Born In The Gardens (From This Is Wiltshire)

Born In The Gardens

6:38pm Wednesday 16th July 2008 in

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In repertory until Saturday, August 9, Theatre Royal Bath.

A new production of Peter Nichols's comedy, Born In The Gardens opens in Bath starring Stephanie Cole, Simon Shephered, Allan Corduner and Miranda Foster.

Directed by Stephen Unwin for The Peter Hall Company 2008 season, this rarely performed play appears in repertory at the Theatre Royal until Saturday, August 9.

Maud and her son Mo live in a decaying mock-Tudor house in Bristol. She chats to people on the telly, he converses with the cat and both share a penchant for bizarre cocktails, tinned food and keeping the past alive.

When older son, Hedley and Mo's twin, Queenie, return for their father's funeral, they try to persuade Maud and Mo that the time is ripe to escape the confines of their crumbling home - but not everyone wants freedom when it's offered Peter Nichols's comedy was originally commissioned by Bristol Old Vic Theatre to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 1979. Gleefully observant, hilarious throughout and quintessentially English, Born in the Gardens is set in Bristol where Alfred the gorilla is a hero, Bright's has become Dingle's and Maud is struggling to master the Michael wave!

One of Britain's favourite actresses, Stephanie Cole's diverse television roles include Diana in Waiting for God (for which she won Best Actress in the British Comedy Awards), Dr. Beatrice Mason in Tenko, Peggy Beare in Keeping Mum and Joan Norton in Doc Martin. She also played the redoubtable Mrs Featherstone in BBC's Open All Hours, the tipsy Betty Sillitoe in A Bit of a Do, and received great acclaim for her portrayal of Muriel in Alan Bennett's monologue Soldiering On.
Recent leading roles have included Mrs Malaprop in Sheridan's The Rivals, in celebration of the Theatre Royal Bath's Bicentenary in October 2005, prior to a UK tour, and Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit in the West End.

Well known as Dr Will Preston in five series of ITV's Peak Practice, Simon Shephered's many television credits also include Sam Bliss in Bliss and Piers Garfield Ward in Chancer. He played himself in three episodes of Gimmee, Gimmee, Gimmee, and recently has appeared in Heartbeat, The Invisibles, and Poirot. He was last seen at the Theatre Royal in May 2007 when he starred as The Narrator in the UK tour of The Rocky Horror Show. He has also performed in the West End in Art and David Hare's The Secret Rapture.
Allan Corduner's numerous television credits include The Last Detective, Foyle's War, Fat Friends and Drop the Dead Donkey. He has performed on stage in the West End and on Broadway on many occasions. He has appeared in over 30 films including Mike Leigh's Vera Drake and Topsy-Turvy.
Allan's previous appearances at the Theatre Royal Bath include Mike Leigh's Two Thousand Years, which visited Bath in 2006.

Miranda Foster has performed extensively with the National Theatre in plays directed by Richard Eyre, Peter Gill, Michael Bogdanov and Peter Hall, including Animal Farm. Her many television credits include Rosemary and Thyme, Dream Team, Where the Heart Is, Doctors and The Bill. Her previous performances at the Theatre Royal Bath include Noises Off in 1995, The Gingerbread Lady in 2004 and Festen in 2006.

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