The Ruling Class

by Peter Barnes

Trafalgar Studios

14 Whitehall London SW1A

 

Playing January 16, 2015 – April 11, 2015

 

BAFTA winning and Golden Globe nominated actor James McAvoy (Filth, The Last King of Scotland, Atonement, X-Men) returns to Trafalgar Transformed, following his performance in Jamie Lloyd’s Macbeth, which launched the first Trafalgar Transformed season and earned him an Olivier award nomination for Best Actor, and for the production a nomination for Best Revival. McAvoy will play Jack, the 14th Earl of Gurney, in the first revival of Peter Barnes’ satirical comedy, The Ruling Class, directed by Artistic Director, Jamie Lloyd. The production runs from 16 January to 11 April 2015, with press night on 27 January.

Jack, a possible paranoid schizophrenic with a Messiah complex, inherits the title of the 14th Earl of Gurney after his father passes away in a bizarre accident. Singularly unsuited to a life in the upper echelons of elite society, Jack finds himself at the centre of a ruthless power struggle as his scheming family strives to uphold their reputation.

Bubbling with wit and a feverish energy, Olivier Award-winning and Oscar-nominated writer Peter Barnes’ razor-sharp satire combines a ferocious mix of hilarity and horror whilst mercilessly exposing the foibles of the English nobility.

The Ruling Class premiered in 1968 at Nottingham Playhouse and promptly transferred to the Piccadilly Theatre in the West End where it won the Evening Standard Award for Best Drama in 1969. This black and caustic class comedy was then made into a movie in 1972 starring Peter O’Toole.

 

Reviews

Daily Mail.co.uk

 

Cast

 

James McAvoy – Jack Gurney
Rosy Benjamin – Ensemble
Andrew Bloomer – Ensemble
Ron Cook – Sir Charles Gurney
Michael Cronin – Bishop Bertie Lampton
Kathryn Drysdale – Grace Shelley
Serena Evans – Lady Claire Gurney
Oliver Lavery – Ensemble
Paul Leonard – Multi-role
Elliot Levey – Dr Herder
Forbes Masson – Multi-role
Joshua McGuire – Dinsdale Gurney
Anthony O’Donnell – Daniel Tucker
Geoffrey Towers – Ensemble

 

 

Creative

 

DIRECTOR – Jamie Lloyd
DESIGNER – Soutra Gilmour
LIGHTING – Jon Clark
SOUND & MUSIC – Ben and Max Ringham
WIGS & HAIR – Richard Mawbey
MUSICAL DIRECTOR – Huw Evans
CHOREOGRAPHER – Darren Carnall
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR – Richard Fitch

 

The Ruling Class

Trafalgar Studios

14 Whitehall London SW1A

Official WEBSITE HERE