Category Archives: Productions

Cast for Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice

Delighted to announce the cast for the upcoming spring production of Pride & Prejudice, welcome to our new members:

Mr Bennet – Peter O’Sullivan

Mrs Bennet – Margie Barrass

Jane Bennet – Corina Mann

Elizabeth Bennet – Jemima Helen

Mary Bennet – Jenny Haywood

Kitty Bennet – Dacey Mae

Lydia Bennet – Amy Taulbut

Mr Darcy – Adam HW

Mr Bingley – Sam Elliott

Caroline Bingley – Dacey Mae

Mr Collins – Graham Weeks

Charlotte Lucas – Siggy Lee

Mr Gardiner – Gerard Nolan

Mrs Gardiner – M. Caroline Hopkins

Lady Catherine de Bourgh – Claire Hewitt

Miss Anne de Bourgh – Amy Taulbut

Colonel Fitzwilliam – Jonathan Ralph

Mr Wickham – Dylan Collie

Mrs Reynolds – Liz McEwen

Georgina Darcy – Amy Taulbut

Tickets are available now: Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice – Kenton Theatre
Written & Directed by John Goodman

Absent Friends by Alan Ayckbourn

The Henley Players Spring production will be Absent Friends written by Alan Ayckbourn and will be performed at The Kenton Theatre from 26th to 29th March 2025. Our Director is Mark Wilkin.

It’s always good to see old friends – isn’t it?

Diana has invited Colin over for a nice cup of tea and to catch up with friends he hasn’t seen in years. Given that Colin’s fiancée has recently drowned everyone is on edge worrying about what to say to him, but when he finally arrives he seems to be the most cheerful among them. The reunion only succeeds in opening old wounds and Colin’s jolly attempts to smooth the waters only make things worse.

Set in the 1970’s and rooted firmly in that era, Absent Friends is regarded as one of Alan Ayckbourn’s finest plays. He makes this road-crash of a party both sad and touching, but always bitingly funny.

Cast:

Diana – Lucy Weeks
Evelyn – Siggy Lee
Marge – Rowena McMenamin
Paul – Tim Harling
Colin – Tom Rawlinson

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

“If music be the food of love, play on”

Our Autumn production will be Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare and will be performed at the Kenton Theatre in Henley-on-Thames on 16th to 19th October 2024.

Twelfth Night is a tale of unrequited love – hilarious and heartbreaking. Shakespeare’s comedy of mistaken identity is a giddy mix of joy, yearning, farce, frolics and debauched revelry.

Following a shipwreck Viola, who has been separated from her brother Sebastian, disguises herself as a boy in the court of Count Orsino and is tasked on his behalf with wooing the Countess Olivia only to herself become the object of Olivia’s affections. Meanwhile Olivia’s steward Malvolio has ideas above his station when he is tricked into believing his mistress has amorous intentions towards him and wishes to see him dressed in cross-gartered yellow stockings.

Romantic intrigues, cunning deceptions, sexual confusion, and drunken songs abound in one of Shakespeare’s most popular and enduring comedies.

Spring Production – Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

We are very pleased to announce that our Spring 2024 production is Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. This classic comedy will be directed by John Goodman and will be performed at the Kenton Theatre from 20th to 23rd March.

 

Synopsis:

“I have created this thing out of the squashed cabbage leaves of Covent Garden; and now she pretends to play the fine lady with me.”

Eccentric phonetics expert, Henry Higgins, thinks he can pass off a poor flower girl in polite society with a few months of elocution lessons. It turns out that spirited Eliza Doolittle has a mind and personality of her own and is not willing to lose them as easily as she sheds her cockney accent. Strong characters and great wit animate this classic comedy, and the themes of social mobility and women’s empowerment are as relevant today as when Pygmalion was first performed, over a century ago. Whether you’re a lover of classic drama or a seeker of truth, this play promises an unforgettable evening.

Pygmalion spawned many adaptations for film and stage and was recently revived at the Old Vic.

 

Cast:

Professor Henry Higgins – Peter O’Sullivan

Colonel Pickering – Mike Mungarvan

Eliza Doolittle – Christie Southwick

Alfred Doolittle – Paul Gittus

Mrs Pearce – Liz McEwen

Mrs Higgins – Eileen Pinkarchevski

Mrs Eynsford-Hill – Caroline Hopkins

Clara Eynsford- Hill – Nancy Gittus

Freddy Eynsford-Hill – Joe O’Leary

Mrs Higgins’ parlour maid – Pam Pitts-Simmons

Nepommuck – Joe O’Leary

The Ambassadress – Pam Pitts-Simmons

Ladies in Lavender

Our Autumn production will be Ladies in Lavender which has been adapted for stage by Shaun Mckenna and is based on the film written and directed by Charles Dance. This lovely production will be performed at the Kenton Theatre from 19th to 22nd October 2022.

 

Synopsis

 

Ladies in Lavender is a heart-warming story of unfulfilled dreams and unrequited love. Based on the hit film which starred Judy Dench and Maggie Smith in the lead roles, it tells the tale of two retired sisters Ursula and Janet living in a close-knit fishing village in picturesque Cornwall in 1936.

A handsome and talented young Polish violinist bound for America was washed up on the shore. The sisters take him under their wing and nurse him back to health however the presence of the mysterious young man disrupts their peaceful lives and the community in which they live.

This is a beautiful poignant and award-winning piece of theatre adapted from the film by Shaun McKenna

 

Cast

 

Ursula – Jan Corby

Janet – Julia Ashton

Dorcas – Jenny Haywood

Andrea Marowski – Dean Stephenson

Dr Mead – Mike Mungarvan

Olga Danilof – Siggy Lee

 

Director – Wendy Huntley

Dangerous Corner by J.B. Priestley

Our latest production is Dangerous Corner by J.B. Priestley

Dangerous Corner is a well-crafted story, a thriller of truth, secrets and lies, where one loose word leads to an explosive combination of suspicions and emotions. The examination and exposure of the complex human relationships of the dinner party guests is the key, each new revelation taking us to new and more sinister possibilities until we reach an unexpected and gripping climax, a classic thriller.

Initially all seems well at the Caplan’s independent publishing house until a can of worms is unceremoniously ripped open at their dinner party. A chance remark plunges the guests into a re-examination of the mysterious events surrounding the recent death of young Martin Caplan and skeletons come crashing out of the closet in more ways than one. Life will never be the same again… or will it?

Performances at the Kenton Theatre, Henley-on-Thames

www.kentontheatre.co.uk

Box office: 01491 575 698

16–19 October 2019 at 7:30 pm

Matinee 19 October 2019 at 2:30 pm

Autumn 2018 Production of Brassed Off!

We are delighted to announce our Autumn 2018 production will be the brilliant comedy Brassed Off, featuring the Marlow Brass Band! We are fortunate to have Ian Head directing this cracking show for us.

Please go to the ‘Latest News‘ page for information on who has made it through auditions to be cast in this fun show! Please get in touch if you would like to help with crewing or publicity!