Theresa Rebeck’s The Understudy will have its UK premiere as part of the Canal Cafe Theatre’s American season from the 21st February. 

Directed by Russell Lucas, this production of The Understudy will see the venue transformed to the round for the first time.

The Understudy is a story of people trying to do what they love in the face of never ending problems and obstacles.

Charged with running the understudy rehearsal for the production, Roxanne finds her professional and personal life colliding when Harry, a jobbing actor, is cast as the understudy to Jake, a mid-level star yearning for legitimacy. As Harry and Jake find their common ground, Roxanne tries to navigate the rehearsal with a stoned lightboard operator, an omnipresent intercom system, the producers threatening to close the show and her own careening feelings about both actors and her past. Will the show go on?

Full of comedy, The Understudy is a humanistic examination of  the backstage friction of a frenzied understudy rehearsal of a long lost Kafka play about to be staged on Broadway.

Director Russell Lucas said: “This is not only an incredible scoop for Canal Cafe Theatre, but for the London theatre scene. This  comedic love letter to the theatre is all set in an understudy rehearsal of a Broadway production.”

The show is being produced as part of the Canal Cafe Theatre’s America: Past, Present and Future season which opened with Driving Miss Daisy in autumn 2016. The season will conclude with a brand new commissioned play inspired by Americana.

Casting for the production has yet to be confirmed.

The Understudy will appear at the Canal Cafe Theatre from the 21st February until the 11th March 2017. For more information and to book tickets visit: https://canalcafetheatre.com/event?EventId=53508.