After selling-out all tickets within 24 hours the Watermill Theatre’s summer season of outdoor performances has been extended into September with extra tickets now available.
The announcement of the additional shows by artistic director Paul Hart coincided with the unveiling of the cast for the venue’s special concert performance of classic musical Camelot.
Opening on 17 August 2020, the new version of Lerner and Loewe’s haunting story of King Arthur and Guenevere, will star real-life couple, Olivier Award-winner Michael Jibson (Hamilton, Victoria Palace) and Caroline Sheen (9 To 5 The Musical, Savoy Theatre). The central love-triangle will be completed by Marc Antolin (Little Shop of Horrors at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) as Lancelot. They will be joined by a cast of actor-musicians many of whom have previously appeared at the Watermill including Peter Dukes as Mordred, Chioma Uma as Tom, Tom Sowinski as Lionel, Tom Self as Dinadan, Sioned Saunders and Emma Jane Morton as ensemble. Graduate Damien James will make his professional debut as Sagramore.
Hart directs the production which will feature musical direction by Tom Attwood, lighting design by Harry Armytage, sound design by Tom Marshall and costume design by Emily Barratt with Lucy Betts as associate director and Lawrence T Doyle as production manager.
The distinctive Berkshire venue opened its gardens to socially distanced audiences for a pre-show dinner followed by performances of the new three-hander production of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes gothic chiller The Hound Of The Baskervilles on 29 July. The critic and audience-pleasing production will move to Front Lawn of the Watermill with new performances from 19 August. The season will now run until 6 September.
Commenting on the productions, Hart said: “For us to be bringing Camelot to life in our gardens with such an astonishing cast is an absolute dream come true. What I’ve always loved about the piece is that on the surface it offers complete escapism but its themes of idealism in the face of adversity and healing power of nature are incredibly pertinent.
“I don’t think anyone could have anticipated the demand we’ve seen for tickets, which sold out in 24 hours, so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to add some dates through to early September including bringing The Hound of the Baskervilles back to run in rep with Camelot. This means we’ll be running two shows a day, every day and once again the Watermill is alive with (socially distanced) bustle!
“We’re overwhelmed by the support we’ve received during this period. The focus and energy of our teams and freelancers to achieve impossible things gives me such hope for our industry at a time of continued and unprecedented uncertainty.”
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).
For Camelot, a two-course pre-show dinner will be supplied by the on-site restaurant from 5.30pm ahead of the 7.30pm evening show (Monday to Saturday). A two-course pre-show lunch is also available from 12.30pm before matinee performances (Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm) and there is the option of post-show cream teas.
For The Hound Of The Baskervilles there will be weekday matinee performances at 2.30pm and shows at 1.30pm and 5.30pm on Sundays and Bank Holiday Monday. For weekday matinees there will also be a pre-show lunch available from 12.30pm before matinee performances and post-show cream teas will also be on offer. On Sundays and on Bank Holiday Monday there will be the option of the Watermill Special Afternoon Tea served between the 1.30pm and 5.30pm shows.
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 of Camelot on the Back Lawn and 14 tables will be available for each performance of The Hound of the Baskervilles on the Front Lawn. Each table seats a maximum of four people from one party only. Tables are unreserved, allowing ticket-holders 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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