There’s no end to the praise for celebrated play Beginning
David Eldridge’s critically acclaimed play Beginning receives its Theatre Royal Bath premiere in a new production starring Amanda Ryan and Simon Darwen from Friday, September 24, to Saturday, October 2.
Every story starts somewhere… It’s the early hours of the morning and Danny is the last straggler at Laura’s party. The flat’s in a mess. And so are they. One more drink?
Laura is single, childless and with no immediate family; Danny is divorced, living with his mother and hasn’t seen his daughter for years. Beginning charts Laura and Danny’s journey as they begin to open up to each other and share just where they are in their lives.
Beginning takes a touching look at the first fragile moments of risking your heart and taking a chance on a new relationship. Described by The Independent as a “gorgeous new play” and by the Evening Standard as “a must-see hit”, this tender and funny drama received its world premiere at the National Theatre in 2017 before transferring to the West End. The 2021 revival of Beginning, postponed for a year during the pandemic, opened at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch earlier this month before touring to Bath.
Amanda Ryan stars as Laura. Her many television roles have included Sergeant Carrie Rogers in three series of Channel 4’s Shameless, Holly in ITV’S mini-series of The Forsyte Saga and Agnes Wickfield in the BBC’S adaptation of David Copperfield. Over the past 25 years, she has also appeared in numerous primetime drama series, including Inspector Lewis, Casualty, Free Reign, Coronation Street, Inspector Morse, Eastenders and Murphy’s Law.
On stage, she has appeared in many theatre productions across the UK and in the West End, previously performing at Bath’s Theatre Royal in Closer in 1999 and Otherwise Engaged in 2005.
Simon Darwen stars as Danny. His television credits include appearances in the primetime dramas Call the Midwife, Russell T Davies’ Years and Years, The Bletchley Circle, Silent Witness and The Bill. On stage he has performed in The Merchant of Venice for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Love Love Love for Paines Plough, and Missing People at Leeds Playhouse and the National Theatre Tokyo among many others. Simon has previously performed at the Theatre Royal Bath in King Lear in 2013 and Flare Path in 2015.
Widely regarded as one of the most important playwrighting voices of his generation, David Eldridge has written for stage, screen, and radio. His plays have been produced in the West End and on Broadway, including his stage adaptation of Festen, which opened at the Almeida Theatre and toured to Theatre Royal Bath in 2006.
Beginning is directed by Joe Lichtenstein from the original production by Polly Findlay with design by Fly Davis, lighting design by Jack Knowles, sound design by Paul Arditti and movement direction by Naomi Said.
Beginning is at the Theatre Royal Bath from Friday, September 24, to Saturday, October 2. Tickets are on sale at the Box Office on 01225 448844 and at www. theatreroyal.org.uk