11/09/12…The comedy of family life at Thame Players Theatre

Thame Players present: BORN IN THE GARDENS by Peter Nichols, at The Players Theatre, Nelson Street, Thame
at 7.45pm from Tuesday September 11, to Saturday, September 15.

The latest production by Thame Players at their theatre in Nelson Street, Thame is ‘Born in the Gardens’ by Bristol born playwright, Peter Nichols. The play is a comedy play about a dysfunctional family and was written in 1979. It was first staged in the Bristol Old Vic as part of its 200th anniversary. The cast for the premiere included Beryl Reid, Peter Bowles, Barry Foster and Jennie Linden. The production transferred to the Gielgud Theatre in London where it played for nine months.

The play is about a family coming together for a short period after father has died, and the immediate after-effects of the bereavement they have experienced. The title of the play comes from a sign in the Polar Bear enclosure in Bristol Zoological gardens which referred to a polar bear called Misha. In the play the polar bear is replaced by a gorilla!

The Thame Players production marks the directorial debut of Brian Holt. A member of Thame Players for nearly 30 years, Brian has hitherto concentrated on acting, most recently appearing as Father Jack in Dancing at Lughnasa earlier this year. Brian comments: ?Peter Nichols? play celebrates eccentricity; it examines family life and questions progress. It is tragic, hilarious and vicious, full of the era?s bigotry and casual racism.?

The play runs from Tuesday, September 11, to Saturday, September 15, at 7.45pm each evening. Tickets cost