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Newsletter March 2010

Written by The English Theatre Of Hamburg

Thursday, 04 March 2010 22:39

English Theatre Of Hamburg

<http://www.englishtheatre.de>

Newsletter

March 2010

Dear Friends of The English Theatre of Hamburg
You are receiving this newsletter earlier than usual because we want
to remind you that THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES by Frank D. Gilroy closes on
17 April, only six weeks from now. Please do not wait until the end of
the run to see this play unless you have already booked your seats.
Quite often there are no seats available in the final two weeks.

With best regards,

The Directors: Clifford Dean and Robert Rumpf

This issue

What's next? <#hl1>

Photo Gallery <#hl2>

Press Clippings <#hl3>

What's next?
The Directors will soon be in London to cast actors for the thriller
DEADLY GAME by David Foley. Scripts are not available because this is
a new play that will not be published until April. However, our
Teaching Material provides you with a detailed summary of the plot
which will help those of you who are not 100% fluent in English. You
can download the Teaching Material from the website
(www.englishtheatre.de <http://www.englishtheatre.de/>
). Just click on the Teaching Material button on the first page of
the site.

Photo Gallery

Below are several photos taken from scenes of THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES
by our long-time photographer, Hans-JÃ¼rgen Kock.

Nettie (Janet Greaves) and her husband John (Craig Pinder) are so
happy that their son Timmy (Nick Rhys) has returned from the war
without any injuries that they go out on the town to celebrate. The
men drink a little too much and do a song and dance routine for Nettie
when they return.

Timmy promised to celebrate his return by dancing around the living
room with his mother. They get so dizzy dancing the polka that they
fall down laughing.

Nettie and John have been having marital problems for years. When
she receives flowers thought to be from her husband, she is touched
and hopeful that their relationship may still have a chance. Her hopes
are dashed when John tells her during an argument that Timmy bought
the flowers and told his father to say they were from him.

John forgets from time to time that during the three years Timmy was
away at war he developed from a boy into a man with his own ideas
about how to live his life. Occasionally John scolds him and reminds
him that his father is the boss in his home.

Timmy realizes that it would be impossible for him to be independent
and lead his own life as long as he stays at home with his parents. He
announces that he is going to leave. They are upset by Timmyâ€™s
decision at first, but come to realize that he has made the right
decision. Timmy letâ€™s them know that, despite their domestic
problems, he loves them.

Press Clippings

Hamburger Abendblatt, 27. Februar 2010

Zeitreise in die Jahre nach dem Krieg

Im Halbdunkeln sitzt sie weinend auf dem plÃ¼schigen Sofa. Es ist
zwei Uhr nachts, und Nettie Cleary (Janet Greaves) ist
todunglÃ¼cklich. Ihre Ehe mit John (Craig Pinder) ist ein einziger
TrÃ¼mmerhaufen, und ihr aus dem Zweiten Weltkrieg heimgekehrter Sohn
(Nick Rhys) ist nicht mehr der kleine Timmy, der er einmal war.
â€žMummyâ€™s boyâ€œ ist nun ein erwachsener Mann, der gerne mal ein
Bier trinkt und nicht mehr dieselben religiÃ¶sen Ansichten wie sein
Vater hat. Menschen verÃ¤ndern sich. Das mÃ¼ssen alle im Hause Cleary
erkennen.

Das TheaterstÃ¼ck â€žThe Subject Was Rosesâ€œ von Frank D. Gilroy
hatte im English Theatre Premiereâ€”eine eindringliche und
unterhaltsame TragikomÃ¶die, die die AbgrÃ¼nde innerhalb einer Familie
aufzeigt. Ein liebevoll gestaltetes BÃ¼hnenbild, muffige KostÃ¼me und
eine gewollt Ã¼berzogene Spielweise, die an amerikanische Seifenopern
der 50er-Jahre erinnert, alles passt perfekt zusammen. Und das
Schauspielertrio zieht das Publikum in seinen Bann. (hpsd)

Die-auswaertige-presse.de, 02.02.2010

â€œTHE SUBJECT WAS ROSESâ€ â€“ BLUMEN FÃœR MUM

DAS PULITZER-PREISGEKRÃ–NTE DRAMA IM ENGLISH THEATRE

Der Premierenabend von â€žThe Subject was Rosesâ€œ begann mit einer
sÃ¼ÃŸen Ãœberraschung. Jeder Zuschauer erhielt ein StÃ¼ck Schokolade,
eingewickelt in ein Papier mit Rosendekor. Auch die drei wunderbaren
Schauspieler bekamen neben lebhaftem Applaus je einen StrauÃŸ roter
Rosen. Craig Pinder, der mit zahlreichen Auszeichnungen dekorierte
britische Schauspieler, gab den autoritÃ¤ren Familientyrannen John
sehr Ã¼berzeugend. Janet Greaves, eine in allen SÃ¤tteln gerechte
Londoner Schauspielerin, deren RÃ©pertoireklassische wie moderne
StÃ¼cke umfasst, leuchtete als Mum Nettie sÃ¤mtliche Facetten
mÃ¼tterlicher Liebe und Besessenheit aus. Sehr eindrucksvoll agierte
auch Nick Rhys als zwischen allen StÃ¼hlen sitzender Timmy, der sich
nicht zwischen Gehorsam und Rebellion gegen seine Besitz ergreifenden
Eltern entscheiden kann. Ein gelungener Theaterabend â€“ diesmal unter
der sensiblen Regie von Jenny Lee. Dieser Import aus GroÃŸbritannien
macht dem English Theatre alle Ehre. Weiter so!

Letzte Vorstellung: 17. April 2010

NÃ¤chste Premiere am 29. April 2010 : â€žDeadly Gameâ€œ, ein
Thriller von David Foley

Hamburg Express, 02 March, 2010

Written by Julian Grajewski

The Subject Was Roses is an American Play set right after World War
II in 1946, debuted in 1964 and revived most recently in 2010. I saw
it in 1966 while attending university in Washington, D.C. The living
room and kitchen set and the costumes of this production are realistic
to the point that the small refrigerator in it is a Frigidaire, an
American brand, and when Nettie Cleary cooks waffles for her returning
veteran son Timmy, the waffle iron that she uses works. Kudos to the
designer Mathias Wardek. Timmy Cleary's American army uniform is
correct right down to the overseas cap, the shoulder patch, the good
conduct medal, the campaign ribbons and the Combat Infantry Badge on
his chest.

As it is, The Subject Was Roses encourages nostalgia, which can
cloud an assessment of it, but I can report that the script by Frank
D. Gilroy and the current production is a solid piece of theatre craft
that allows the audience to explore the subject of the dead marriage
of John and Nettie Cleary as they compete for the affections of their
estranged son Timmy.

Irish-American John Cleary, a successful coffee merchant, has
poisoned his marriage with his womanising and his drinking. Knowing
this, his son Timmy buys a bouquet of roses for his mother and asks
his father to say that he bought them. The fib perks up Nettie who
feels an onrush of hope that is dashed when her husband John reveals
the truth.

But this is no dark Eugene Oâ€™Neil Play. By the final act, John and
Nettie moderately reconcile and their son Timmy is accepted by them as
no longer the boy that left home three years before.

Craig Pinder plays John, Janet Greaves Plays Nettie and Nick Rhys
plays Timmy under the direction of Jenny Lee. For me, sitting in the
audience, at a certain moment the play achieved a Checkovian level of
veracity that is a tribute to the artistic skills of the actors,
director and supporting staff.

The English Theatre Web site <http://www.englishtheatre.de/>

Subscribe to Season
<http://www.englishtheatre.de/tickets/subscriptions/>

Current Season 2009/2010
<http://www.englishtheatre.de/season-20092010/>

How to find us <http://www.englishtheatre.de/about-us/>

Teaching Material <http://www.englishtheatre.de/teaching-material/>

Gift Vouchers <http://www.englishtheatre.de/tickets/gift-vouchers/>

Ticket Information <http://www.englishtheatre.de/tickets/>

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Newsletter February 2010

Written by The English Theatre Of Hamburg

Saturday, 20 February 2010 20:07

English Theatre Of Hamburg

<http://www.englishtheatre.de>

Newsletter

February 2010

Dear Friends of The English Theatre of Hamburg

After twelve weeks the run of Robin Hawdonï¿½s hilarious comedy,
BIRTHDAY SUITE, has come to an end. Our London actors have had a
wonderful time playing to full houses the whole time. They really
appreciate the warm welcome they got here in Hamburg.

The American modern classic, THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES by Frank D.
Gilroy, opens on 22 February. See below for more details.

Production plans are already underway for the final play of our
current season, DEADLY GAME, a new thriller by David Foley. This play
has been produced successfully in the United States and Europe, and
the script will soon be published by Samuel French, Inc. Because we
were able to receive all of the author's most recent changes in the
script before publication, you will see the final version of the play
which has never before been done.

If you would like to download teaching material for our plays, you
can do so from our website (www.englishtheatre.de). Please tell your
friends that they can sign up on the website for email newsletters
like this one with production information and photos.

Sincerely yours,

Clifford Dean and Robert Rumpf

This issue

Coming soon <#hl1>

Photo Gallery <#hl2>

Press <#hl3>

**Coming soon**

Our next production, THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES by Frank D. Gilroy,
opens on 22 February. We hope you will enjoy this modern classic which
was the winner of both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award
for Best Play in 1965. Since then the play has been revived many
times, most recently in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts. Coincidentally, a revival of the play opens the same
date as our production in Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum, where
the well known actor Martin Sheen, who played the son in the original
Broadway production, is now playing the father.

THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES will run for only eight weeks. Please be sure
to book tickets early so you do not miss this wonderful play. Thanks
to a generous financial contribution from the Ministry of Culture in
Hamburg, we were able to invite Ms Jenny Lee, Artistic Director of the
Attic Theatre in London, to direct this production. We are very
pleased to welcome her to the English Theatre of Hamburg, as well as
actors Craig Pinder, Janet Greaves and Nick Rhys, all newcomers to our
stage. We are also happy to welcome Justin Farrow to our team. Justin
is a musician and is also capable of working on sound and lights for
the theatre. Currently he is working as one of the Stage Managers.

Photo Gallery

The new cast and director:

THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES by Frank D. Gilroy

**Craig Pinder**

**Nick Rhys**

**Janet Greaves**

**Director: Jenny Lee**

A Summary of THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES

It is the Bronx, New York, 1946. Twenty-one-year-old Timmy has just
returned home safe after serving in the army during World War II. His
Irish-Catholic parents, John and Nettie, celebrate their sonâ€™s
homecoming with a party, but Timmy soon realizes that the family
tensions he left behind three years ago have gotten worse. Over the
years John has broken Nettieâ€™s heart with constant drinking and
affairs with other women. Nettieâ€™s rejection of her husband and her
concentration on their son have made John jealous, irritable and
bitter. Now trapped in a troubled marriage, they compete for Timmyâ€™s
affections, and are shocked by the changes in him. Nettie quickly sees
that he is no longer the mamaâ€™s boy she could count on to side with
her against her husband. She is distraught when he insists on going to
a baseball game with his dad rather than visiting a handicapped
relative with her. John is enraged when Timmy refuses to attend Mass
with him, and is crushed by the realization that his son will no
longer accept his values without question. With the new maturity he
gained in the army, Timmy tries to cope with the hostility between his
parents. He buys roses for his mother and innocently persuades his
father to take credit for the purchase. This improves the relationship
between the parents for a while, but, when Nettie learns of the
deception, old resentments rise again to the surface and threaten to
break up the family completely. Timmy first blames his father, then
his mother for the situation. He feels his father never loved him and
that his mother has been too controlling and possessive of him at the
expense of his dad. Finally, as he prepares to leave home, he shows
how much he has matured by accepting and loving his parents as they
are. They, in turn, are forced to recognize the man their child has
become.

