PRESS RELEASE – 17 July 2019

IMAGES CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE

@whitesuitcomedy maninthewhitesuit.co.uk

Jenny King, Jonathan Church, Matthew Gale and Mark Goucher present

STEPHEN MANGAN

KARA TOINTON and SUE JOHNSTON in

The Man in the White Suit

Written and Directed by

Based on the play The Flower Within the Bud by Roger MacDougall and Screenplay by Roger MacDougall, John Dighton and Alexander Mackendrick.

By special arrangement with Studiocanal

 FULL CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE STAGE PRODUCTION OF THE EALING COMEDY CLASSIC

 WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY SEAN FOLEY, THE PRODUCTION WILL PLAY AT THEATRE ROYAL BATH AS PART OF ITS 2019 SUMMER SEASON FROM 5TH – 21ST SEPTEMBER, PRIOR TO OPENING AT WYNDHAM’S THEATRE IN PREVIEW FROM 26TH SEPTEMBER WITH AN OPENING NIGHT OF 8TH OCTOBER

 FIRST LOOK REHEARSAL PHOTOGRAPHY AVAILABLE HERE

 CLIP OF SEAN FOLEY AND IN DISCUSSION, AVAILABLE HERE The full cast and creative team is announced for Sean Foley’s hotly anticipated stage adaptation of classic Ealing Studios comedy The Man in the White Suit, which will have a three week engagement at Theatre Royal Bath from 5th September as part of its 2019 summer season before its world premiere at the Wyndham’s Theatre, with performances from 26th September 2019 until 11th January 2020 and opening night on 8th October 2019. Leading the cast of The Man in the White Suit will be the previously announced Stephen Mangan as Sidney Stratton, as Daphne Birnley and Sue Johnston* as Mrs Watson. They will be joined by Richard Cordery as Birnley, Richard Durden as Sir John, with Delroy Atkinson, Katie Bernstein, Ben Deery, Matthew Durkan, Rina Fatania, Oliver Kaderbhai, Eugene McCoy, Elliott Rennie and Katherine Toy. The Man in the White Suit is adapted for the stage and directed by double Olivier Award-winning writer, actor and director Sean Foley and has set and costume design by award-winning designer Michael Taylor.

Brand new songs have been written for this world premiere production by Charlie Fink, known for fronting indie-folk band ‘’ as well as being a composer for theatre and film including (Old Vic) and A Street Cat Named Bob. Choreography will be by Lizzi Gee, lighting by the Tony Award-winning Mark Henderson, sound by brothers Ben Ringham and Max Ringham, fights directed by Alison De Burgh and songs arranged by Phil Bateman.

When Sidney Stratton develops a fabric that never gets dirty and never wears out, manufacturers and trades unions are terrified by the threat it poses to their industry and their jobs. Only Daphne, the mill owner’s daughter, shows Stratton any sympathy as his world gradually falls apart before he finally finds love and a new idea.

The 1951 iconic Ealing Studios comedy film starred Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker. It was directed by Alexander Mackendrick and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing (Screenplay).

