A POWERFUL drama is about to unfold at Ilkley Playhouse. Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea, one of his most famous works, is currently in rehearsal before its opening on July12. First performed in 1952, The Deep Blue Sea is set in post-war England and is infused with deep restrained emotion.

A beautifully constructed gem of post-war theatre, it spans a day in the life of Hester Collyer, the wife of a high court judge, leaving her respectable husband for a former RAF pilot with a drink problem. The story of her tempestuous affair is revealed and Hester is forced to confront her future. The characters are a group of society “outsiders” and whose lives touch upon one another with lasting impact.

Rattigan’s work is an interesting case study in shifting theatrical fashion. One of the giants of wartime and post-war theatre, his work was abruptly rendered horribly unfashionable with the arrival of the ‘angry young men’ wave of the 50s, and for much of the latter half of the last century was treated as period curiosity. However, his work has recently been re-evaluated: it’s been the subject of Radio 4 culture programmes and revived in theatres across the country. Notably, a 2016 National Theatre production of The Deep Blue Sea, with Helen McCrory as Hester, received outstanding reviews: it was described as “devastating masterpiece (that) contains one of the greatest female roles in contemporary drama.”

Rattigan is a remarkable craftsman. The story is drawn along by stark, understated emotions, and by the delicacy of Raattigan’s understanding of human relationships. It’s complemented by Dick Hebbert’s deft direction, using the elegant touch he brought to the Playhouse’s acclaimed production of My Boy Jack last year.

The Deep Blue Sea runs from Wednesday, July 12 to Saturday, July 22.

Moving from drama to comedy, once again it is the time of year when Ilkley Playhouse is excited to present Stagefright Comedy night Edinburgh Festival Comedy preview! From 8pm on Saturday, July 8, laughter will bellow from the playhouse as Edinburgh acts warm up for the festival.

Compare Anthony J Brown will introduce the intriguingly named Smug Roberts and Mundo Jazz. Smug Roberts’ glittering CV contains appearances in Phoenix Nights, That Peter Kay Thing, Mrs Brown's Boys, Cold Feet and even the Ken Loach film Looking For Eric. A veteran of the British comedy circuit, he’s been described by Metro as 'an act everyone deserves to see at least once'. A veritable renaissance man, he’s also had a minor chart hit with ‘Meat Pie Sausage Roll’ a song that began life as a local radio comedy routine and made it to the heady heights of number 67 in June 1998. Mundo Jazz, a one-man guitar-based musical improviser, has been described by the BBC as ‘Brilliant character comedy worthy of Coogan or Kay’, and elsewhere as “a live, Latino Spinal Tap”, and it doesn’t get much more intriguing than that.

To book tickets for any of our productions, please visit www.ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or phone the box office on 01943 609539.

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by Claire Emmott