**The previous cast:

BIRTHDAY SUITE by Robin Hawdon**

**Stephen Chance, Vernon Bass, Katie Kensit and Jamie Menard**

Susan Casanove and Vernon Bass

Press

SZENE HAMBURG, January 2010

Jeder will mit jedem und gegen jeden im English Theatre

Robin Hawdons KomÃ¶die enthÃ¤lt nicht nur die Ã¼blichen
Ã¼berraschenden Wendungen: Die Handlung schlÃ¤gt so viele Haken, dass
einem beinahe schwindelig wird.

Hamburg Express, 15 December 2009

This week I saw â€œBirthday Suiteâ€ in the English Theatre. Written
by famous playwright Robin Hawdon, Birthday Suite revolves around only
5 characters and 2 rooms, and is nutty British Situational Comedy at
its best. In fact, it is an orgy of slapstick and wit that will have
you rolling on the floor laughing.

The play starts with a well meaning man named Geoff who wants to
help out his good friends Bob and Liz, a couple with marital problems.
Although Geoff is not actually in the play, he has managed to get the
both of them to the same hotel. With the help of Tony, the Italian
waiter, and bait! Since it is Bobs birthday, Geoff tells him that he
has rented him a room, along with a pretty little call-girl named Mimi
so he can relieve some stress and stop thinking about his wife. At the
same time he tells Liz that he himself is coming, and that they can
catch up, since they too are old friends. Since the waiter Tony is in
the know, nothing seems to stand in the way of his plan. Nothing
except circumstance!

Kate and Dick have also arranged to meet each other in the same
hotel, but they have never met face to face, and were chosen for each
other by an Internet dating site, Soulmates Unlimited. They simply
wish to have dinner. The room where they are to eat is adjacent to
where Bob is freshening up, waiting for his somewhat more amorous
visitor. Kate is nervous, and asks where the bathroom is.
Misunderstanding Tony the waiter, she walks right into a nice hotel
room with a big bed, a fully set meal with champagne, and Bob. She
immediately thinks Bob is Dick and that her alleged â€œsoulmateâ€
merely wants to get her into bed. Bob thinks she is Mimi and is
somewhat surprised by her normal attire. Kate asks him if he does not
think the bed is somewhat obvious, and asks him what he thinks this is
all about, a quick drink and then off to bed? Bob of course says yes,
and gets a drink thrown in his face.

Things get crazier and crazier as Bob figures out what is going on,
but would rather get to know Kate than sleep with a prostitute, Liz
and Dick show up and hit it off, and Tony makes a well-meaning mess of
everything. This play is a laugh a minute, and once again the Brits
show that nobody can do Sit-com like them, especially when they prey
on their own social and moral discrepancies. The actors are good, and
it doesn't come off as set-up or scripted, which happens a lot when
Sit-com is attempted. Birthday Suite keeps switching directions, but
it keeps you interested until the final twist.

The English Theatre Web site <http://www.englishtheatre.de/>

Subscribe to Season
<http://www.englishtheatre.de/tickets/subscriptions/>

Current Season 2009/2010
<http://www.englishtheatre.de/season-20092010/>

How to find us <http://www.englishtheatre.de/about-us/>

Teaching Material <http://www.englishtheatre.de/teaching-material/>

Gift Vouchers <http://www.englishtheatre.de/tickets/gift-vouchers/>

Ticket Information <http://www.englishtheatre.de/tickets/>

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<http://www.englishtheatre.de/newsletter/?p=unsubscribe&uid=85318ee053fed1c136b8d9bb8b128f71>

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Past Newsletters <http://www.englishtheatre.de/newsletterlib/>

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Welcome to our Newsletter

Written by The English Theatre Of Hamburg

Saturday, 30 January 2010 10:06

Welcome to our Newsletter

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Friday, 29 January 2010 18:45

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Simply delete this message.

Thank you

P.S.
Due to the immense amount of spam mails flooding the internet today many
providers have developed individual methods to protect their customers from
that nuisance.

The disadvantage is that the newsletter of The English Theatre of Hamburg
is also recognized as spam in some cases. To avoid being sorted to your
spam folder we would like to ask you to mark the domain englishtheatre.de
as "known" in your address book or contact list.

We thank you for subscribing and hope you will enjoy reading the
newsletter. Any remarks or suggestions you have will be greatly
appreciated.