Brownlee, Jesus to the fore in Court plays
The Court Theatre’s new season – launched on Saturday night – includes a play about earthquake frustrations, a classic 1970s musical and a psychological thriller fresh from Broadway. Artistic director Ross Gumbley talks about five plays from the new season.
E Q F ...... C (March 30-April 27, 2019)
‘‘It’s about a couple who, through their frustration with EQC, take the law into their own hands and kidnap Gerry Brownlee in a portaloo. I think there is a catharsis that people in this town will really appreciate.’’
Jesus Christ Superstar (November 24-January 19, 2019) ‘‘This will be our first Andrew Lloyd Webber. I think it will work well on our stage and people will be blown away by the music. We are going to really grab hold of the 1970s vibe. It won’t be swords and sandals, it will have a real 1970s feel to match the music.’’
Astroman (October 27-November 10)
‘‘This is an incredibly exciting new play, set in 1980s small-town New Zealand, about 15-year-old Jimmy, whose life isn’t going anywhere. It’s about his relationship with the Scottish owner of the local video game arcade. It is a bit like Good Will Hunting and has that 1980s Stranger Things feeling.’’
Stephen King’s Misery (August 4-25)
‘‘This is William Goldman’s adaptation of Misery and will star Lara McGregor wielding the hammer. It was on Broadway two years ago. We’ve never done a play like this before. We hope to connect to a new audience with a play that has something to say about themes to do with creativity and expectation and living in peril with the people around you. We hope that it will reinvent the stage thriller.’’
Ideation (June 2-23)
‘‘This is a stunning play. It starts off with a think-tank working out logistics for the government. When they sit down, you realise they are working out the logistics of a genocide. They have been told that the government wants to know this in case of a pandemic. They start to ask questions. Is this a morality test? It’s a punchy idea for a play. The audience will be in the round so they will feel like they are part of the decisions being made in this room. We came across this play and loved it so much we had to do it.’’