The full creative team for a new production at the Watermill Theatre has been announced.
The team is working on a new adaptation of Charley’s Aunt by theatre maker, writer and actor Rob Madge.
It will run at the Newbury venue from Friday, October 3, to Saturday, November 15.
Rob Madge (Image: Watermill Theatre)
Charley's Aunt, originally written by Brandon Thomas, centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt.
The complications of the plot include the arrival of the real aunt and the attempts of an elderly fortune hunter to woo the bogus aunt.
The play concludes with three pairs of young lovers united, along with an older pair – Charley's real aunt and Jack's widowed father.
Paul Hart, artistic director, and Claire Murray, executive director at the Watermill Theatre, have shared details of the creative team behind the production.
Mr Madge said: "I am thrilled to be adapting Brandon Thomas’ hysterical play for the Watermill.
"It already has all the ingredients of a classic farce – star-crossed lovers, mistaken identities, belly laughs galore – so we are very lucky to have that as a foundation.
The Watermill Theatre (Image: Philip Tull)
"It’s been my job to bring it bang up to date, whilst retaining the integrity of the original – don’t worry, we are still setting the piece firmly in Victorian England but there might be one or two surprises along the way.
"I can guarantee a night of laughs, joy, and pride. Hope you can come to the party."
The creative team includes director Sophie Drake, set and costume designer Alex Berry, lighting designer Ben Jacobs, and composer Lauryn Redding.
Ms Redding returns to the Watermill following her recent work on Three Hens in a Boat.
Ms Drake said: "I’m delighted to be directing Rob Madge’s audacious reimagining of Charley’s Aunt at the Watermill this autumn.
"Farce is able to expose the masks we wear – of class, gender, decorum – with surprising clarity, and Rob’s adaptation allows us to witness the absurdity of such practices.
"This adaptation honours Brandon Thomas’ original structure while reframing it through a contemporary, queer lens, allowing the story’s deeper resonances to emerge without losing its sense of play.
"We’ve kept the period setting but allowed theatricality to take centre stage.
"Pop music, eclectic, and vibrant design all serve the sharp comedy and heighten the emotional truths beneath the artifice.
"The Watermill’s intimate space is the perfect home for a play in which the line between performance and reality blurs, where what begins as chaos slowly reveals something tender, political, and unmistakably human.
"I can’t wait to share it with audiences."
In partnership with Newbury Pride, the theatre will host its first Come As You Are Night on Monday, October 27.
Guests are invited to arrive as their most comfortable selves for drinks and nibbles from 6pm.
Individual bathrooms will be available before and after the show for anyone who would like to change.
Tickets for ages 16 to 30 are discounted to £10 for Monday to Wednesday performances (band D) when joining the Watermill’s 16-30: Beginners scheme.
The performances will take place at 7.30pm from Monday to Saturday, and also at 2.30pm on Thursday and Saturday.
The Watermill Theatre says its "mission is to make theatre that is surprising, inventive, and exciting and to enable access for everyone".
A hallmark of its work is the artistry of actor-musicianship, in both new writing and reinvigorated classics.
In 2024, the Watermill was awarded the title of Theatre of the Year jointly with the National Theatre.
This award, recognising excellence in British theatre, was bestowed on the Watermill Theatre for its continued ambition as an independent charity, and the success of its 2023 production of The Lord of the Rings.
This multi award-winning production, the Watermill’s most ambitious to date, has subsequently transferred to Chicago, Auckland, and Australia before it returns to the UK in October.
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