Double Bill of David Hare and Terence Rattigan Plays Set for West End's Pinter Theatre

A double bill of David Hare’s South Downs and Terence Rattigan’s The Browning Version will play the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre this spring, according to the U.K.'s Daily Mail. The pairing premiered last year at Chichester's Minerva Theatre, starring Anna Chancellor and Nicholas Farrell, who will reprise their roles on the West End. The shows begin performances on April 19, officially open on April 24, and run through July 22. South Downs is directed by Jeremy Herrin and The Browing Version by Angus Jackson.

Joining Chancellor and Farrell on stage will be Jonathan Bailey, Andrew Woodall, Mark Umbers, Amanda Fairbank-Hynes, Bradley Hall, Rob Heaps, Alex Lawther and Liam Morton.

Hare wrote South Downs as a companion piece to Ratigan’s 1948 play The Browning Version. Both examine life in boarding public schools, and Rattigan's own Harrow School and Hare's own Lancing College provide the backdrop for the two stories. One is told through the eyes of a master and one told through the eyes of a boy, and both revolve around unexpected acts of kindness which place the harsh and at times cruel worlds of these schools into stark contrast.

Chancellor, who plays Belinda Duffield in South Downs and Millie Crocker-Harris in The Browning Version, was recently seen in BBC drama The Hour. Her stage credits include The Last Duchess, Creditors, The Observer, Never So Good and Stanley. Her other screen credits include the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Farrell, who plays Reverend Eric Dewley in South Downs and Andrew Crocker-Harris in The Browning Version, has been seen in the West End in Birdsong, Kean and The Cherry Orchard. His film credits include The Iron Lady, Bloody Sunday, Chariots of Fire, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan and Hamlet.