The Watermill Theatre will reopen for outdoor performances next week with a new comedy version of The Hound of the Baskervilles and a special concert performance of classic musical Camelot.
The distinctive Berkshire venue will open its gardens to socially distanced audiences for a pre-show dinner followed by performances of the new three-hander production of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes gothic chiller from 29 July until 8 August.
The Watermill’s offbeat re-working of The Hound of the Baskervilles will be followed by the concert version of Camelot. Featuring actor/musicians, Lerner and Loewe’s haunting story of King Arthur and Guenevere will play evening performances from 17 until 29 August.
Unveiling details of the re-opening Watermill’s artistic director Paul Hart said: “I’m so thrilled we’re able to bring you a summer season from our gorgeous gardens. The back lawn becomes Dartmoor in a bold and bonkers production of The Hound of the Baskervilles and I couldn’t think of anywhere more sublime to present Lerner and Loewe’s stunning score than ‘here in Camelot!’
“I’m immensely proud of the team who have worked day and night to make this happen. I’ve been moved by theatres up and down the country working their socks off to create inspired work and community projects in impossible circumstances and I’m so looking forward to us conjuring some joy this summer. Come and join us for great theatre, al fresco dining, chilled rosé and the perfect location as the sun sets over the river- what could be more magical and frankly we all deserve it! And hopefully the rain will hold off…”
The cast for The Hound of the Baskervilles is made up of Victoria Blunt (previous credits at The Watermill – Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth), Rosalind Lailey (A Mini Summer Night’s Dream, the Watermill, The Railway Children, York Theatre Royal) and James Mack (previous credits at The Watermill – The Rivals, Journey’s End, Macbeth). Casting for Camelot will be announced soon.
A two-course pre-show dinner will be supplied by the on-site restaurant from 5.30pm ahead of the 7.30pm evening show and cream teas will be available after the matinee performances on Thursday and Saturday.
As with all post-lockdown performances, adherence to strict social distancing rules and the addition of other safety measures will significantly reduce the number of audience members for each performance. There will be 20 tables available for each performance, each seating a maximum of four people from one party only. Tables will be unreserved, allowing ticketholders to select a table on arrival. Each table will be in its own two metres square area with space between neighbouring tables and aisles. Other safety measures will include hand sanitiser stations and a one-way system for accessing the toilets. There will be free onsite parking in the main car park.
One of the UK’s leading regional theatres, the Watermill Theatre usually stages around 12 new productions annually, ranging from Shakespeare and new and classic musicals through to new plays and youth productions.
Recent Watermill Theatre success stories include the critically acclaimed musical version of hit French film Amélie, and inventive actor/musician versions of Kiss Me, Kate, Sweet Charity, the classic George and Ira Gershwin musical Crazy For You and Twelfth Night.
Angela Thomas
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