‘QUARTET’ a comedy

The Grayshott Stagers are proud and excited to present for their next production ‘Quartet’ a comedy by Ronald Harwood about aging opera singers and is set in a retirement home for musicians.
Directed by Brezetta Thonger and, following tightly fought auditions, a talented cast was chosen. Reginald Paget played by Ellis Nicholls; Cecily Robson by Susie Gow; Wilfred Bond by Bernard Whelan and Jean Horton – Sara Wilson-Soppitt.
This play is very poignant, sensitive, funny and very cleverly written so please book a date in your diary so you don’t miss this one!
In the course of the play and after some deliberation on the part of the character Reginald, it is decided that “Art is meaningless if it doesn’t make you feel.” This play will make you feel – happy, sad, compassionate, and thoughtful – but ends with the uplifting realisation that the body might be fading, but the spirit never dies.
‘Quartet’ was first presented by at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford prior to its West End opening at the Albery Theatre (now the Noël Coward Theatre) on 8 September 1999 starring Sir Donald Sinden, Alec McCowen, Stephanie Cole and Angela Thorne. Following a four-month run it closed on 8 January 2000.
A regional tour from June to August 2010 enjoyed success with Michael Jayston as Reggie, Timothy West as Wilfred, Susannah York as Jean, and Gwen Taylor as Cecily.
It was subsequently adapted as a very successful film by Harwood himself in 2012. ‘Qaurtet’ was directed by Dustin Hoffman and the principal cast includes Maggie Smith as Jean, Tom Courtenay as Reg, Pauline Collins as Cecily and Billy Connolly as Wilfred. The production was filmed at Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire.
Writing for The Independent, Paul Taylor described the play as “an unashamed – no, shameless – vehicle for four feisty old troupers whose task is to make us laugh a little, sigh a little and cry a little as they take us into the bittersweet world of facing up to age and mortality.”
Charles Spencer for The Daily Telegraph wrote: “the show’s heart is in the right place and a cherishable company of senior ‘thesps’ give it everything they’ve got, breathing vitality into a script that could be an inert embarrassment if performed by less accomplished players.”
‘QUARTET’ will be performed at The Grayshott Village Hall on 16th to 18th November 2017 at 7.30pm.