- 152 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
This House
About this book
For the first time, this play - first performed in 2012 at the National Theatre - is published in the Methuen Drama Student Edition series. It features commentary & notes by Nicholas Holden, Lecturer in Drama at the University of Greenwich, UK, that help the student unpack the play's social, political and cultural context, as well as its themes, language, structure and production history.
In tough times, the British do what we have always done. We muddle through.
This House is a razor-sharp political comedy exploring Westminster and the 1974 British hung parliament, which provides a timely historical correlative to the current political climate.
It's the play that secured the then-30-year-old James Graham's reputation as one of the UK's most important and revered dramatists, gaining critical acclaim, enjoying a sell-out run at the National Theatre's Olivier in 2013 and being revived in the West End in 2017, when it was Olivier-nominated.
With well-paced, witty and waspish dialogue, it explores the childish digs and chauvinistic attitudes that have riddled political life both then and continue to do so now.
In tough times, the British do what we have always done. We muddle through.
This House is a razor-sharp political comedy exploring Westminster and the 1974 British hung parliament, which provides a timely historical correlative to the current political climate.
It's the play that secured the then-30-year-old James Graham's reputation as one of the UK's most important and revered dramatists, gaining critical acclaim, enjoying a sell-out run at the National Theatre's Olivier in 2013 and being revived in the West End in 2017, when it was Olivier-nominated.
With well-paced, witty and waspish dialogue, it explores the childish digs and chauvinistic attitudes that have riddled political life both then and continue to do so now.
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Information
This House
This House had its world premiere at the Cottesloe Theatre on 25 September 2012. The cast and creative team were as follows:
Labour Whips | |
Michael Cocks | Vincent Franklin |
Walter Harrison | Philip Glenister |
Bob Mellish | Phil Daniels |
Joe Harper | Richard Ridings |
Ann Taylor | Lauren O’Neil |
Tory Whips | |
Humphrey Atkins | Julian Wadham |
Jack Weatherill | Charles Edwards |
Fred Silvester | Ed Hughes |
The Members’ Chorus | |
Clockmaker/Redditch/Nuneaton/ | |
Peebles/Ensemble | Gunnar Cauthery |
Batley/Ensemble | Christopher Godwin |
Walsall N/Plymouth Sutton/ | |
Speaker 2/Ensemble | Andrew Havill |
Coventry SW/Lady Batley/ | |
Ensemble | Helena Lymbery |
Paddington S/Chelmsford/ | |
S Ayrshire/Henley/Ensemble | Matthew Pidgeon |
Speaker 1/Liverpool Edgehill/ | |
Ensemble | Giles Taylor |
Bromsgrove/Abingdon/Paisley/ Fermanagh/Ensemble | Tony Turner |
Esher/Ensemble | Rupert Vansittart |
When the production transferred to the Olivier Theatre on 23 February 2013, Reece Dinsdale took over from Philip Glenister and David Hounslow from Richard Ridings.
Director Jeremy Herrin
Designer Rae Smith
Lighting Designer Paule Constable
Music Stephen Warbeck
Choreographer Scott Ambler
Sound Designer Ian Dickinson
The 2016 revival of the original National Theatre production of This House was produced by Chichester Festival Theatre and opened at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, on 29 September 2016. It then transferred to the West End, produced by Nica Burns, Caro Newling for Neal Street Productions and Headlong, in association with Jonathan Church Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions and TC Beech Ltd, and opened at the Garrick Theatre, London, on 30 November 2016 with the following cast and creative team:
Labour Whips | |
Michael Cocks | Kevin Doyle |
Walter Harrison | Steffan Rhodri |
Bob Mellish | Phil Daniels |
Joe Harper | David Hounslow |
Ann Taylor | Lauren O’Neil |
Tory Whips | |
Humphrey Atkins | Malcolm Sinclair |
Jack Weatherill | Nathaniel Parker |
Fred Silvester | Ed Hughes |
The Members’ Chorus | |
Clockmaker/Redditch/Nuneaton/ | |
Peebles/Ensemble | Robert Gilbert |
Batley/Ensemble | Christopher Godwin |
Esher/Ensemble | Peter Landi |
Paddington S/Chelmsford/ | |
S Ayrshire/Henley/Ensemble | Matthew Pidgeon |
Speaker 1/West Lothian/ | |
Ensemble | Giles Taylor |
Bromsgrove/Abingdon/Paisley/ | |
Liverpool Edge Hill/ | |
Fermanagh/Ensemble | Tony Turner |
Walsall N/Plymouth Sutton/ | |
Speaker 2/ Ensemble | Orlando Wells |
Coventry SW/Lady Batley/ | |
Ensemble | Sarah Woodward |
Director Jeremy Herrin
Designer Rae Smith
Lighting Designer Paule Constable
Music Stephen Warbeck
Choreographer Scott Ambler
Sound Designer Ian Dickinson for Autograph
Casting Director Alastair Coomer
Characters
Labour Whips
Michael Cocks , forties, Yorkshireman
Walter Harrison , fifties, Yorkshireman
Bob Mellish , fifties, Londoner
Joe Harper , fifties, Yorkshireman
Ann Taylor , twenties, Lancashire
Tory Whips
Humphrey Atkins , fifties, Berkshire
Jack Weatherill , fifties, Worcestershire
Fred Silvester , thirties, London
The roles opposite can be played either by an ensemble of actors, ranging from one extreme (one actor per MP) to the other (a small handful playing all parts). Invention is encouraged.
The Members’ Chorus
Bromsgrove
Woolwich West
Rochester and Chatham
Paddington South
Esher
Belfast West
Belfast North
Armagh
Fermanagh
Western Isles
Merioneth
Caernarfon
Peebles
Walsall North
Ilford North
Thurrock
Coventry North West
Redditch
Chelmsford
Plymouth Sutton
Abingdon
Batley
Paisley
South Ayrshire
Henley
Lowestoft
Stirlingshire West
Liverpool Edge Hill
Welwyn and Hatfield
St Helen’s
Coventry South West
Newham North East
West Lothian
Rushcliffe
Ashfield
Perry Bar
Birmingham Stechford
Mansfield
Glasgow Garscadden
The Strangers’ Gallery
Speaker
Clerk
Clo...
Table of contents
- Cover
- Series
- Title
- Contents
- Chronology
- Context
- Themes
- Dramatic devices
- Further exploration
- Notes
- The language of Parliament: A Glossary
- This House
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access This House by James Graham, Nicholas Holden in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & Drama. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.