Stephen Mangan’s theatre credits include a Tony Award-nominated performance in ( / Broadway), Birthday and The People Are Friendly (Royal Court), and Wooster (Duke of York’s), Hayfever (Savoy), Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC) and Rules For Living (National Theatre). Stephen has an extensive list of television credits including Sean Lincoln in Episodes, and new comedy series Bliss. Previous TV credits include the BAFTA-winning British , Free Agents, Dirk Gently. Film credits include , Birthday, : The Movie (Voice), Rush, Beyond The Pole, Confetti and Festival. Kara Tointon’s theatre credits include: (RSC), Gaslight (UK Tour), Relatively Speaking (Wyndham’s), Absent Friends () and Pygmalion (Garrick). Her film work includes appearances in Let’s Be Evil, The Last Passenger, The Sweeney, Warrior Queen, Never Play With The Dead, The Football Factory and Just My Luck. On television Kara has appeared in The Keith and Paddy Picture Show, Henry IX, The Halcyon, The Sound of Music Live, Mr Selfridge, Suntrap, Lewis, Bedlam, The Bill, Dream Team, Keen Eddie, Harry and Cosh and EastEnders. BAFTA nominated and British Comedy Award-winning actress Sue Johnston’s theatre credits include Small Change (Donmar Warehouse), The Master Builder (Albery Theatre) and (Wyndham’s). Sue has also played seasons at Manchester Royal Exchange, Bolton Octagon and the Bush Theatre. Best known for her television roles in The Royle Family and Brookside, other screen credits include The Cockfields, Hold the Sunset, Death on the Tyne, Murder on the Blackpool Express, Age Before Beauty, Walk Like a Panther, Good Karma Hospital, Moving On, Waking the Dead, Downton Abbey, Coronation Street, Rovers, Sex, Chips & Rock N’ Roll, Goodbye Cruel World, My Uncle Silas, Brassed Off, Little Dorrit, A Passionate Woman, Sugartown and Jam & Jerusalem amongst others. Sue was appointed OBE in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to Drama and to Charity. Richard Cordery’s many theatre credits include Network, Power of Yes and ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (National Theatre), Richard III, Henry VI, Twelfth Night, , Merry Wives of Windsor, Volpone, , , and Henry IV part II (RSC), Sweet Bird of Youth and The Front Page (Chichester Festival Theatre), Waste (Almeida), Spring Awakening (Novello), Love Story (Duchess) and Waiting For Godot (Crucible Theatre Sheffield). Television credits include Marcella, Dickensian, Esio Trot, Inside No 9, Backup

and Love Hurts. Film credits include About Time, The Wife, Les Miserables and Social Suicide. Richard Durden’s career spans 50 years with recent theatre credits including Ben Hur (Tricycle), Titus Andronicus and A Mad World My Masters (RSC), The Emperor and Gallilean (National Theatre), Shadowlands (Wyndham’s and UK Tour), Once Bitten and The Madras House (Orange Tree), Richard III and High Society (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield), and Orpheus Descending (Donmar Warehouse). Television credits include Back To Life, Ghosts, The Child in Time, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, The Last Days of Lehman Brothers, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, and Fingersmith. Film credits include Churchill, Star Wars: Episode IX, Oliver Twist, The Awakening, The Jacket and Batman. Delroy Atkinson’s theatre credits include Sylvia (Old Vic), (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Firm (Hampstead), The Amen Corner (National Theatre), The Book of Mormon (The Prince of Wales), Avenue Q (Gielgud) and Five Guys Named Moe (UK Tour). Katie Bernstein’s theatre credits include (Duchess and International Tour), Allegro (Southwark Playhouse), Mrs Henderson Presents (Noel Coward and Theatre Royal Bath), Urinetown (Apollo and St. James Theatre), Rent (UK Tour), Run (Polka) and Goodbye Barcelona (Arcola) Ben Deery’s theatre credits include King Lear, Titus Andronicus, A Mad World My Masters (RSC), The Of Success, The Taste Of The Town (), Death of a Salesman (UK Tour) and Insignificance (Theatre Clwyd). Screen credits include Father Brown, Call the Midwife and A Street Cat Named Bob. Matthew Durkan’s theatre credits include Rosencrantz & Gildenstern Are Dead and Housed (Old Vic), The Secret Garden (York Theatre Royal), Kiki’s Delivery Service (Southwark Playhouse), Oxy & The Morons (New Wolsey Theatre), (Apollo) and The Cherry Orchard and Doctor Selavy’s Magic Theatre (New Wimbledon Studio). Rina Fatania’s most recent theatre credits include Dead Dog in a Suitcase (UK Tour), Approaching Empty (Kiln), The Village (Theatre Royal Stratford East), The Tin Drum (Kneehigh, UK Tour), Oliver Twist (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Roller Disco (Soho) and Anita & Me (UK Tour). Screen credits include Wanderlust, People Just Do Nothing, Raabta and Mumbai Charlie. Oliver Kaderbhai’s theatre credits include Margot, Dame, The Most Famous Ballerina in the World (Kings Head), The Best Man (Playhouse), Jumping on my Shadow (Lakeside Arts Centre), Hatch (Polka Theatre), One Minute (The Vaults), The Provoked Wife (UK Tour) and Go to Your God Like a Soldier (Old Vic Tunnels/The Underbelly). Eugene McCoy’s theatre credits include La Mancha (ENO), A Christmas Carol and Groundhog Day (Old Vic), The Pajama Game (Shaftesbury/Chichester Festival Theatre), American Psycho (), Jersey Boys (Prince Edward), Little Shop of Horrors (UK Tour), They’re Playing Our Song (Menier Chocolate Factory), Oklahoma! (Chichester Festival Theatre) and Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly and Donmar Warehouse). Screen credits include Paddington 2 and Little Crackers. Elliott Rennie’s theatre credits include Alice in Wonderland, Thumbelina and A Scarborough Christmas Carol (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Shakespeare in Love (Duke of York’s), The Jungle Book and The B.F.G. (Derby Theatre). Katherine Toy’s theatre credits include , Vice Versa and Salome (RSC), (Rose Theatre Kingston), , Two Gentlemen of Verona and

