York Theatre Royal Present Tony Award Winner Jez Butterworth's PARLOUR SONG

Parlour Song
by Jez Butterworth
Directed by Katie Posner

Work of Tony Award winning playwright Jez Butterworth will be performed in York Theatre Royal’s intimate Studio theatre as part of the In The Round Ensemble Season. The hilarious black comedy, Parlour Song will run from Thu 30 June to Sat 23 July.

Barbecues with the neighbours, a quick pint after work and Sundays spent mowing the lawn. Parlour Song follows Ned, Joy and Dale as they go about their ordinary lives on a modern suburban estate. So why hasn’t Ned slept a wink in months? Why do things keep going missing from his house?

This black comedy explores the deceit, paranoia and murderous desires that can lurk in the most unlikely households and leaves audiences asking – Can you ever really know your neighbours?

First opening at the Almedia, London in 2009, Parlour Song was one of the first plays Butterworth wrote after moving from London to the Somerset countryside, a move he has claimed allowed him to regain his creative writing skills. At the same time Jerusalem opened at the Royal Court which has since gone on to win a 2011 Tony Award and the Evening Standard Award for Best Play. Butterworth has commented that the play is semi-autobiographical, referring to his childhood home on a cul-de-sac in St Albans and the ‘memories of residential oppressiveness” (The Guardian interview, 2009).

“Butterworth shows that he has a compassionate understanding of the quiet desperation that stalks Britain's new estates. He exactly captures the mundane madness beneath the bland routine of affluence.” The Guardian (original performance at Almedia, London)

This is a great chance to see the work of one of Britain’s most celebrated playwrights in the intimate studio of York Theatre Royal. The cast of Stephen Billington, Helen Kay and Simeon Truby have already gained a reputation for their adaptability throughout our Ensemble Season, all having received strong reviews in both The Crucible and My Family and Other Animals.

To book your tickets call Box Office on 01904 623568 or online at www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Listings Information:

Producer: York Theatre Royal

Director: Katie Posner

Cast: Stephen Billington, Helen Kay, Simeon Truby

Dates: 30 June – 23 July

Times: 7.45pm with 2pm (sat) matinees

Location: Studio

Tickets: £12, £7 students & u25s, £10 concs.

After show discussion: Wed 20 July

Suitible for 14+ (strong language)