St James Theatre Announces New Season

Bad Jews at The St James Theatre. Photo: Nobby Clarke The St James Theatre has announced a season of comedy from January to May 2015 with two comedies and a comedy legend taking to their stage. Bad Jews, a play by Joshua Longhurst will run from 15 January - 28 February.

The UK premiere of this production of Bad Jews was a sell out at the Ustinov Studio, Bath earlier this year, where it earned huge critical acclaim for its hilarious script and sharp performances.

A beloved grandfather has died and a treasured family heirloom with religious significance is up for grabs. But who is most deserving of it? Bossy, overbearing, fanatically religious Daphna? Her wealthy cousin Liam who’s just returned from skiing with his non-Jewish girlfriend Melody? Or Jonah, his brother, who would prefer not to get involved in the fight?

A cramped Manhattan apartment becomes the setting for a viciously hilarious quarrel about family, faith and legacy as the contenders set at each other’s throats on the night after the funeral.

The original Bath cast will reprise their roles for the St. James Theatre run. Jenna Augen, who has been nominated in the Best Supporting Performance category at the UK Theatre Awards, will play the role of Daphna, Gina Bramhill will play Melody, Joe Coen will play Jonah and Ilan Goodman will play Liam.

From 2-14 March, The St James will play host to Ruby Wax in her new tour Sane New World which is based on her No 1 best-selling book Sane New World: Taming The Mind.

Ruby Wax: Sane New World will help us understand why we sabotage our own sanity and provides a manual on how to survive the 21st century, using Ruby’s knowledge from her recent Master’s Degree - in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy at Oxford University - spiked with comedy.

Why we need a ‘manual’…

Ruby comments: “We are not equipped for this century, it’s too hard, too fast, and too full of fear; we just don’t have the bandwidth. Our brains can’t take so much information in a world where we’re bombarded by bad news and force-fed information. I can just about take in the weather then I’m exhausted. You open a newspaper, everyone’s dead. We’re only supposed to know what our neighbour is up to; if the woman next door to you is having sex with the man next door to her we need to know; but four doors down and it’s none of our business.” Using her signature humour, Ruby gives a tour of the brain and how to tame it: “We know so much about how the world works - but so little about our how our own minds work. It’s like having a Ferrari on top of your head but no one gave you the keys.” Concluding the comedy season will be The Three Lions by William Gaminara from 24 March - 2 May 2015.

The Three Lions was a critical success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and will embark on a national tour before its run at the St. James Theatre.

A footballer, a prince and a prime minister walk into a hotel room…..

This hilarious new comedy offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of diplomacy in action, revealing what really went on between David Cameron, David Beckham and Prince William in a Swiss hotel the night before England’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In spite of missed planes, mistaken identities, misunderstandings and sartorial challenges, they are determined to bring the beautiful game home. But when things start to go disastrously and deliciously wrong, three heads may not be better than one!

Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, Tom Davey and Séan Browne will recreate their roles of David Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham, from the original run.

For further information visit the theatre website.