The Menier Chocolate Factory today announces the full company for Florian Zeller’s The Lie in a translation by Christopher Hampton – Lindsay Posner directs Samantha Bond, James Dreyfus, Tony Gardner and Alexandra Gilbreath at the Menier from 14 September to 18 November 2017, with a press night on 27 September.
The production sees the return of Zeller, Hampton and Posner to the Menier following the huge success of The Truth in 2016, which later transferred to the West End and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy.
Alice spots her friend’s husband with another woman. Should she tell her friend the truth…or lie? Her husband Paul is convinced that it is better to lie. But in doing so, who is being protected and who suffers? Both find out that in matters of the heart, the line between the truth and a lie can be a dangerous one to cross.
The production is designed by Anna Fleischle, with costumes by Loren Elstein, lighting by Howard Harrison, sound by Gregory Clark and original music by Isobel Waller-Bridge.
Bios
Samantha Bond plays Alice. Her theatre credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre), Passion Play, Arcadia (Duke of York’s Theatre), Amy’s View (National Theatre, Aldwych Theatre and Broadway – Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play), Three Tall Women (Wyndham’s Theatre), What the Butler Saw, An Ideal Husband (Vaudeville Theatre), The Cid – Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Play and The Ends Of The Earth (National Theatre). For television, her credits include Outnumbered, Downton Abbey, The Queen – 1974, Larkrise To Candleford, Mansfield Park; and for film, her credits include Die Another Day, The World Is Not Enough, What Rats Won’t Do, Tomorrow Never Dies, Golden Eye and Eric The Viking.
James Dreyfus returns to the Menier, where he previously appeared in Candide and The Common Pursuit. His other theatre work includes The Master Builder (The Old Vic), Harvey(Theatre Royal Haymarket), Donkey’s Years (Harold Pinter Theatre), Cabaret (Lyric Theatre), The Producers (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), The Lady in the Dark (National Theatre – Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical). For television, his work includes Mount Pleasant, Gimme Gimme Gimme and The Thin Blue Line; and for film, Notting Hill.
Tony Gardner’s theatre credits include Around the World in 80 Days (St James Theatre), The Rivals (Theatre Royal Haymarket), and Bedroom Farce (Duke of York’s Theatre). For television, his work includes Last Tango in Halifax, Bluestone 42, and Fresh Meat.
Alexandra Gilbreath’s theatre work includes Dessert (Southwark Playhouse), The Wars of the Roses (Rose Theatre, Kingston); for the RSC where she is an Associate Artist, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night (Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Play), Merry Wives: The Musical, The Taming of the Shrew/The Tamer Tamed, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, The Winter’s Tale, Cyrano de Bergerac and Ghosts. For television, her work includes Absolute Power and Monarch of the Glen.
