I received this from Katherine Camps of Public Eye Communications. Katherine is handling the PR for Richard’s new play “Otherwise Engaged”.

“Otherwise Engaged” by Simon Gray

Starring Richard E. Grant, Anthony Head, David Bamber & Peter Wight

To open at the Criterion Theatre in London from 25th October 2005 following a five week regional tour.

A major new revival of Simon Gray’s classic comedy, “Otherwise Engaged”, will complete a five week regional tour prior to opening in the West End at the Criterion Theatre on 25 October (press night 31 October). Directed by Simon Curtis and starring Richard E. Grant (‘Simon Hench’), Anthony Head (‘Jeff Golding’), David Bamber (‘Bernard Wood’) and Peter Wight (‘Stephen Hench’), the production will open on 21 September at the Bath Theatre Royal and visit Oxford, Milton Keynes, and Woking before coming to London. Further casting includes Liam Garrigan who will play ‘Dave’ and Amanda Ryan who takes the role of ‘Davina Saunders’.

Simon Gray’s wickedly sharp, satirical, award-winning comedy was first performed in 1975 with a cast that included Alan Bates, Nigel Hawthorne, Julian Glover and Ian Charleson. The show was an instant success in the West End, winning the best play awards from the Evening Standard, Variety Club and Plays and Players. The play transferred to Broadway with Tom Courtenay taking over the lead from Alan Bates, and extended its West End run with Michael Gambon taking over as Simon Hench. The West End production gave 1,029 performances and ran for two years. This new production for 2005 will be the first West End revival since the original production.

Witty, urbane, sophisticated and selfish, publisher ‘Simon Hench’ is a man of taste and discretion, who is accustomed to keeping himself at a graceful distance from the messy distractions of his family and friends. He has a problem, though – well, several actually – only he just doesn’t know it yet. Settling in for a morning in his lavishly furnished home with his new recording of Wagner’s Parsifal, Simon is besieged by a deluge of unwelcome visitors and his usually cool demeanour begins to buckle as life finally catches up with him.

Richard E. Grant, makes a welcome return to the stage. He has starred in more than sixty films over the past twenty years, including his iconic performance in the 1987 cult classic “Withnail and I”. More recently he has confirmed his status as one of the country’s favourite actors with appearances in Robert Altman’s “Gosford Park”, and Stephen Fry’s “Bright Young Things”.

Forthcoming films include Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride”, “Colour Me Kubrick” with John Malkovich and his first feature as a writer/director, “Wah-Wah”, which is the opening film of this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival. His theatre roles include “The Importance of Being Earnest” at the Albery Theatre and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, as well as guest appearances in “The Play What I Wrote”.

Anthony Head (‘Jeff Golding’) is one of the country’s most versatile actors. His theatrical roles range from ‘Lt. Stefan Kovacs’ in “A Patriot For Me” (Chichester) to ‘Frank N’ Furter’ in “The Rocky Horror Show”, ‘Frederick Trumper’ in “Chess” and ‘Jesus’ in “Godspell (all West End). He is probably best known for his television work which includes playing ‘Rupert Giles’ in seven series of the hit US show “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, ‘James’ in two series of “Manchild” and more recently ‘Michael’, the Prime Minister, in the award-winning BBC comedy “Little Britain”. His film credits include Mike Hodges’ “Prayer for the Dying” and the upcoming release “Click”.

Simon Gray was awarded the C.B.E. in the 2005 Queen’s New Years Honours List for services to literature. He is the author of many stage plays included “The Common Pursuit”, “The Late Middle Classes”, “Japes”, “Cell Mates” and “The Old Masters”, which recently had an extended West End run starring Edward Fox and Peter Bowles. He has twice been nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play – for “Butley” in 1973 and “Otherwise Engaged” in 1977. He adapted JL Carr’s “A Month In The Country” for the 1987 film, which starred Colin Firth and Kenneth Branagh, and he has also adapted several of his own plays for television, including “Quartermaine’s Terms” with John Gielgud. He has written five diaries, the latest of which “The Smoking Diaries” was published last year.

Simon Curtis began his career in theatre direction and his productions include “Road” at the Royal Court Theatre (where he was Deputy Director) and the Lincoln Centre, “Roots” at the National Theatre, “A Lie of the Mind” at the Royal Court and “Little Voice” at the Steppenwolf Theater, Chicago and on Broadway. Directing for film and TV includes John Malkovich in “Old Times”, Anne Bancroft in “The Mother”, “The Student Prince” with Tara Fitzgerald, “The Sins” with Pete Postlethwaite, “Man and Boy” with Pauline Collins and “David Copperfield” with Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen and Daniel Radcliffe. His film of Patrick Hamilton’s “20,000 Streets Under the Sky” aired on BBC4 in April and will be shown on BBC2 this Autumn.

“Otherwise Engaged” will be designed by Simon Higlett with lighting by Tim Mitchell and sound by Clement Rawling, and is produced on tour and in the West End by Mark Rubinstein, Sonia Friedman Productions, Lee Menzies and TEG Productions.

For further information please contact Katherine Camps or Jo Allan at Public Eye Communications.
Tel: 020 7351 1555 or e: katherine@publiceye.co.uk / jo@publiceye.co.uk
To apply for press tickets please email: laura@publiceye.co.uk
Performance Details
Monday- Saturday at 7.30pm
3.00pm
Tickets priced from £10 – £40
Office: 0870 060 2313
Reduced price preview tickets from £10-£25

Thursday and Saturday at Criterion Theatre Box.

Thanks Katherine.