Lockdown Theatre, in association with the Royal Theatrical Fund, presents:

PRIVATE LIVES - ACT ONE

STARRING ROBERT LINDSAY, EMMA THOMPSON, EMILIA CLARKE, and SANJEEV BHASKAR

DIRECTED BY JONATHAN CHURCH

SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER

7PM

TICKETS £35

THE BOX OFFICE WILL CLOSE ONE HOUR BEFORE SHOWTIME.

Join us (via ZOOM) for a live table read of Noël Coward’s sparkling comedy of manners, starring four legends of stage and screen: Robert Lindsay, Emma Thompson, Emilia Clarke and Sanjeev Bhaskar, directed by Jonathan Church. This will include the first act, followed by a live Q&A with the cast and director.

Tickets are limited, and our first production, A Bit of Waiting for Godot, sold out entirely, thanks to theatre-lovers all around the globe, raising over £35,000 for the RTF. This is a unique opportunity to take part in a one-night-only, once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-repeated event. A peek behind the curtain of the theatrical process, in the company of national treasures!

Private Lives premiered at the new Phoenix Theatre in the West End in 1930, with Gertrude Lawrence and Laurence Oliver starring alongside Coward himself. It has been revived ever since in London and on Broadway, and over the years has garnered dozens of theatrical honours, including three Oliver awards and four Tonys.

Robert Lindsay

BAFTA-winning actor, whose credits range from the smash hit Citizen Smith in the Seventies to My Family in the noughties, with a generous sprinkling of award-winning stage roles in between, including Me and My Girl, which won him the Olivier Award in the West End, and a Tony Award when it transferred to Broadway. His TV work has ranged from sitcoms (his first was Get Some In!) to BBC Shakespeare productions, and Stephen Poliakoff dramas Friends and Crocodiles and Gideon’s Daughter. He co-starred in Alan Bleasdale’s GBH, for which he received his BAFTA, and recently played King John (better known as Sleeping Handsomeness) in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. He appeared in Ricky Gervais’s Extras as an arrogant, mean-spirited version of himself. Or, as his friends prefer to say: as himself.

Emma Thompson

Oscar-winning actor, screenwriter, activist, author and comedian with film credits including Sense and Sensibility, Remains of the Day, Nanny McPhee, Love Actually, Saving Mr Banks and Howards End. She began her career with the Cambridge Footlights and has since become one of Britain’s most acclaimed actors; receiving two Academy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, three BAFTAs and two Golden Globes. Her television work includes The Young Ones, Angels in America, Fortunes of War, Tutti Frutti and Years and Years, and her stage credits include West End performances in Sweeney Todd and Me and My Girl. With a career spanning over five decades, she is the very definition of national treasure. She was appointed a Dame (DBE) in the Queen’s 2018 birthday honours list for her services to drama.

Her favourite thing in life is Sanjeev Bhaskar’s pitch-perfect impression of renowned film-maker Werner Herzog. Also, she failed to land the Sharon Stone role in Basic Instinct because the renowned film director Paul Verhoeven told her she ‘fell between two stools.’ She has been falling between those stools ever since.

Emma’s photo appears courtesy of Nick Haddow.

Emilia Clarke

Primetime Emmy-nominated actor with film and TV credits including Game of Thrones, Last Christmas, Terminator Genysis, and Solo: A Star Wars Story. She made her West End debut to widespread acclaim in Anja Reiss’ adaptation of Anton Chekov’s The Seagull and played the iconic Holly Golightly in Richard Greenberg’s adaptation of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s on Broadway. As one of the founders of the charity SameYou, she is a passionate advocate and fundraiser for the provision of long-term care for individuals recovering from brain injuries and stroke.

Sanjeev Bhaskar

BAFTA-nominated actor and writer who created and starred in the hit BBC comedy series Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42. His film credits include The Horrible Histories Movie, Paddington 2 and Yesterday. In 2007 he embarked on a personal journey through India with the BBC to commemorate 60 years of Indian independence. His accompanying travel book became a Sunday Times bestseller. His stage credits include Eric Idle’s Spamalot, and he is a regular guest Wittertainment presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live (hello to Jason Isaacs!) where he can often be found demonstrating his pitch-perfect impression of renowned German filmmaker Werner Herzog for the benefit of Emma Thompson. He didn’t audition for Basic Instinct, and consequently we do not know Paul Verhoeven’s opinion of him.

Jonathan Church

Jonathan Church CBE is currently Artistic Director of Bath Theatre Royal’s Summer Season, Chair of Marlowe Theatre Canterbury and on the Board of the Almeida Theatre. He was Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre (2006-2016); Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre (2001-2006); Associate Director of Hampstead Theatre (1999-2001); Artistic Director of Salisbury Playhouse (1995-1999); Associate Director of Derby Playhouse (1994-1995) and Assistant Director of Nottingham Playhouse (1992- 1994).

Jonathan’s West End Productions as a Director include The Prince (Wyndham’s Theatre); Hobson’s Choice (Vaudeville Theatre); Taken at Midnight (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Singin’ in the Rain (Palace Theatre); The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Duchess Theatre); Of Mice and Men (Savoy Theatre and The Old Vic); The Witches (Wyndham’s Theatre); A Busy Day (Lyric Theatre); The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby (Gielgud Theatre).

Many industries are under threat in these troubled times, but the entertainment industry is facing an existential crisis. We simply don’t know when, or even if, theatres will be able to accommodate audiences safely in sufficient numbers to make productions viable again. Theatres are closing, good theatres, and may never reopen their doors.

We at Lockdown Theatre want to do what we can to help safeguard and preserve our rich national heritage of theatre, and give it as healthy a future as possible, so all funds generated by this production will be donated to The Royal Theatrical Fund (Patron, Her Majesty the Queen).

The Royal Theatrical Fund provides support to all those who have worked professionally in the entertainment industry, whether onstage, backstage or front of house, and includes commercial musical theatre dancers, comedians, cabaret artistes, directors, and even producers! The Fund dispenses more than money; applicants' needs vary and may not just be financial – in these unprecedented times a simple telephone call can help relieve a sense of isolation and despair. The Fund also assists with benefit and welfare advice.

All proceeds from this event will be entirely channelled to help those in the industry during this pandemic. Every £ received will go directly to those in the greatest need. Should you wish to further donate to the Royal Theatrical Fund, you can do so at JustGiving.

Join us for an evening of classic comedy and chat. Bring your own wine. No popcorn.