Stars of UK stage and TV join Rubber Ear Productions on tour
When you write from personal life experience and your own background, plays can almost write themselves.
If , however, you want to incorporate corrupt politicians, bourbon salesmen, Cold War espionage and fetishist sex parties, then you either have to push the boundaries of your lifestyle or look no further than the end of the 60s when it was all ‘happening’.
Kathleen Ruddy’s new play, Death Of A Playboy, does just that.
The multi-award winning comedy theatre group’s last production, The Devil Wears Primark was a great hit with audiences and critics alike and the new play will also be starring writer and director Kathleen Ruddy. Ruddy has built herself a faithful and considerable following on the island after the recent successes of Sex, Chips and Ouzo and The Devil Wears Primark. Her work and acting skills are always met with great acclaim from audiences and critics alike and are a highlight of our open theatre season in Cyprus.
Kathleen will be joined by the multi-talented Penni Tovey (Mina in The Devil Wears Primark and who returns to Cyprus after work for the BBC and MTV and, for the first time in Cyprus, Mark McDonnell, who has previously appeared with Rubber Ear Productions in the Edinburgh Fringe playing the part of Sotiris in Sex, Chips and Ouzo.
Rubber Ear Productions have, yet again, attracted top acting talent to the island in Mark McDonnell. Mark has film and TV credits to his name including Velvet Soup, River City, Taggart, Nick Nickleby, Revolver, Rebus and Still Game.
In the theatre he has appeared in Curse Of The Starving Class, Trumpets And Raspberries (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh), The Bones Boys (Oran Mor), The Sundowe (Eden Court/Cameron MacIntosh) and The Little Foxes (Perth Rep).
He has also featured in The Merchant Of Venice, Six Black Candles (Winner Best Ensemble C.A.T.S awards), The Breathing House, The Taming Of The Shrew, The Playboy Of The Western World, The Comedy Of Errors, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Anatomist (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh) and The People Next Door (Traverse Theatre, winner Best Actor Kosovo International Theatre Festival 2004).
Mark has also performed in over 50 dramas for BBC Radio Four.
Mark is joined by John Ritchie who plays Jimmy and Harold Pemberton in the other male roles.
He has played roles as diverse as John Proctor in ‘The Crucible’ , Bazarov in ‘Fathers and Sons’ and Macbeth. He previously toured a production of ‘Ines de Castro’ in Portugal, playing Prince Pedro, for which he also composed and performed the music. He has appeared in productions of ‘The Recruiting Officer’ (Edinburgh Royal Lyceum Theatre), ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ and recently completed a comedy masterclass using ‘Midsummer’ by David Grieg.
On television he has crossed paths with co-star Mark McDonnell with appearances in ‘Chewin’ The Fat’, ‘Still Game’, and ‘Monarch of the Glen’ John can also be seen leaping up from behind furniture and singing light opera at young people in a series of advertising bumpers for Sterling Furniture. John has also gone viral down under in Tourism Australia’s online advert for the British and Irish Lions Tour. John has just completed filming the role of Dave in ‘Border Queen’ an Italian/UK production.
An instinctive performer, and able to get things off high up shelves, John as a guitarist plays in the rock group Monkeyfrog.
Death Of A Playboy is Rubber Ear Productions’ fourth play to tour the island and follows the success of Sex, Chips and Ouzo, Check Your Coupon and The Devil Wears Primark.
A fifth production is scheduled to tour the amphitheatres in late September. Dates and further information will appear shortly.
Synopsis
Victor Santino’s life is on the slide.
Once upon a time he was a New York playboy and ‘bourbon salesman of the year’ 1966-69. Men hung on his words and women fell at his feet. His waist was thin and his wallet was fat. Now all Victor can see in front of him is his belly.
In a vain attempt to revive his flagging career, Victor is sent on a business trip to ’60s London where he inadvertently involves himself in a wife-swapping scandal after making an unlikely ally out of Anna – a Russian barmaid with a dark past. Both have their own agendas, but will need each other to achieve what they want.
And they need the Pembertons. Not a normal couple by any stretch of the imagination.
When Victor takes a fancy to the MP’s wife, he finds himself sucked into a rubber fetishist party scene which threatens to drag down his company and the entire British government.
His story will touch you. And so will he.
The Cyprus tour is as follows:
Thursday 06 June Horizon Crown Resorts Amphitheatre, Coral Bay
Friday 07 June Horizon Crown Resorts Amphitheatre, Coral Bay
Saturday 08 June Tala Amphitheatre, Tala Village
Sunday 09 June Pissouri Amphitheatre, Pissouri Village
Thursday 13 June Polis Municipality Outdoor area (Town Hall)
Friday 14 June Paralimni Municipality Amphitheatre
Saturday 15 June Curium (Kourion) Amphitheatre, Limassol
Sunday 16 June Paphos Ancient Odeon Amphitheatre, Kato Paphos
Tickets now available from Cartridge World shops island-wide (Tel 777 777 85)
Other outlets: The Crown Resorts Hotel, Coral Bay (Tel 26 813800), George’s Material Shop, Limassol (25 331739), The Wardrobe, Episkopi Village (99582302) and Pissouri Bay Divers (96530761) Markos Foutas in Pissouri Village (99-545696) Karen’s Cafe in Latchi Harbour , Books 4 U at The Fasouri Fleamarket, Asomatos on Saturdays and Sundays 9am to 6pm.
