12 – 16 November
Felicity Kendal, Matthew Kelly and Julie Legrand star in Eduardo De Filippo’s FILUMENA as new production tours to Bath.
Set in the balmy heat of Naples, this sparkling comedy-drama, full of entanglement and intrigue, questions the family ties that bind us and whether we can ever escape our past. In a battle of wills between all involved, Filumena mixes Eduardo De Filippo’s charm and optimism with acerbic wit and a moral examination of how where we come from can define who we become.
Multi award-winning Felicity Kendal stars in the title role. An original member of the Actors’ Company formed by Ian McKellen and Edward Petherbridge, her many theatre credits include Michael Frayn’s Clouds in the West End, for which she won the Variety Club’s Best Stage Actress Award, and Peter Hall’s National Theatre production of Amadeus. She starred in the original productions of On the Razzle, The Real Thing and Hapgood, the revival of Jumpers, and won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for her performances in Much Ado About Nothing and Ivanov. More recent West End roles include Winnie in Happy Days, Esme in Amy’s View, Florence in The Vortex, Mrs Warren in Mrs Warren’s Profession, Sheila in Relatively Speaking and Judith Bliss in Hay Fever. She starred in her first musical in 2021 in the London revival of Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre. Last year, Felicity starred as Dotty Otley in the West End revival of Noises Off, which opened at the Theatre Royal Bath in 2022, prior to a UK tour. Her many television roles include starring as Barbara in The Good Life, Gemma Palmer in Solo, Maxine in The Mistress, Helena Cuthbertson in The Camomile Lawn and Rosemary Boxer in Rosemary & Thyme.
Olivier Award-winning actor Matthew Kelly stars as Don Domenico. Recently he starred in Noises Off with Felicity Kendal at the Theatre Royal in 2022, followed by a West End transfer in 2023; as well as UK tours in both 2022 and 2023. His numerous stage credits also include Waiting for Godot with Ian McKellen, Lend Me A Tenor!, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Sign of the Times, Big The Musical; Funny Peculiar, in which he originated the role of Stanley, and the role of Lennie in Of Mice and Men, receiving the Olivier Award for Best Actor. Matthew’s television credits include Inside No 9, Murder They Hope, Cold Blood, Benidorm, Bleak House and Moving On. He is also well known for his presenting credits including You Bet! and Stars in their Eyes.
Julie Legrand, who grew up in Bath, stars as Rosalia. She has performed in numerous productions at the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company; and in the West End in the musicals Wicked, An American in Paris, Gypsy and Fiddler on the Roof. Her television credits include playing Paula Burrow in Holby City, Nurse Bradshaw in Night and Day, Jeanette Dunkley in Footballers’ Wives and Marji in Starting Out. Julie has also played guest roles in many series including Ludwig, Romantic Getaway, Silent Witness, Call the Midwife, Doctor Who, North Square, Bad Girls, Kavanagh QC, Inspector Morse, The House of Bernarda Alba and El CID.
The role of Nocella is played by Ben Nealon, who has toured to the Theatre Royal Bath in twelve previous productions. Best known on television as Second Lt/Captain Jeremy Forsythe in Soldier Soldier and D.I. Baxter in Doctors, his most recent stage credits in Bath include Spider’s Web in 2009, Murder on the Nile in 2012, Black Coffee in 2014, The Lady Vanishes in 2019, The Cat and the Canary in 2020, Catch Me If You Can in 2022 and Twelve Angry Men in 2023.
George Banks, who plays the role of Michele, recently appeared as Henry Newton in Coronation Street. His theatre credits include The Mousetrap in West End, Dial M For Murder at Theatre Royal Windsor and Birdsong on UK tour. Jodie Steele, who appears as Diana, has starred in the West End in Bonnie and Clyde, Heathers the Musical, Bat Boy, Hair, War Of The Worlds, and toured the UK in Six, Rock of Ages and Wicked. Her television credits include Malory Towers and Professor T. Sarah Twomey, who plays Lucia, has recently appeared in Alex Garland’s film Men alongside Jessie Buckley, and in Netflix’s series The Sandman alongside Tom Sturridge. Her stage credits include Accolade, which visited Bath earlier this year, and productions at London’s Bridge Theatre and the RSC.
The cast is completed by Gavin Fowler as Umberto, Jamie Hogarth as Alfredo, Lee Peck as Waiter, Hilary Tones as Teresina and Fabrizio Santino as Ricardo.
Filumena is produced by Bill Kenwright Ltd and Theatre Royal Windsor, directed by Sean Mathias and designed by Morgan Large, with lighting design by Nick Richings.
Filumena tours to the Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 12th to Saturday 16th November.
To book tickets contact the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit theatreroyal.org.uk
Photo credit: Jack Merriman
