Lucy Briggs-Owen is currently starring as Jessica in Lindsay Posner’s London revival of Communicating Doors by Alan Ayckbourn at the Menier Chocolate Factory.
The play sees a dominatrix (played by Rachel Tucker) who, in the process of fleeing for her life, stumbles into a cupboard and – thanks to the wonders of time travel – finds herself twenty years in the past. After realising lives are in danger, she teams up with Ruella (played by Imogen Stubbs) and Jessica to change the course of events.
Lucy recently created the role of Viola in Lee Hall’s stage adaptation of Shakespeare In Love at the West End’s Noel Coward Theatre to tremendous critical acclaim.
Her theatre credits also include: Times Olga in Fortune's Fool (Old Vic), Brooke in Noises Off (West End), Mrs Fainall in The Way Of The World (Sheffield Crucible), Vivie Warren in Mrs Warren's Profession (West End/UK tour), Cecily in The Importance Of Being Earnest (Open Air), Blanche in Widowers Houses (Royal Exchange), Sybil in Private Lives (Hampstead) and Cressida in Troilus And Cressida (Barbican/international tour).
Lucy’s work for the RSC includes: Helena in Midsummer Night's Dreaming, Maryna in Boris Godunov, Princess in The Orphan Of Zhao, Luscinda in Cardenio, Anne in The City Madam and Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
I recently spoke to Lucy about why she has been longing to take on her first Ayckbourn play, having a giggle with her co-stars and her fond memories of Shakespeare In Love…
What jumped out for you when you first looked at Communicating Doors? Jessica is such a fun role!
Well I have been, for a number of years, a huge Ayckbourn fan and have been longing to do some. In fact, I can remember auditioning with speeches from his plays – Absent Friends in particular – for drama school. He’s something I hold dearly. So this meeting came up for Communicating Doors, which was very exciting, and I read the play and thought ‘that is absolutely bananas… but completely brilliant!’ Whilst it is farcical and terribly funny, it is also so very human at points and taps into some really big issues and thoughts about what it is to be human. It seems very absurd and funny on one hand, but I think it’s actually got a lot of meat to it.
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