‘Sharply observed dark comedy’ The Stage
‘Hilarious and discomfiting... a major piece of work has been rediscovered. An evening to freeze the cockles of your heart’ WhatsOnStage
‘Funny and poignant in equal measure’ London Theatre 1
‘Posner’s production skips nimbly between its pathos and humour’ The Reviews Hub
Ida has one birthday wish. Will it come true?
Ida’s family is throwing her a tea party for her eighty-sixth birthday, but their efforts to be cheerful and make the event a success verge on the desperate. Afflicted with dementia and racked with pain, Ida feels she has lived too long. As celebrations draw to a close, old prejudices and rivalries are forced into the open when the family must face the ultimate dilemma in this hilariously painful and moving picture of a family in turmoil.
A comedy about end of life sounds like a contradiction in terms, but Stephen Bill’s award winning play about the unfunny issue of the right every individual should have to depart this world with dignity, manages to tackle this very serious topic with humour and heart.
The all-star cast includes Caroline Catz (Doc Martin; DCI Banks; The Bill); Saskia Reeves (King Lear at the Globe; Wolf Hall; Wallander); Wendy Nottingham (The Winslow Boy at The Old Vic; Peaky Blinders; Mr Selfridge); Leo Bill (Mr Turner; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; 28 Days Later); Jonathan Coy (Downton Abbey; Parade’s End); Tim Dutton (Oliver Twist; Genius: Einstein; Ally McBeal; The Bourne Identity); Sandra Voe (Howards End; Playing the Field; Vera Drake) and Marjorie Yates (Shameless; Annie’s Bar; Couples).
Stephen Bill won Drama Magazine’s award for Best Play, alongside Most Promising Playwright from both Evening Standard Theatre Awards and Players London Critics’ Awards for Curtains. A former Royal Court Associate Director, Lindsay Posner's theatre credits include The End of Longing starring Matthew Perry, Speed the Plow starring Lindsay Lohan and Hay Fever starring Felicity Kendal.
Presented by Rose Theatre Kingston in association with Kingston University.