Author:Moira Buffini,Harriet Walter,Nicholas Farrell,Pippa Bennett-Warner,David Hounslow,Penny Downie,Paul Bazely,Peter McDonald
A deliciously black satirical comedy about the dinner party from hell.
The fastidious host, Paige, decides to throw a dinner party in honour of her husband Lars, who is celebrating the success of his pop psychology book, Beyond Belief. She carefully plans a surprise menu that will mark the occasion, and anxiously checks with the waiter she has employed to make sure that everything is perfectly prepared. Her lucky guests include a post-feminist vegetarian artist, a distinguished microbiologist, a TV journalist and an uninvited guest who ends up staying for dinner. But it soon becomes apparent that the meal may contain some rather nasty surprises…
Moira Buffini's outrageous comedy Dinner started life in the National Theatre's Loft in 2002, and became her first West End smash. In this production, adapted by the writer for BBC Drama on 3, Harriet Walter returns to the role she created: Paige, the hostess and architect of an evening which her guests will never forget. Two other original leads, Nicholas Farrell and Penny Downie, and four new cast members join her in this viciously black chamber piece about appetite, which will make you think twice about ever accepting another invitation to dinner.
Moira Buffini was nominated for an Olivier Award for Dinner in 2003, and won the Olivier in 2014 for her play Handbagged.
Cast
Paige……………………Harriet Walter
Lars……………………Nicholas Farrell
Wynne……………………Penny Downie
Hal……………………Paul Bazely
Sian……………………Pippa Bennett-Warner
Mike……………………Peter McDonald
Waiter……………………David Hounslow
Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting
Funny, moving and brimming with anecdotes and honesty, we loved this inspirational story.
—— CloserQuirke relates her year-long battle to gain control of her weight . . . also recalling the highs and lows of her 40-year acting career with characteristic humour and honesty.
—— ChoiceTurner comes across as courageous, optimistic, big-hearted and generous
—— Sunday TimesFascinating, dramatic, surprising
—— OK! MagazineAn honest, thoughtful and touching reflection on a full and fulfilling life
—— Sunday ExpressThe stories are remarkable.
—— The Times, Books of the YearJoltingly raw.
—— A Celebrity best book of the year, The GuardianI'll never forget the first time I saw Tina perform . . . Never in my life saw a woman so powerful, so fearless
—— BeyonceShe's a phoenix rising from the ashes.
—— David BowieThe great chronicler of Hollywood in the late twentieth century turns his critical eye to the cinema and television of the twenty first. Essential reading
—— Colin MacCabeA bold, witty, and brilliantly argued analysis of the role pop culture has played in the rise of American extremism
—— Ruth ReichlYour book was . . . like a bag of pot, with me saying, 'I'm not gonna smoke.' But I was insatiable
—— Quentin Tarantino on EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS