THREE women are thrown together in their late teens in Amelia Bullmore's Di And Viv And Rose, whose regional premiere opens tonight at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.
They are very different in character, but it is not long before they are living in each other’s pockets. Life is a blast, and together they can do anything, but life also has unexpected plans for them, and so begins the funny, moving and surprising story of three friends whose relationship spans 30 dramatic years.
Written by actor-writer Amelia Bullmore – best known for her roles as Steph Barnes in Coronation Street, Vicky Fleming in Happy Valley and DCI Gill Murray in Scott & Bailey, for which she also wrote several episodes – the original London production had a sell-out run at Hampstead Theatre before transferring to the West End.
The SJT production, with a cast of Polly Lister as Di, Grace Cookey-Gam as Viv and Margaret Cabourn-Smith as Rose, is directed by Lotte Wakeham on her return to the Scarborough theatre.
"I'm thrilled to be back at the SJT, having had such a great time directing The World Goes Round here last summer," says Lotte, who also has directed the musical Wonderland, now on a national tour, and was associate director on the Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda in London.
Margaret Cabourn-Smith and director Lotte Wakeham, seated, in rehearsal for Di And Viv And Rose
"We've been having a lot of fun in rehearsals and costume fittings for Di And Viv And Rose. I'm very excited to share this play with the SJT audience, as it's one of the most moving yet also hilarious plays I've come across in a long time," she adds.
Polly Lister is in her second SJT show of the summer, having received acclaim from reviewers and audiences alike for her electric storm of a performance as Mari Hoff in Jim Cartwright's The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice. Polly was a UK Theatre Award winner for her portrayal of Beverley in Abigail’s Party at the Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, in 2015 and earlier this year performed her own one-woman show, I Was A Wife, at the Duke’s Theatre, Lancaster.
In a previous life, Grace Cookey-Gam read Music at Birmingham University. After a career in classical music and arts education, she trained as an actor at the City Lit, graduating in 2013. Since then she has played various roles on stage and television and will be seen in the upcoming blockbuster Justice League.
Margaret Cabourn-Smith trained at Drama Studio London and has been performing, mainly in comedy, ever since, appearing as a team captain on the podcast Do The Right Thing and playing Alison in the hit BBC series Miranda.
Di And Viv And Rose will run in the Round at the SJT in rep from today to August 26. Box office: 01723 370541 or at sjt.uk.com
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