Stig of the Dump (Storyhouse Chester), Othello, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cyrano de Bergerac (Grosvenor Park, Chester) and Life of Galileo, Cyrano de Bergerac and The False Servant (National Theatre). As a musician, her credits include Comedy of Errors (RSC) and Wild Orchids (Chichester Festival Theatre). This world premiere production will reunite Stephen Mangan and Sean Foley who created the Olivier Award winning comedy Jeeves and Wooster together. Foley also teams up again with Michael Taylor with whom he created the five times Olivier Award nominated The Ladykillers. Foley’s production will feature a cast of fourteen including actor musicians and a specially written score. Based on the play The Flower Within the Bud by Roger MacDougall and screenplay by Roger MacDougall, John Dighton and Alexander Mackendrick, this world premiere production of The Man in the White Suit is presented by Jenny King, Jonathan Church, Matthew Gale and Mark Goucher, by special arrangement with Studiocanal.

*Sue Johnston will play the role of Mrs Watson for a strictly limited engagement until the end of November, with further casting to be announced.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact The Corner Shop PR on 020 7831 7657 Ben Chamberlain, Lewis Jenkins and Hannah Barnett Leveson

LISTINGS

THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT

Theatre Royal Bath Saw Cl, Bath BA1 1ET 5th – 21st September Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm www.theatreroyal.org.uk/ 01225 448844

Wyndham’s Theatre Charing Cross Rd, Covent Garden, London WC2H 0DA First preview: 26th September at 7.30pm Opening night: 8th October at 7pm Final performance 11th January at 7.30pm Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/theatres/wyndhams-theatre/

Images can be downloaded here

@whitesuitcomedy maninthewhitesuit.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

SEAN FOLEY

Sean Foley is a British actor, writer, and director. He was recently appointed as the next Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Foley is a double Olivier Award winner for plays he co-wrote and starred in: Do You Come Here Often? (Vaudeville - Winner, Best Entertainment) and The Play What I Wrote (Wyndham’s - Winner Best New Comedy), directed by . He also received a further Olivier nomination for

Best Actor for The Play What I Wrote and the show received Tony, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Awards nominations when it was presented at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre in 2003.

He directed the Olivier Award winning comedy, Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, (Duke of York’s: starring Stephen Mangan and ); and The Ladykillers (The Gielgud: starring Peter Capaldi - five Olivier nominations including Best Director and Best New Play); directed and co-adapted The Miser, (Garrick: starring Griff Rhys Jones and Lee Mack - Olivier nomination Best New Comedy); wrote and directed Arturo Brachetti: Change (Garrick: Olivier nomination Best Entertainment); co-wrote and starred in Ducktastic, (Albery: Olivier nomination Best Entertainment); directed and co-adapted A Mad World My Masters for the RSC (Swan and Barbican); and adapted and directed The Painkiller (Garrick: starring Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon). He also directed: Pinter’s People (Theatre Royal, Haymarket), The Critic (Chichester Festival Theatre), Ben Hur (Watermill), What the Butler Saw (Vaudeville), I Can’t Sing (London Palladium: starring Cynthia Erivo), The Walworth Farce (Olympia, Dublin: starring Domhnall, Briain and Brendan Gleeson), The Dresser (Duke of York’s: starring Ken Stott and Reece Sheersmith), and Present Laughter. (Chichester Festival Theatre). Foley has also directed live shows for leading comedians, including : A Work In Progress, Armstrong and Miller - Live and The Show - Live.

