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Home , Lindsay Posner, Nigel Lindsay, Samantha Spiro, Simon Paisley Day

PRESS RELEASE – Tuesday 29 October 2019 IMAGES CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE Twitter/ Facebook / website

Theatre Royal Bath Productions presents

GOD OF CARNAGE by Directed by Lindsay Posner

• 10TH ANNIVERSARY HIT PRODUCTION OF YASMINA REZA’S AWARD- WINNING FARCE TO RETURN FOR 2020 UK TOUR, DIRECTED BY LINDSAY POSNER

• DOWNTON ABBEY’S ELIZABETH MCGOVERN AND OLIVIER AWARD NOMINATED NIGEL LINDSAY WILL REPRISE STAR ROLES WITH SAMANTHA SPIRO AND SIMON PAISLEY DAY JOINING THE CAST

• THE TOUR WILL OPEN IN GUILDFORD ON 14 JANUARY AND VISIT BATH, GLASGOW, CAMBRIDGE AND KINGSTON THROUGH TO 15 FEBRUARY 2020

Following an acclaimed run as part of its Summer Season 2018, Theatre Royal Bath Productions is delighted to announced the return of its hit production of Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage for a UK tour starting in January 2020. Elizabeth McGovern, fresh from starring in the celebrated Downton Abbey film, reprises her dazzling performance as Veronica with Nigel Lindsay back as her bluff husband Michael. Directed by Lindsay Posner, the production welcomes two-time Olivier Award-winning actress Samantha Spiro who will play Annette and Simon Paisley Day, recently seen in Ralegh: The Treason Trial at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, in the role of husband, Alan.

God of Carnage will run at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre (14 - 18 January 2020), Theatre Royal Bath (20 – 25 January and with opening night for press on 21 January), Theatre Royal Glasgow (27 January – 1 February), Cambridge Arts Theatre (3 – 8 February) and Rose Theatre Kingston (10 – 15 February).

When 11-year-old Ferdinand hits 11-year-old Bruno with a stick in a playground punch-up and knocks out two of his teeth, the combatants’ enlightened parents decide to meet to talk things over civilly. But once the niceties are done with and the drink starts flowing, it is the parents who turn into spoiled brats.

God of Carnage is a ruthlessly comic study of middle-class parenting. Originally written in French, the play was translated by in 2008. The production went on to win the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and the Tony Award for Best New Play.

Elizabeth McGovern is well known for her Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominated role as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey. She has also played Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime for which she received an Academy Award nomination. Her theatre credits include Broadway productions of Time and the Conways, and Love Letters. Other film and television credits include Ordinary People, Once Upon a Time in America, The Handmaid's Tale and The Wings of the Dove.

Nigel Lindsay is an Olivier Award nominated actor. His numerous television credits include the ITV series Victoria, Spooks, White Gold and The Capture. For film he has appeared in : Alpha Papa and , for which he was nominated for Best British Comedy Performance in Film at the . His many stage credits include the title role in Shrek the Musical for which he was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, (West End), Harrogate (Royal Court), A Small Family Business (National Theatre), Broken Glass (Tricycle Theatre) and Awake and Sing (Almeida).

Samantha Spiro is a two-time Oliver Award-winning actress. Her numerous television credits include her British Comedy Award-winning role in Grandma's House, and . She recently appeared on stage in Lady Windermere’s Fan (West End). Previous credits include Guys and Dolls (West End), and (Shakespeare's Globe), her Olivier Award winning title role in Hello, Dolly! and Mary Flynn in Merrily We Roll Along which also saw her receive the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Simon Paisley Day’s recent screen credits include Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Born A King, The Crown, Brexit: The Uncivil War and Victoria & Abdul. He previously appeared at Bath in 's . Further stage credits include (National Theatre), The Lorax (Old Vic), West End productions of , The Philanthropist, The 39 Steps and Private Lives, the title role in (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Low Road and The Ugly One (Royal Court). Yasmina Reza has written numerous plays including Olivier and Tony Award winning God of Carnage, Art, The Unexpected Man and The Passage of Winter. She has also written novels Hammerklavier, Desolation, Adam Haberberg, Happy are The Happy and Babylone and the screenplay for Carnage.

Lindsay Posner’s career includes positions as Associate Director of , Artistic Director of Royal Court Theatre Upstairs and Deputy Director for main house. Additional credits include Olivier nominated productions of (Duke of York’s Theatre) and (Churchill Theatre, UK Tour and ) as well as The Lie (), The Truth (Menier Chocolate Factory, Wyndham’s), Hayfever (Theatre Royal Bath/West End) and The Winslow Boy (Roundabout Theatre, New York; Old Vic Theatre). Television credits include Two Oranges and a Mango and The Maitlands.

The 10th anniversary production of God of Carnage was staged last year in Artistic Director Jonathan Church’s 2018 Summer Season at Theatre Royal Bath. It will mark the third revival from the season following the critically acclaimed West End transfer of The Price at the Wyndham’s Theatre and Switzerland at the Ambassadors Theatre. The 2019 Summer Season has also proved hugely successful and will soon see the return of Blithe Spirit starring in a UK tour from 22 January 2020 and a strictly limited West End run at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 5 March – 11 April 2020. -ENDS-

For further information please contact THE CORNER SHOP PR on 0207 831 7657 Su-Ann Chow-Seegoolam | Lewis Jenkins | Olivia O’Neill

Listings Theatre Royal Bath Productions presents God of Carnage By Yasmina Reza Translated by Christopher Hampton Directed by Lindsay Posner Designed by Peter McKintosh Tuesday 14 January – Saturday 18 January 2020 Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford Millbrook, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3UX Box Office: 01483 440 000 www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk

Monday 20 – Saturday 25 January 2020 Press night: Tuesday 21 January Theatre Royal Bath Sawclose, Bath BA1 1ET Box Office: 01225 448 844 www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Monday 27 January – Saturday 1 February 2020 Theatre Royal Glasgow 282 Hope Street, Glasgow, G2 3QA Box Office: 08448 717 647 www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-glasgow/

Monday 3 – Saturday 8 February 2020 Cambridge Arts Theatre 6 St Edward’s Passage, Cambridge CB2 3PJ Box Office: 01223 503 333 www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

Monday 10 – Saturday 15 February 2020 Rose Theatre, Kingston 24-26 High St, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1HL Box Office: 02081 740 090 www.rosetheatrekingston.org/