter-war years. Many of his novels, including The Painted Veil, Theatre, Up At The Villa and Of Human Bondage have been adapted for the screen.
Tom Littler’s deft production of Maugham’s play is consistently candid and surprising. Strongly acted.Guardian
