The world premiere of ‘The Throne’ starring Charlie Condou and Mary Roscoe, delays its opening at Charing Cross Theatre by a week due to the planned tube and train strikes.
A majestic new comedy by award-winning TV and film screenwriter John Goldsmith, directed by Anthony Biggs, it will now preview from Wednesday 29 June and run to 30 July.
A spokesman for the production said: “We are gutted to have to delay our opening for a week but we were left with little choice given the planned strikes next week and their knock on effect in the days between. That combined with instructions not to travel unless essential have dented
consumer confidence. We look forward to starting our previews no Wednesday 29 June and our new press night is Monday 4 July. We apologise to anyone with a ticket for the affected dates but if they contact their point of purchase they can switch to another date.”
2002: the year of the Golden Jubilee...
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is in a spot of bother. Whilst on a school visit, and in need of a Royal ‘We’, she has become trapped in a portaloo with Derek, the Head of Science and an anti-monarchist. To make matters worse, this temporary ‘throne’ has been rigged with explosives by terrorists, and any attempt to escape will set it off.
With no way to contact the outside world, the Queen and Derek must rely on each other as they wait anxiously to discover their fate. Will these two opposites be able to find some common ground? Will the flush hold up? And most important of all: will Derek discover what’s inside the Royal handbag?
From award-winning film and TV writer John Goldsmith (‘Victoria and Albert’) comes this witty and irreverent new comedy, starring Charlie Condou (‘Coronation Street’, ‘Unforgotten’, ‘Nathan Barley’) and Mary Roscoe (‘Ted Lasso’, ‘Unrelated’).
The cast also features Michael Joel Bartelle as headmaster Peter Carr. Michael was recently in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ for the RSC.
Creative team:
Director Anthony Biggs
Set & Costume Designer Gregor Donnelly
Lighting Designer Chuma Emembolu
Sound Designer Chris Drohan
Casting Director Jane Deitch
Assistant Director Steven Moore
Charlie Condou (Derek Jones) is best known for his long-running role as Marcus Dent in ‘Coronation Street’. He also played Simon Osborne in the ITV drama ‘Unforgotten’ and Ben Sherwood in the BBC1 medical drama ‘Holby City’. He was Auguste in the 2001 thriller film ‘Charlotte Gray’ alongside Cate Blanchett, he played editor Jonatton Yeah? in the Channel 4 sitcom ‘Nathan Barley’ and was Renoir in the BBC drama ‘The Impressionists’. On stage he was Rev Hale in a UK tour of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ and starred in ‘Next Fall’ at Southwark Playhouse.
Mary Roscoe (HM The Queen) is currently appearing in Apple TC’s award-winning comedy ‘Ted Lasso’ as Julie Higgins. Recent Television includes ‘Strike - Troubled Blood’, ‘Finding Alice’ and ‘Endeavour’. Film includes a leading role in Joanna Hogg’s ‘Unrelated’, Tom Hooper’s ‘Les Miserables’ and Mike Leigh’s ‘Topsy Turvy’. Mary has appeared in many theatre productions. More recently ‘Belonging’ at Hampstead, ‘Aunt Dan and Lemon’ at the Royal Court, and ‘Beating Heart Cadaver’ at the Finborough.
Anthony Biggs (Director)
Anthony has been the Co-Artistic Director of the Playground Theatre since it opened in 2017, where his directing credits include: Gregory Evans’ ‘Shirleymander’ with Jessica Martin, James Purdy’s ghost tale ‘The Paradise Circus’ with Sophie Ward and Tim Woodward, and the UK premiere of ‘The Jazz Age’ by Allan Knee with Hannah Tointon. Previously Anthony was Artistic Director of Jermyn Street Theatre where his productions included ‘I Loved Lucy ‘with Sandra Dickinson (West End/Off Broadway), ‘Little Eyolf’ with Imogen Stubbs, and ‘Soldiers’ Wives’ with Cathy Shipton (UK tour).
John Goldsmith (Writer)
John was educated at Winchester, where he won the Queen’s Gold Medal for English Verse, and the University of Aix-Marseille (Diplome de langue et lettres Francaises.). At the age of 21 he sold his first novel, ‘Mrs. Mount, Ascendant’, to Leonard Woolf at the Hogarth Press. He subsequently worked for Hogarth/Chatto & Windus as a part-time reader and editor while breaking into TV by contributing episodes to the action-adventure series ‘The Protectors’. After a short stretch in business he returned to full-time writing with the publication of his second novel, ‘The Icing of Balthazar’, in 1977, and a script for the cult sci-fi series ‘Space’, 1999. He also took on freelance editing work, with Edna Healy’s ‘Lady Unknown’, Sir John Gielgud’s ‘An Actor and His Time’, and the art historian Roger Hinx’s acclaimed ‘Gymnasium of the Mind’. He gave up this sort of work in 1986 having reached the summit of Sir Stephen Spender’s ‘Journals’. During this period he also contributed scripts to vintage British TV series including ‘The New Avengers’, ‘The Return of the Saint’ and ‘The Professionals’.
In film and television, since the late 1980’s he has concentrated on historical subjects (‘Catherine the Great’; ‘Kings in Grass Castles’; ‘Paradise Found’; ‘A Bear Named Winnie’; ‘La Belle Otero’), classic a
daptations (‘Great Expectations’; ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’; ‘David Copperfield’; ‘Kidnapped’) and
Biblical epics (‘In the Beginning’; ‘Mary Mother of Jesus’; ‘The Gospel of John’). He started writing for the American market in 1987 with The Disney Channel’s 13-hour swashbuckler ‘Return to Treasure Island’.
He has published three novels, including his child of shame, the airport bookstall blockbuster ‘Bullion’ (1982). He has also published numerous children’s books.
His TV documentary ‘Mrs Livingstone, I Presume’ won the Silver Award at the New York International Film and TV Festival. His feature adaptation of Roald Dahl’s ‘Danny, Champion of the World’ was nominated for an ACE in the writing category and won the award for Childrens’ Programming 9+, picking up five more awards in various festivals and countries. His ‘Waltz Through the Hills’ picked up numerous awards, including the 1988 Australian Pater Award. As writer, he was nominated for an Emmy in 1998-99 for ‘The Island on Bird Street’ and the movie itself won Best Picture in its category. His critically acclaimed mini series ‘Victoria & Albert’ was nominated for Best Mini Series at Banff in 2002. His ‘Gospel of John’ won the Templeton Foundation Epiphany Award in 2003. In 2005 he was nominated for a Gemini Award for ‘A Bear Named Winnie’.
In 1978 he published the best-selling ‘Voyage in the Beagle’, an account of the re-enactment of
Darwin’s famous voyage in which he served as a crew member of the replica ship that featured in the BBC series ‘The Voyage of Charles Darwin’. Darwin resurfaced in his 2008 movie ‘Darwin’s Darkest Hour’.
He is currently writing ‘To the Bitter End’ for Australian producer Carolyn Frichot at Signalhill and
ScreenOz.
‘The Throne’ is his first stage play.
Throne Production Ltd
presents the world premiere of
‘The Throne’
by John Goldsmith
Directed by Anthony Biggs
Charing Cross Theatre
The Arches
Villiers Street
London WC2N 6NL
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