Arts & Culture
The Birthday Party at the Oxford Playhouse

The Birthday Party comes to Oxford Playhouse in a brand new production with Michelle Collins, Tristan Gemmill and Paul Hickey. Harold Pinter’s most widely-performed play comes to Oxford Playhouse from 21 – 25 April, as part of a UK-wide tour from the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham.

The first ever production of the play, in 1958, was warmly received in Oxford in its pre-London tour and it is still one of Pinter’s most popular. The darkly comic classic is humorous, disturbing and open to wide interpretation.

At a seaside boarding house, lodger Stanley is visited by two mysterious strangers, Goldberg and McCann. Landlady Meg is planning a birthday party for Stanley that evening and the two visitors join in, toasting him then taunting him. What do they want, and why are they intent on turning Stanley’s quiet world upside down?

The dramatic new re-imagining follows a two-year celebration of Pinter’s work in the West End. The Everyman Theatre’s Creative Director, Paul Milton, brings together a fine cast with Michelle Collins playing Meg Boles, Tristan Gemmill as Goldberg and Paul Hickey as McCann. Design is by Dawn Allsopp, Lighting Design is by Michael Hall and Sound Design is by Steve Anderson.

Tickets for The Birthday Party at The Oxford Playhouse start at £10 and are available from the Ticket Office on 01865 305305 or book online at www.oxfordplayhouse.com.