For TICKETS, RESERVATIONS & FURTHER INFO call 99908434 / 99069074, log on to www.rubberear.wordpress.com or email rubber.ear@live.com
Reviews of ‘The Devil Wears Primark’ by Kathleen Ruddy
(Toured Cyprus September 2012)
“…audiences roared with laughter and left the theatre quoting the lines to each other in chuckles. And the jokes were not the only thing that impressed. The actors (all professional, with incredibly notable resumes) supported Ruddy well, but it is unquestionable that the show’s creator stole the limelight. Ruddy has impeccable comic-timing, and is one of those rare actresses that steps onto a stage and just owns it.”
The Cyprus Mail, October 2012
“This comedy really was a laugh a minute, with an exceptional performance from Ruddy, whose timing and full embrace of her character, coupled with the comic genius of the rest of the cast was reminiscent of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’”.
Daxi Magazine, November 2012
Rubber Ear Productions contacts:
Kathleen Ruddy, Artistic Director 99908434 rubber.ear@live.com
George Dickie, Producer 99069074 rubber.ear@live.com
Christina Kalozois, Production Manager 99353288 rubber.ear@live.com
Web/blog: www.rubberear.wordpress.com
Rubber Ear Productions Page | Death Of A Playboy Page
DEATH of a PLAYBOY
(“Ο θάνατος ενός Καζανόβα”).
GREEK TRANSLATION by Valentina Christodoulou
Η εταιρεία παραγωγής «Rubber Ear Productions» αρχίζει την περιοδεία της σε όλη την Κύπρο αυτό τον Ιούνιο με την καινούργια κωμωδία της Kathleen Ruddy “Death of a Playboy” (“Ο θάνατος ενός Καζανόβα”).
Η τελευταία παραγωγή του πολυβραβευμένου θεατρικού ομίλου “The Devil Wears Primark” (“Ο διάβολος φορούσε Πρίμαρκ”) είχε τεράστια επιτυχία και στο κοινό αλλά και στους κριτικούς. Σε αυτό το νέο θεατρικό έργο θα πρωταγωνιστήσει η συγγραφέας και σκηνοθέτης Kathleen Ruddy.
Την Kathleen θα πλαισιώνουν οι ταλαντούχοι Penni Tovey (που υποδύθηκε τη Μήνα στο “The Devil Wears Primark”) και, για πρώτη φορά στην Κύπρο, ο Mark McDonnell, ο οποίος συμμετείχε σε παραγωγή της εταιρείας Rubber Ear Productions στο φεστιβάλ Edinburgh Fringe όπου και υποδύθηκε το Σωτήρη στο έργο “Sex, Chips and Ouzo”.
Το έργο ‘Death of a Playboy’ είναι το τέταρτο θεατρικό έργο της εταιρείας παραγωγής Rubber Ear Productions’που θα περιοδεύσει όλο το νησί ακολουθώντας τις επιτυχίες του “Sex, Chips and Ouzo”, “Check Your Coupon” και “The Devil Wears Primark”.
Σύνοψη
Βίκτωρ Σαντίνο: Της ζωής του η κατηφόρα
Κάποτε υπήρξε ένας Νεοϋορκέζος καζανόβας και “πωλητής ουισκιού της χρονιάς” για τα χρόνια 1966-69. Τα λόγια του για τους άντρες Βίβλος και για τις γυναίκες… απλά έπεφταν στα πόδια του. Η μέση δαχτυλίδι και το πορτοφόλι παχουλό. Ήταν πρωτοπόρος και έβλεπε μπροστά …τώρα το μόνο που μπορεί να δει μπροστά του είναι το μπυροκοίλι του.
Σε μια απεγνωσμένη προσπάθεια να αναβιώσει τη χαμένη του καριέρα, ο Βίκτωρ πηγαίνει σε ένα επαγγελματικό ταξίδι στο Λονδίνο του 60’ όπου συμπτωματικά μπλέκεται σε ένα σκάνδαλο ανταλλαγής συζύγων. Όταν στο Βίκτωρ αρέσει η σύζυγος ενός βουλευτή, βρίσκει τον εαυτό του να εισέρχεται όλο και περισσότερο στον παράδοξο κόσμο των φετιχιστικών πάρτι, γεγονός που απειλεί να καταστρέψει την ίδια του την εταιρεία αλλά και ολόκληρη τη Βρετανική κυβέρνηση.
Η ιστορία του θα σας συναρπάσει. Το ίδιο και αυτός.
Εισιτήρια διατίθενται σε όλα τα καταστήματα Cartridge World σε όλη την Κύπρο. (Tel 777 777 85)
Άλλα καταστήματα: Crown Resorts Hotel, Κόλπος Κοραλίων (Τηλ. 26 813800), George’s Material Shop, Λεμεσός (Τηλ. 25 331739), Κατάστημα The Wardrobe, Επισκοπή (Τηλ. 99582302) και Pissouri Bay Divers (Τηλ. 96530761).
Για εισιτήρια, κρατήσεις και περισσότερες πληροφορίες τηλεφωνήστε στο 99908434 / 99069074, επισκεφθείτε τη σελίδα www.rubberear.wordpress.com ή αποστείλετε e-mail στο rubber.ear@live.com
Tags: comedy, cyprus, curium, pafos, paphos, theatre, theater, event, Limassol, acting, Rubber Ear Productions, Paralimni, Rubber Ear, death of a playboy, Tala Amphitheatre, whats on in pissouri, coral bay, peyia, pegeia, polis
