It's almost time to raise the curtain on the Company of Ten's first production of the new season at the Abbey Theatre in St Albans.
Peter Quilter’s hilarious comedy Curtain Up! is a madcap play full of quickfire dialogue and several surprises.
It is about a group of women who inherit a derelict theatre.
Michael has died and left a dilapidated theatre to his nearest and dearest: his daughter Theresa, ex-wife Pam, mother Betty, former PA Sharon, and finally, Jackie, his lover and the woman for whom he left his wife.
There are fireworks ahead as the comedy centres around the interaction between the women and their sometimes volatile relationships.
With five strong female roles in an ensemble cast, this tremendous, fast-paced show has had audiences laughing across the UK and abroad for the past decade.
Our heroines find themselves involved in madness and mayhem as they try to save the theatre from destruction, at one point even inviting a well-known showbiz star to stage a spectacular concert.
There’s physical comedy, witty dialogue, dance routines and slapstick, and the play will leave you on a real high.
This is a family affair for the Company of Ten with a mother and daughter team playing mother and daughter onstage.
Katherine Barry plays Pam, and Emma Barry plays her daughter, Theresa.
Katherine says: "It is a joy working with Emma; there is a real rapport between us and because we know each other so well it has been easy to portray the closeness and conflict that exists between mother and daughter.
"I hope we can do it again some time!"
Playwright Peter Quilter was the Olivier Award-nominated writer behind the Oscar-winning film Judy, starring Renée Zellweger.
His play, Curtain Up!, is the perfect opener to the Company of Ten season and will keep you in stitches throughout.
Performances take place on the Abbey Theatre Main Stage from Friday, September 17 to Saturday, September 25 at 8pm, and on Sunday, September 19 at 2.30pm.
To book tickets go to www.abbeytheatre.org.uk or call the box office on 01727 857861.
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