Quality Street

The Viaduct Theatre, Dean Clough Mills, Dean Clough, Halifax, from Friday February 14 to Saturday February 22

A brand new production of JM Barrie’s hugely popular farce, Quality Street is opening at The Viaduct Theatre, Halifax, before embarking on a UK tour.

Written years before his now much-loved Peter Pan, Barrie’s farce was so well known in its day that it gave its name to the UK’s most popular chocolates, made in Halifax since 1936.

Quality Street is the inaugural production by newly-appointed Northern Broadsides artistic director Laurie Sansom who took over from Conrad Nelson. Laurie was previously artistic director of National Theatre of Scotland where he directed the acclaimed the James Plays trilogy. Prior to this he was artistic director of

Royal and Derngate in Northampton.

Playing Phoebe Throssel is Jessica Baglow – Gentleman Jack, Emmerdale – and her lover Captain Valentine is Dario Coates – Coronation Street and Endeavour.

The rest of the cast includes Jim English, John Gully, Claire Hackett, Louisa May Parker, Alicia McKenzie, Sophie Mercell and Gabriel Paul

The play marks the beginning of a new producing model for Broadsides, with each production being cocreated with “creation squads” formed from the local community.

For this production, the actors will collaborate with workers from the Quality Street factory, developing contemporary tales of hapless love and a live commentary that will frame the action of Barrie’s regency romcom as well as providing a modern lens through which to view the story. Following this, it will tour to Salford, Lancaster, Bury St Edmunds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Guildford, Derby,

Leeds, Stoke-on-Trent, Scarborough, Harrogate, Hull and York.

Tickets: 01422 849227