Our Betters
ROYAL GEORGE THEATRE
| April 3 – October 27
an original stage play by W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM
Directed by MORRIS PANYCH
Set designed by KEN MACDONALD
Costumes designed by CHARLOTTE DEAN
Lighting designed by ALAN BRODIE
“If one wants to be successful in London, one must either have looks, wit, or a bank balance.”
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If this play were a personal ad, it would read: rich American women in search of nobility seeking poor British men with titles – a forerunner of Downton Abbey? When American Bessie Saunders comes to London, she is thrust into the world of women of wealth and men of status. The games, the lies, the affairs – what she hears and witnesses, particularly in the garden house of her older sister Pearl, is a mercilessly funny look at Europe’s smart set. Sexy, stylish, provocative and very funny – writer and critic Graham Greene called it “the best social comedy of this century.” It is a true delight to bring Somerset Maugham back to The Shaw. Our beautiful productions of The Constant Wife and The Circle were huge successes and I strongly suspect that this brilliantly observed take on some very specific Anglo-American relations will score a bullseye once again. – JM Our Betters is recommended for ages 14+ Running time is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with two intermissions |