THE BIRTHDAY PARTY at Royal Exchange

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

By Harold Pinter

Directed by Blanche McIntyre

Designed by Dick Bird

The Royal Exchange Theatre

St Ann’s Square, Manchester

Wednesday 5 June – Saturday 6 July

Press Night: Monday 10 June at 7.30pm

Classic Harold Pinter play THE BIRTHDAY PARTY continues the current season at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre from Wednesday 5 June to Saturday 6 July.

A surreal celebration where nothing is certain, the drama centres on Stanley Webber. He is possibly a pianist. He is lodging at Meg and Petey Boles’ seedy boarding house in an English Seaside town – which is possibly on the South Coast.

It is also possibly Stanley’s birthday, although he’s adamant it’s not. When two sinister strangers, Goldberg and McCann, arrive to stay and demand a celebration, his birthday party turns into a nightmare. 
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY is Nobel Prize winner Pinter’s first produced full length play that went on to become one of his best-known and most popular.

This powerful, absurd and unsettling story is directed by Blanche McIntyre (winner of the Critics Circle Most Promising Newcomer 2011 for the critically acclaimed ACCOLADE and FOXFINDER).

The cast includes Maggie Steed as Meg. She is best known on television for PIE IN THE SKY, SHINE ON HARVEY MOON, BORN AND BRED and JAM AND JERUSALEM. Film work includes Terry Gilliam's THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR PARNASSUS with Heath Ledger (she was working on the film when he died) and her extensive theatre credits include the Broadway production of Alan Bennett's THE HISTORY BOYS.

Ed Gaughan plays Stanley in this new production. He was last seen at the Royal Exchange in the Lyric Hammersmith and Filter Theatre’s critically-acclaimed version of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM.

Also appearing are Desmond Barrit as Goldberg; Keith Dunphy as McCann; Paul McCleary as Petey and Danusia Samai as Lulu.  The creative team is completed by Dick Bird (design), Malcolm Rippeth (lighting) and Gregory Clarke (sound).
The PRESS NIGHT for THE BIRTHDAY PARTY is on Monday 10 June 2013 at 7.30pm.

For further information, images, or for interview / press review ticket requests, please contact JOHN GOODFELLOW (Press & Communications Manager) on 0161 615 6783 / john.goodfellow@royalexchange.co.uk.
Production photos for THE BIRTHDAY PARTY will be available for download from the Royal Exchange Theatre Online Press Office from Friday 7 June 2013 at www.royalexchange.co.uk/press

More information available about this production at http://www.royalexchange.co.uk/event.aspx?id=656 

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY - Listings Information

The Royal Exchange Theatre

Evening Performance Times: Monday – Friday, 7.30pm (except Tuesday 18 June, no evening performance), Saturday, 8pm

Matinee Performance Times: Wednesday, 2.30pm, Saturday, 3.30pm. Extra matinee performance on

Tuesday 18 June, 2.30pm

Press Night: Monday 10 June, 7.30pm

Half Price Previews: Wednesday 5, Thursday 6 & Friday 7 June

Ticket Prices: £10.00 – £35.00 (Concessions Available)

Happy Mondays: Tickets £5.00 for 25-year-olds and under, Mondays Only

Audio-described Performance: Saturday 29 June, 3.30pm

BSL Interpreted Performance: Friday 5 July, 7.30pm

Captioned Performance: Thursday 27 June, 7.30pm

Backstage tours: Wednesday 12 June, 11am (this tour is BSL interpreted)

After-show Discussion: Thursday 20 June after 7.30pm performance

Box Office: 0161 833 9833.

On-line: www.royalexchange.co.uk/bookonline www.royalexchange.co.uk