West End star Emily Lane joins cast of BLESSINGS at Riverside Studios
Emily Lane (Frozen; Hello, Dolly!, West End) will join the previously announced cast of the world premiere of Blessings, by acclaimed playwright Sarah Shelton, at Riverside Studios from 30 September-26 October.
Set in a small English town in the 1960s, Blessings is a blisteringly honest, darkly funny new play exploring faith, family and the lies we tell to keep everything from falling apart.
An emotionally charged observation of family dysfunction, Blessings made its acclaimed debut as a shortened piece at last year’s Riverside Bitesize Festival. Bold, brilliant and blisteringly honest, this must-see new work explores faith, family, control and the lies we tell to keep everything from falling apart.
Emily Lane, who will play Sally, joins the previously announced cast which includes beloved screen and stage actor Gary Webster (Minder, Family Affairs) as Frank, TV and radio favourite Jane Slavin (Call the Midwife) as Dorie, Hannah Traylen (Educating Rita) as Frances, Milly Roberts as Penny, and rising talent Freddie Webster (professional stage debut).
Behind the polished front door of the Deacon household, tradition is crumbling, secrets are festering, and change is coming - whether they like it or not. In a small English town in the 1960s, formidable matriarch Dorie Deacon is determined to keep her Catholic family respectable while Frank, her husband, maintains a silence that suggests he sees more than he’s ever let on. But as her children return home to celebrate their traditional family Easter, their carefully constructed image begins to crack. From smug eldest son Martin to razor-sharp Penny, rebellious Frances to watchful youngest daughter Sally, the Deacons are anything but united. And with a new boyfriend on the scene, a family priest who knows more than he’s saying, and plenty of unspoken truths lying under the surface, the household is a pressure cooker ready to blow. As secrets inch toward the surface and confessions are avoided, tension mounts toward a devastating and unforgettable climax. Is truth always the best policy? And what would you do for love?
Blessings is written and directed by Sarah Shelton, with lighting by Dan Terry, sound by Andy Graham, set and costume design by Alice Carroll, and casting director Denise Silvey.
