Somerset Maugham’s classic comedy of manners, The Circle, takes to the Oxford Playhouse stage next month.
The play opens on Tuesday February 6th, and runs until Saturday February 10th, and sees Jane Asher, Clive Francis and Nicholas Le Prevost take on lead roles.
Jane Asher plays Lady Kitty, a society beauty who notoriously abandoned her stuffy husband Clive, played by Clive Francis, and eloped with the handsome Lord Porteous, portrayed by Nicholas Le Prevost.
Thirty years later, love’s young dream has descended into non-stop squabbling… Meanwhile Clive and Lady Kitty’s son Arnold faces the same marital fate, as his wife Elizabeth threatens to elope with the dashing Teddie Luton.
A comedy of manners set against the backdrop of the English countryside, expect squabbling across generations and plenty of romance… In this production, will history come full circle? Or can one generation learn from their parents’ mistakes?
First staged at Theatre Royal Haymarket in 1921, The Circle has remained a firm favourite with audiences ever since.
Jane Asher has an extensive list of stage and screen credits, including 1966 movie Alfie where she played opposite Michael Caine. More recently she appeared in The Mistress with Felicity Kendal and portrayed the series regular Lady Byrne in Holby City.
Clive Francis is widely known for his performance in the Netflix series The Crown as Lord Salisbury. His TV and film credits include Lipstick on Your Collar, Anatomy of a Scandal, Bridgerton, The Larkins, Official Secrets, The Little Stranger and The Lost City of Z.
Nicholas Le Prevost has appeared across TV, stage, and film for almost five decades. He starred in the acclaimed film Shakespeare in Love, as well as Testament of Youth and Here Comes Hell. TV credits include Up the Garden Path, The Larkins, The War of the Worlds, Cranford and Wild at Heart.
Somerset Maugham was among the most successful novelists and playwrights of the inter-war years, with many of his novels being adapted for the screen, including The Painted Veil, Theatre, Up At The Villa, The Razor’s Edge and Of Human Bondage.
Tickets for The Circle start at £14 and are available from the Box Office on 01865 305305 or book online at www.oxfordplayhouse.com