As a stage actor, as well as creating and starring in 10 original comedies for his own company, The Right Size - touring worldwide and appearing in many Festivals - Foley appeared in Mr Puntila and His Man Matti (Almeida/Albery), (as ), The Critic, The Real Inspector Hound, I Am Shakespeare, (with ) and Kenneth Branagh’s RADA production of Hamlet (as Polonius).

Foley directed the feature film Mindhorn, starring Julian Barrett and Steve Coogan, which was shown at the London Film Festival in 2016, and won the LOCO Discovery Award for Best First Feature. He also directed Marilyn Monroe and Billy Wilder (starring Gemma Arterton and James Purefoy in the title roles) and Diana & Freddie for the TV series .

His screen acting credits include Samuel Beckett’s Act Without Words I, directed by Karel Riesz (starring in single role), Foley and McColl: This Way Up, Brass Eye, Happiness, Comedy Lab, Wild West, Twisted Tales and Urban Myths. His film acting credits include Gabriel & Me, The Movie, Mindhorn and All Is True.

MICHAEL TAYLOR

Theatre credits include: White Christmas (Leicester Curve & Dominion); Ballyturk and The Lonesome West (Tron Theatre); An Officer and a Gentleman (Leicester Curve & UK Tour); The Winslow Boy (Birmingham Rep & UK Tour); The Best Man (Playhouse & UK Tour); The Clean House; Dead Simple (UK Tour); Scrooge The Musical; A Streetcar Named Desire (Leicester Curve); Silver Lining; Eternal Love: The Story of Abelard and Heloise (ETT, UK Tour); Two Way Mirror (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick); What The Butler Saw (Leicester Curve & Theatre Royal Bath); The Dresser (Duke of York’s, dir. Sean Foley); A Christmas Carol (Corby Cube Theatre); All My Sons (Rose Theatre Kingston & Hong Kong); ; Observe The Sons Of Ulster Marching Towards The Somme; Clever Dick; Out In The Open; Keepers, The Awakening and My Boy Jack (Hampstead); The Crucible; Waiting For Godot; Faith Healer; A View From The Bridge; The Price; The Cherry Orchard; The Man Who Had All The Luck; All My Sons; Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Death of A Salesman (Edinburgh Lyceum); The Ladykillers (Vaudeville; Olivier Award nomination for Best Designer); Ben Hur; The Shadow of A Gunman and John Bull’s Other Island (Tricycle); The Heresy of Love; Doctor Scroggy’s War; Blue Stockings; ; All’s Well That Ends Well; The Winter’s Tale and /Eternal Love (Shakespeare’s Globe & UK Tours); After Electra (Plymouth Theatre Royal, Tricycle); Chin Chin (Bill Kenwright UK Tour); A Little Hotel On The Side (Theatre Royal Bath); Sherlock Holmes: The Best Kept Secret (West Yorkshire Playhouse & UK Tour); The Misanthrope (Liverpool Playhouse & UK Tour); A Christmas Carol (Royal & Derngate); Amphibians (RSC); Mountain Language (written and directed by Harold Pinter, National Theatre); Rafts and Dreams (Royal Court); Nova Scotia; The Road To Nirvana (Traverse); Darwin in Malibu (Birmingham Rep); Winding The Ball (Royal Exchange); Private Lives; Present Laughter (Theatre Royal Bath & Tour); Vita and Virginia (Altes Schauspielhaus, Stuttgart); The Fatherland; Millfire (Riverside Studios); Time And The Conways (Bristol Old Vic).

He won the Drama Magazine Best Designer Award for Tony Marchant’s The Attractions. For The Ladykillers, he has received nominations for Best Set Design at the Olivier Awards and the Whatsonstage.com Awards 2012/2013.

Michael trained as a designer at RADA.

CHARLIE FINK

Charlie Fink is a British songwriter, producer and filmmaker best known for fronting indie-folk band ‘Noah and the Whale’ and for his work as a composer for theatre. He has been described as "one of Britain’s most daring and inventive songwriters" by and "a theatre composer of the first rank" by the Evening Standard

Credits include The Lorax (Old Vic/ North American Tour), Cover My Tracks (Old Vic/ UK Tour) and As You Like It (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).