Jermyn Street Theatre announces restoration comedy reading

Jermyn Street Theatre has announced an all-star cast for a reading of William Wycherley's restoration comedy Love In A Wood on 31 January 2021.

An all-star cast has assembled for an online reading of William Wycherley’s 1671 comedy Love in a Wood, presented by Jermyn Street Theatre, conceived and directed by Hermione Gulliford, and performed in aid of Equity Charitable Trust.

Word spreads fast in Restoration England. When romantic idealist Valentine makes a secret return from exile in France, he hears whispers that his lover Christina has been untrue. The thing is, Valentine is only jealous because his friend Vincent said that the hapless rogue Ranger had taken a liking to Christina. So, while Vincent and Ranger run amok, Valentine takes it upon himself to discover the truth. But can he see the wood from the trees…?

This free online reading of a 1671 comedy by William Wycherley (The Country Wife) is performed in aid of Equity Charitable Trust, supporting industry professionals in need of urgent assistance. Conceived and directed by Hermione Gulliford, and featuring an all-star cast including Linda Bassett, Nicholas Le Prevost, Danny Sapani, Nancy Carroll and Jo Stone-Fewings, Love in a Wood’s premiere will be hosted on the Jermyn Street Theatre YouTube channel. Love In A Wood is free to view with donations requested for Equity Charitable Trust through the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hermione-gulliford1 The reading stars Jo Stone-Fewings (The Hollow Crown, Richard III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), James Anderson (Holby City, Agatha Raisin, Father Brown), Danny Sapani (Misfits, Les Blancs, Medea), Ian Gelder(Game of Thrones, Titus Andronicus, Torchwood), Nicholas Le Prevost (Shakespeare In Love, Testament of Youth, Stolen), Paul Chahidi (The Taming of the Shrew, Cymbeline, This Country), Christopher Chung (Waterloo Road,Romeo and Juliet, Heathers), Nancy Carroll (Father Brown, As You Like It, Henry IV Parts I & II), Lorna Brown (The Oresteia, Terminator: Dark Fate, Little Light), Linda Bassett (Dinnerladies, Larkrise to Candleford, Call the Midwife), Ellie Fanyinka (Death in Paradise, Holby City, Losing Venice), Debbie Chazen (The Smoking Room, Tittybangbang, Mine All Mine), Hermione Gulliford (Monarch of the Glen, Doc Martin, Romeo & Juliet), Shaofan Wilson (The Welkin, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, The Secret Love Life of Ophelia), May Walker (Happy Father’s Day, Mirya), Jules Melvin (Much Ado About Nothing, Pericles, An Inspector Calls). Love In A Wood is edited by Daniel Morley-Fletcher and stage-managed by Lou Ballard. Jermyn Street Theatre’s Artistic Director Tom Littler said: “I’m a big fan of Restoration comedy and I know many of our audience feel the same way. So when I heard that Hermione Gulliford had assembled such a fantastic cast for a Zoom reading of Love in a Wood - an underrated gem of a play - I rang her to ask if we could help. Every credit must go to Hermione and her company of actors, all volunteering their time. The reading is free but we’re raising donations for Equity Charitable Trust, who are doing crucial work at this tough time.” Hermione Gulliford said: “I read Love in a Wood while preparing to direct another Restoration Comedy last year. I thought it was really funny with a fantastic range of characters. I’m a fan of the era and style, the plays are so rich, the characters so well drawn and the resonances with today are poignant. I just thought I’d test the water with a few mates to see if I could organise a little Zoom reading of it. Before I knew it, this incredible company of actors emerged, all doing it for the love of it, for free, so we thought, well let’s see if we can raise some funds for Equity Charitable Trust, who are doing their best to help us, especially now through this pandemic.” The reading will premiere on Jermyn Street Theatre’s YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/_KMk54jMPCk