13 May 2008
When The Birthday Party was first staged at the Lyric Hammersmith it was savaged by nearly all of the critics, a mauling which could have signalled the end of Pinter’s playwriting career... Read more
Showing at: Lyric Hammersmith
Box Office: 0871 2211722
Age: General
Genre: Play
Sub Genre: Play (Drama)
On May 19th 1958 Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith – and received almost universally negative reviews, playing to empty houses for just eight performances. Only one critic, Harold Hobson, praised the piece and celebrated Pinter as a voice for the future.
Fifty years later the play is now regarded as one of the undisputed classics of post-war drama, and Harold Pinter is considered as the UKs greatest living playwright, having been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005.
The Lyric celebrates the birthday of The Birthday Party in a new fiftieth anniversary production directed by Artistic Director David Farr, which coincides with the exact dates of the original.
Stanley is lying low at a run-down Guest House on the South Coast, with the slightly unwelcome attentions of his landlady as his only distractions. Then the house receives a visit from two men – Goldberg and McCann - who have come to fetch him back.
Harold Pinter’s mastery of quiet menace is already in full evidence in this early masterpiece as The Birthday Party grows in suspense to an ultimately terrifying conclusion.
Suitable for theatregoers aged 12 and older.
show times: Mon-Sat 19:30, Mats 14, 21 May 13:30, 17, 24 May 14:30,
ticket prices: £13-£27
cast: Sheila Hancock, Lloyd Hutchinson, Justin Salinger, Alan Williams, Nicholas Woodeson
director: David Farr
designer: Jon Bausor
producer: Kate McGrath
map: View Map
address: King Street, Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom, W6 0QL
nearest tube: Hammersmith (150m)
nearest bus: 9, 10, 27, 33, 72, 91, 190, 209, 211, 220, 266, 267, 290, 390, 391, 609, 700, 702, 740
parking: Adjacent to theatre in Kings Mall on Glenthorne Road - direct access to the theatre via the terrace - call 020 8748 9494 for further info. Very limited on street parking.
air conditioned: Yes
Access Booking: Tel: 0871 2211 722
discounts: £10 concessions available.
limited mobility: Main theatre - seats D1, D18, E1, E20, all of row R in the Stalls and back row of the Circle offer the best leg room. All stalls acessible by a lift.
access description: Level access to Box Office and street level café through automatic doors on Lyric Square. Box Office straight ahead has low level counter and wheelchair recess.19 steps or lift to level 1 and creative learning room. 19 steps or lift to main foyer. Hard flooring and walls marked for visibility. 30 steps or lift to Stalls level. 26 steps or lift to Circle level. 26 steps or lift to Upper Circle. All lifts have voice announcements and Braille signage. Auditorium is carpeted, all other areas are tiled.
hearing impaired: Sennheiser infra-red system in both theatres with 25 headsets. Headsets can be hired from programme sellers in the main foyer. Induction loop at Box Office, Studio, Main House and café bars. Portable infra-red and induction loop which can be used anywhere in the theatre.
guide dogs policy: Guide dogs allowed into auditorium - please book an aisle seat. Staff are also happy to dog sit.
wheelchairs: Lift access to the Main House is via the lifts on the other side of the Main Foyer. On the Stalls level there is an automated door opposite the lifts leading directly into the auditorium. There is a slope leading to four wheelchair accessible seats, which are at the back of the auditorium (R20-23). Companions can sit in adjacent seat if available, otherwise in R16-19. Patrons wishing to transfer from their wheelchair to a seat in the Main House can sit anywhere along the left-hand side of the Stalls if they require step-free access; the right-hand side of the Stalls and both sides of Circle and Upper Circle have steps leading into the auditorium.
toilets: Men's and women's at each level.
disabled toilets: Adapted toilet on the first floor accessible via lift.
legroom: Access guides, large print programmes, braille cast lists and touch tours available on request.
Sheila Hancock stars in The Birthday Party (photo: Robert Day)
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