The production, comprised of four theatrical monologues, will be streamed from the 18th February until the 31st July.
It has been announced that Original Theatre Company – the production company behind the critically acclaimed lockdown productions of Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong Online, Louise Coulthard’s Watching Rosie, Torben Betts’s Apollo 13: The Dark Side of The Moon and Philip Franks’s The Haunting of Alice Bowles and Perfectly Normal Productions are to present this first revival from next month.
Written by Peter Barnes, each of the four monologues will be performed by Jon Culshaw, Matthew Kelly, Jemma Redgrave and Adrian Scarborough. The production is set to be directed by Philip Franks and Charlotte Peters.
Filmed at the Theatre Royal Windsor with the help of theatre’s co-directors, Anne-Marie Woodley and Jon Woodley, technical and production manager Andi Manzi and head of lighting Will Brann.
The four monologues are as follows:
Billy & Me starring Jon Culshaw: For Michael Jennings, the only way to fight the voices in his head is to bring them to life. In fact he’s made a career from it. Now, seemingly alone on an empty stage, Billy, his stage partner of 25 years, keeps interrupting him. Which would be fine, except that Billy is a puppet. Billy and Me is a hilarious and daring examination exploring what happens when a ventriloquist lets the puppets take control.
Losing Myself starring Matthew Kelly: Adams used to have everything, with the world at his feet. Now he’s lost his faith… and his rocking horse. On a solitary bench within the hallowed confines of one of London’s forgotten churchyards, Adams sits on a bench for his final conversation with an old friend. With poignancy and profundity he must come to terms with who he has become and where he is going, but it’s going to rain and the bulldozers are moving in.
Rosa starring Jemma Redgrave: Dr Rosa Hamilton is tired. After twenty years of battling the system, drowning in paperwork and watching patients fade away in care homes, she’s tired, she’s angry and she really wants a drink. Especially as she’s about to dictate the most important letter of her life.
True Born Englishman starring Adrian Scarborough: Leslie has been a footman at Buckingham Palace for thirty years. A life of service, a life of discretion and a lifetime of secrets. Originally banned from broadcast by the BBC and never seen before, this world premiere takes you behind the scenes of the most famous of royal palaces for an unforgettable audience with a true born Englishman.
Barnes’ People is produced by Alastair Whatley and Tom Hackney for Original Theatre Company and David Morley for Perfectly Normal Productions.
Barnes’ People will be streamed from the 18th February until the 31st July. Tickets are available to buy here.