Colchester’s Mercury Theatre and Cirencester’s the Barn Theatre are partnering for the first time to produce the English premiere production of David Greig and Gordon McIntyre’s play with songs Midsummer.
Directed by the Mercury’s artistic director Ryan McBride, the co-production will play the Colchester venue from 3-18 May before playing the Barn from 22 May until 22 June.
Written by award-winning playwright Greig with music by songwriter McIntyre, the romantic comedy about love, life and a chance encounter on a midsummer night in Edinburgh was first seen at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 2008.
Commenting on the production, McBride said: “David Greig is one of our most exciting writers and we’re delighted to be sharing his and Gordon McIntyre’s multi-award-winning romantic comedy with our audiences. Full of laughs and tinged with hope, this play with songs is an inventive, laugh-out-loud, love-song to everyone who has ever felt stuck in a rut: reminding us that no matter how repetitive, dull or hopeless our lives might seem, change is always possible.”
Iwan Lewis, CEO and artistic director of the Barn Theatre, added: “In today’s world, it’s crucial for theatres to adapt and seek innovative approaches to their productions. For a small, independent theatre like the Barn, which harbours large aspirations yet operates without subsidies, finding the right partners can prove challenging. With the Mercury, we’ve discovered an incredibly inspiring ally. They not only share our vision but have also broadened our horizons, showing us what’s possible at the next level. Midsummer is a musical comedy that I’ve hoped to stage for many years and is the perfect production for our first collaboration.”
The Mercury Theatre and Barn Theatre co-production will star Ross Carswell (Girl From the North Country, UK tour) as Bob, Karen Young (Kidnapped, National Theatre of Scotland) as Helena, Will Arundell (Kinky Boots, New Wolsey Theatre/Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch) as Narrator 1 and Laura Andresen Guimarães (Unbelievable, Mercury Theatre and West End) as Narrator 2.
Joining McBryde on the creative team are: designer Libby Todd, musical director Paul Herber, lighting designer Rory Beaton, sound designer Mark Melville, movement director Chihiro Kawasaki, casting director Natalie Gallacher for Pippa Ailion Casting and assistant director Chani Merrell.
Angela Thomas
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