Olivier and Tony Award winning playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s world premiere opens tomorrow at The Old Laundry Theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere.
Welcome to the Family is Ayckbourn’s 88th play and his second to receive its world premiere at the venue, with a mix of 19 evening and matinee performances running from Friday 12 to Saturday 27 May.
Welcome to the Family is set in a not too distant future where Josh is keen to introduce his fiancée Sara to his parents – Lord and Lady Meizner. However, they are deceased, which is normally a bit of a problem… Enter Josh’s wicked Uncle Lance who has gifted him a state-of-the-art ‘Capture’ visit to the past enabling him to revisit his deceased parents and family home whenever he likes. Celebratory champagne flows but family secrets are also about to be spilled in this new comedy by one of the country’s most successful and popular playwrights.
The Old Laundry shares a building with the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction in Bowness-on-Windermere and produces a lively annual programme of professional drama, classical music, folk, festivals, comedy, lectures and film.
This intimate 270-seat theatre has a long-running association with the playwright, who will direct the comedy, while long-term collaborator Roger Glossop is designing the set. The cast features an array of actors from stage and screen, including Caroline Langrishe, Antony Eden, Tanya-Loretta Dee, Bill Champion and Terence Booth.
Marketing Manager Sarah Melhuish says, “We are thrilled to have this exciting new play Welcome to the Family as one of the centrepieces of our 2023 theatre programme. We want to make this type of high-quality performance accessible to as many people as possible and are offering special back row bargain seats at £20 each – with the added bonus of extra leg room within just a few metres of the stage!”
Box Office: 015394 40872
Online booking: www.oldlaundrytheatre.co.uk
Performance dates: 12 – 27 May with matinee & evening performances
Photo credit: Steve Barber