Leopard print, rubber gloves and an Elvis impersonator; sounds like my kind of party! Take a look at the first images of Signal Theatre Company’s revival of Charlotte Jones’ award-winning comedy Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis, then book your tickets.
The revival, which marks the 21st anniversary of the play’s premiere, runs at the Park Theatre until 4 January 2020.
Josie’s tired. Tired of the Bolton winter. Tired of looking after daydreaming daughter Brenda-Marie. Tired of working as a dominatrix to make ends meet. Too tired to celebrate turning forty. But her favourite client Lionel insists on a birthday party and, knowing Josie’s a huge Elvis fan, invites a very special guest. Just as hips start swinging, somebody no-one expected arrives and skeletons come tumbling out of the closet…
The ‘adults only’ Christmas treat is a quirky, kinky celebration of life’s outsiders.
Sioned Jones leads the cast as Martha, with Kellie Batchelor as Josie. Andrew P Stephen (Lionel), Matt Lim (Timothy), Charlie Bence (Brenda-Marie) and Jessica Forrest (Louise) complete the cast. Signal Theatre Company co-founder Robert Wolstenholme directs the production.
Playwright Charlotte Jones won the Pearson Best Play Award in 1998 and the Critics Circle Most Promising Playwright Award for Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis. Her other plays include In Flame, The Dark and Humble Boy, which won the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and the Critics Circle Award for Best New Play.
Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis production gallery (Images: Lidia Crisafulli)
