Review: The Truth at the Menier Chocolate Factory

The Truth
Menier Chocolate Factory
Reviewed on Wednesday 16th March 2016
★★★★

Florian Zeller strikes again! With The Father back in the West End and The Mother having recently completed its run at the Tricycle Theatre, Lindsay Posner's production of The Truth is making its UK premiere at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Tanya Franks & Alexander Hanson to star in Florian Zeller's The Truth

Casting has been announced for the UK premiere of Florian Zeller's The Truth.

The play opens at the Menier Chocolate Factory on 16th March (previews from 10th March) and runs until 7th May 2016 in a new version by Christopher Hampton.

Directed by Lindsay Posner, the play will star Tanya Franks (EastEnders/Broadchurch), Alexander Hanson (Stephen Ward/A Little Night Music), Frances O’Connor (Tom & Viv/Mr Selfridge) and Robert Portal (Around the World in 80 Days/Communicating Doors).

Review: The Gathered Leaves at the Park Theatre

The Gathered Leaves 

Park Theatre

Reviewed on Friday 17th July 2015

★★★★

The Gathered Leaves is a brilliant family drama set over Easter weekend in 1997. Andrew Keatley’s play centres around the Pennington family who haven't been in the same room for over seventeen years until three generations are brought together to celebrate a seventy-fifth birthday. Secrets are revealed, tempers flare, relationships are tested and the atmosphere intensifies.

Interview: Tom Hanson, starring in The Gathered Leaves at the Park Theatre

Tom Hanson is currently starring as Simon Pennington in the world premiere of Andrew Keatley’s play The Gathered Leaves at the Park Theatre.

Set over the over Easter weekend in 1997, The Gathered Leaves is described as a “moving, poignant and funny family drama”. The play is about the Pennington family who haven’t been in the same room for over 17 years. Three generations come together to celebrate an elderly family member’s birthday…

Tom is the son of Samantha Bond and Alex Hanson, the latter of whom is also starring in the production as Simon’s father, Giles. The cast of Antony Eden’s production also includes Jane Asher and her real-life daughter, Katie Scarfe. Tom recently made his professional debut as Hugo in Posh (Nottingham Playhouse/Salisbury Playhouse).

I recently spoke to Tom about what makes The Gathered Leaves such an interesting play, why he’s excited to be working alongside such a stellar cast and whether he always wanted to follow in his parents’ footsteps…

To work alongside your father is a very unique opportunity! What drew you to the project?

To be honest it was the play, it’s so well written. To have the opportunity to work with a parent, or any actor of that calibre – this cast is full of them – is fantastic. This is going to sound arrogant, but I don’t mean this in an arrogant way at all; I read the whole thing and I just felt like the writer sort of knew me. Simon, the role I play, can just be a belligerent arse… and I think I probably can as well… well not a belligerent arse, but his sense of humour is so similar to mine and I was just like, ‘I have to do this’. I went and auditioned and luckily got it. I thought it was a brilliant piece!

Rehearsal images released for The Gathered Leaves starring Clive Francis, Alexander Hanson & Jane Asher

Rehearsal images have been released for the world premiere of Andrew Keatley’s The Gathered Leaves. Directed by Antony Eden, the show opens at the Park Theatre on 16th July (previews from 15th July) and runs until 15th August 2015. Check out the pictures below (click image to enlarge).

Clive Francis stars as patriarch ‘William Pennington’ opposite Jane Asher as his wife ‘Olivia’. Nick Sampson, Alexander Hanson and Katie Scarfe star as their children, ‘Samuel’, ‘Giles’ and ‘Alice. The third generation is played by Amber James as ‘Aurelia’, Georgina Beedle as ‘Emily’ and Tom Hanson as ‘Simon’. 

Big Interview: Alexander Hanson discusses Single Spies, Stephen Ward and the future of new musicals…

Alexander Hanson is currently starring in Alan Bennett’s Single Spies (the award-winning double bill of An Englishman Abroad and A Question of Attribution) at the Rose Theatre in Kingston. 

Alexander most recently created the title role in the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Stephen Ward. His theatre credits also include: Jesus Christ Superstar (arena tour), A Little Night Music (Menier/West End/Broadway), Marguerite (Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Sound of Music (Palladium), We Will Rock You (Dominion), Candide, Copenhagen, The Merchant of Venice (National), Sunset Boulevard (Adelphi), Talking to Terrorists (Royal Court) and Hay Fever and Translations (Chichester Festival Theatre). 

I recently spoke to Alexander about his new role in Single Spies and the secret of Alan Bennett’s success as well as his thoughts about Stephen Ward and the future of new West End musicals…

How much did you already know about Single Spies? What attracted you to the project?

I kind of knew a little bit about it because I had seen it years ago on the telly with Alan Bates. I had also seen A Question of Attribution with James Fox, both were quite brilliant. I’ve always had a slight fascination for those guys. I remember my interest being peaked by an article that William Boyd, the novelist, wrote in the Observer one Sunday. I think he was promoting his book, Restless, which is a spy novel and features a kind of Philby-esque type character in it. I remember it just caught me. Then this year, quite coincidentally, Ben Macintyre came out with his new book A Spy Among Friends which was about Philby so I thought I would give it a read. It’s a riveting read but at the time I knew nothing about Single Spies. It came up and I was drawn to it.