20Apr 17
Grand Gesture
Kingsley Players return to the stage in May with a hilarious black comedy ‘The Grand Gesture’, Deborah McAndrew’s witty adaptation of the 1928 Russian play ‘The Suicide’ by Nikolai Erdman.
Set in a port ‘somewhere in North West England’, the play sparkles with dazzling dialogue delivered by a hotchpotch of misfit characters.
The plot revolves around Simeon Duff (played by Chris Newman), a man down on his luck, who jokingly decides to ‘make a statement’ by shooting himself. Many people turn up – not to dissuade him – but to take ownership of his ‘grand gesture’ for their own dodgy reasons.
The play calls for a ‘choir of angels’ which has been supplied by Ashton Sings community choir. Their musical director Martin Jones arranged several pieces especially for his own heavenly voices and recordings of these pieces form an important part of the show.
Director Ed Green explained: “The Grand Gesture is hilariously absurd and one of the finest comedic plays to come to Kingsley. The biting Russian satire is tempered with Scouse humour in a show which is darkly funny and rich in bonkers, madcap characters. The play is a parody on society and governments as relevant today as a hundred years ago.
“We have assembled a great cast. We are also grateful to the Ashton Sings choir and their musical director for responding magnificently to the demanding request for angelic, heavenly voices. The music is an important part of the show and we could not have staged this without them.”
The Grand Gesture will play for four performances at Kingsley Community Centre, Wednesday 17h – Saturday 20th May, 2017, 7.30pm.
Tickets cost £7 (£5 concessions) available on Wednesday and Thursday, £8 (no concession) on Friday and Saturday. Book in advance through the website www.kingsleyplayers.co.uk or by ringing the box office on 07724 892154.