Award Winning Masterpiece - The Country Girl - Coming To MK Prior To The West End

Clifford Odet’s The Country Girl comes to Milton Keynes Theatre 26 – 28 Aug as part of a short national tour prior to opening in the West End at the Apollo Theatre in October

Almost three decades ago Bill Kenwright had his first West End hit with The Country Girl at the featuring Martin Shaw as the hotshot director of a new Broadway play. This season Kenwright will present the same play in the same theatre and with the same star - only this time Shaw will play the role of former theatrical great Frank Elgin, starring alongside Jenny Seagrove as his long-suffering wife. The part originally played by Shaw will be performed by Mark Letheren.

Taking on the roles played by Morgan Freeman and Frances McDormand on Broadway in 2008, and by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly in the Oscar-winning 1954 movie version - Martin Shaw and Jenny Seagrove, stars of the hit BBC drama Judge John Deed, are reunited to appear on the West End Stage together for the very first time.

Martin Shaw’s most recent stage appearance was in A Man for All Seasons at the Haymarket: ‘Martin Shaw is magnificent’ (Daily Express). His starring roles in The Professionals, The Chief, A&E, Rhodes and more recently in Inspector George Gently, Apparitions and the aforementioned Judge John Deed have made him one of Britain’s biggest TV stars. He has also starred on stage in London and on Broadway in Sir Peter Hall’s production of An Ideal Husband, Alan Bleasdale’s Are You Lonesome Tonight, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire and Clifford Odets’ The Big Knife. He is joined by his Judge John Deed co-star Jenny Seagrove, whose many starring screen roles include A Woman of Substance, The Betrothed, Local Hero, A Chorus of Disapproval and Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. Jenny’s theatre credits include lead roles in Somerset Maugham’s The Letter, David Rabe’s Hurly Burly, Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce and Absurd Person Singular, and her appearance last year in the West End premiere of A Daughter’s A Daughter, described as ‘the finest performance of her career’ (Daily Telegraph).

The Country Girl is the powerful story of washed-up actor Frank a desperate and demanding alcoholic who is offered a comeback chance to star in the next Broadway play by young director Bernie Dodd –As the ‘Country Girl’ of the title, Jenny Seagrove plays his long-suffering wife Georgie. Believing that Georgie is the reason for Elgin’s career decline, Bernie strikes up a stormy relationship with the actor’s wife - but how far should a woman go to redeem the man she loves?

This compelling production is led by director Rufus Norris, whose credits include the Critics Circle and Evening Standard Award-winning Festen and the Olivier Award-winning production of Cabaret. Set design is by two time Tony Award-winner Scott Pask, costume design by Jonathan Lipman, lighting design by Mark Howett, sound design by Ben Harrison. The cast also includes: Nicholas Day, Peter Harding, Thomasin Rand and Luke Shaw.

Tickets are on sale now, book yours at Milton Keynes Theatre Box Office, call 0844 871 7652 (bkg fee) or visit www.ambassadortickets.com/miltonkeynes (bkg fee).

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