Juliet Stevenson and Henry Goodman star in Matthew Lloyd's production. It replaces Alan Ayckbourn's Woman in Mind, which was originally booking to May 30, but is now running to May 2 only.
Duet for One originally premiered at the Bush Theatre in 1980 and subsequently transferred to the West End's Duke of York's Theatre, where it ran for almost a year. It was revived in London for the first time this year when it began performances at the Almeida Theatre Jan. 22, prior to an official opening Jan. 29.
The play revolves around a celebrated concert violinist, Stephanie Abrahams (played by Stevenson), who is forced to re-think her career and her life after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She consults psychiatrist Dr. Feldmann (Goodman), whose probing questions delve deep into her complex personality. For the first time, she is forced to consider a future without music.
Duet for One is directed by Matthew Lloyd, artistic director of the Actors Centre, who was previously an artistic director at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre (where he directed An Experiment with an Air-Pump and Waiting for Godot), as well as associate director at Hampstead Theatre, where he directed The Fastest Clock in the Universe, Slavs! and The Lucky Ones.
Stevenson was last seen on stage at the National Theatre as Arkadina in The Seagull. Other theatre credits include Alice Trilogy, The Country and Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden (winning the Olivier Award for Best Actress), all for the Royal Court, We Happy Few at the Gielgud, Private Lives for the National Theatre, Beckett Shorts for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Burn This (opposite John Malkovich) at Hampstead Theatre before transferring to the Shaftesbury. Goodman's recent theatre credits include Teyve in Fiddler on the Roof for Sheffield Theatres, subsequently transferring to the Savoy, Performances at Wilton's Music Hall, The Exonerated for Riverside Studios, The Birthday Party at the Duchess and the title role in Richard III for the Royal Shakespeare Company. For the National Theatre he played Shylock in Trevor Nunn's production of The Merchant of Venice, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Roy Cohn in Angels in America and Philip Gellburg in Broken Glass. For the Royal Shakespeare Company his work includes Volpone, The Comedy of Errors and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? In the West End his roles include Billy Flynn in the original West End cast of the current production of Chicago, Freud in Terry Johnson's Hysteria and Eddie in Feelgood, and on Broadway his work includes The Producers and Art.
Design is by Lez Brotherston with lighting by Jason Taylor and sound by John Leonard. Duet for One is produced in the West End by Lee Dean and Jenny Topper.
To book tickets for the West End run, contact the box office at 0870 0400084 or visit www.nimaxtheatres.com. For more information on the production, visit www.duetforone.co.uk.
