Pinter classic brings chilling laughter

Set in a shabby boarding house in a small English seaside town, the plays tells of the story of an elderly couple taking care of a solitary guest, who rarely ventures out.

The arrival of two enigmatic strangers seems to offer a welcome distraction from their mundane existence.

But when an impromptu, seemingly innocent birthday party abruptly turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse, there are horrifying repercussions.

By turns cryptic thriller and macabre comedy, The Birthday Party was Harold Pinter’s first major work and is among the most unusual and absorbing of his plays. London Classic Theatre presents the play’s first significant touring revival of the 21st century, promising to bring this ground-breaking classic to fresh and exhilarating life.

Playwright, director, actor, poet and political activist, Harold Pinter was born on 10 October 1930 in East London. He wrote 29 plays including Betrayal, Old Times, The Homecoming and The Caretaker. In 2005, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The production stars Jonathan Ashley, Gareth Bennett-Ryan, Cheryl Kennedy, Ged McKenna, Declan Rodgers and Imogen Wilde.

It is directed by Michael Cabot, the founder and artistic director of London Classic Theatre.

Michael has directed all 34 of the company’s productions since their debut in 1993 and has overseen the company’s transition from one of the success stories of the London Fringe in the late 1990s to its current position as one of the UK’s most prolific touring companies.

Tickets for The Birthday Party range from £12 to £27 with concessions available. To book, call 024 7655 3055 or visit www.belgrade.co.uk