A COMEDY show, that gave its name to some of the UK’s most loved chocolates, is coming to a popular York venue.
The Regency comedy Quality Street tours to York Theatre Royal from May 16 - 20, as Northern Broadsides returns to the city.
The original run of the production in 2020 was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the Broadsides and New Vic Theatre production is revived for a 2023 tour with a cast that includes Calderdale’s very own Paula Lane, familiar to TV audiences for playing Kylie Platt in Coronation Street for six years.
The show was created with a team of retired workers from the Halifax factory where Quality Street chocolates have been proudly made since 1936, wrapping the action in their "witty and outrageous" observations.
Two of the cast are from the original run and return for the new tour - Alicia McKenzie and Louisa-May Parker. They are joined by Jelani D’Aguilar, Alice Imelda, Aron Julius, Alex Moran, Jamie Smelt and Gilly Tompkins.
Laurie Sansom, director of Quality Street and artistic director and CEO of Northern Broadsides, said: “It was heartbreaking to have to abandon this production in 2020 when it was being enjoyed by so many.
"We are thrilled to be working with our wonderful partners at New Vic Theatre to bring it back to stages up and down the country with a fantastically playful company.
"They capture the wit and wisdom of J.M. Barrie’s delightfully comic creation, as well as the Halifax women who helped us make the original show. We can’t wait to get it back on the road.”
During the performance, Phoebe Throssel runs a school for unruly children in Quality Street. Ten years after a tearful goodbye, her old flame returns from fighting Napoleon.
But the look of disappointment on Captain Valentine’s face when he greets an older, less glamorous Phoebe spurs the determined heroine to action, becoming the wild and sparkling Miss Livvy, a younger alter-ego who soon beguiles the clueless Captain.
As their romance is rekindled - and Miss Livvy melts the Captain’s heart - Phoebe must juggle both personas while trying to avoid scandalizing the town with her deception, or wrecking her future with the man she loves.
Tickets for the shows can be found on the York Theatre Royal website or by calling the box office on 01904 623568.
Earlier this year, the theatre's former chief executive Tom Bird left his post after five years to take on the role of chief executive at Sheffield Theatres.
Mr Bird said he had "loved being at York Theatre Royal over the last five years", and was "so grateful to everyone here and in the wider York community for their support".
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