PART OF THE GARRICK'S BRANAGH SEASON

Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in Terence Rattigan's affectionate homage to the art (and madness) of staging a play, produced as part of a double bill with All On Her Own starring Zoe Wanamaker in his all-star season at the Garrick Theatre in 2015/16

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

When a professional theatre company prepares to open their production Romeo and Juliet in a small Midlands town, the two married leads Arthur and Edna discover shocking secrets about the former. Arthur, who plays Romeo is astounded when he discovers that he has a grown-up daughter by another woman - who in turn has a child herself. Horrified that he is now a grandfather, Arthur feels that he cannot possibly play the role of the dashing young Romeo.

Things get worse for Edna as it is revealed that Arthur is still married to Muriel's mother Flossie, meaning that he is in fact a bigamist. In the meantime, the long-suffering stage manager Jack is desperately trying to ditch the world of theatre to get a "real job", and his increasingly outlandish attempts to do so end in utter chaos for the company. Will they ever stage the play, or will the ridiculous antics of the players and creative team bring the curtain down before it even rises?

Please note that purchasing a ticket for Harlequinade also means you get to see All On Her Own directly beforehand!