Details

It's the summer of 1926 and newly married playboy Gerald Popkiss arrives alone at Rookery Nook in Chumpton-on-Sea, Somerset, without his wife Clara who has been forced to stay in Bath with her ailing mother. In the dead of night, a beautiful young woman appears wearing nothing but her dew-soaked silk pyjamas, having fled her tyrannical German step-father and begs to stay at Rookery Nook. Touched by her innocence, Gerald promises to help the girl but where can he find her some clothes? And how can he keep her hidden from the meddling maid and his sister-in-law? First performed in 1926.

Cast/Performers

Nicola Alexis (Clara Popkiss), Fiona Battisby (Gertrude Twine), Benjamin Davids (Gerald Popkiss), John Dougall (Putz / Admiral / Juddy / Mrs Possett), Richard Henders (Harold Twine), William Mannering (Clive Popkiss), Jane Murphy (Rhoda Marley), Rhiannon Oliver (Poppy Dickey), Susan Porrett (Mrs Leverett)

Creatives/Company

Author: Ben Travers
Company: Oxford Stage Company
Director: Dominic Dromgoole
Design: Jessica Curtis
Lighting: Chris Ellis
Sound: Fergus O'Hare

Rookery Nook

Rookery Nook (Play) production archive for QTIX code T332007168. Details of all Rookery Nook archived productions can be found under the QTIX code: S4792

Archive Listings

8 Aug 05 to 13 Aug 05	Theatre Royal Windsor Windsor, Berkshire Performance Details => Venue archive
2 Aug 05 to 6 Aug 05	Richmond Theatre Outer London, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive
26 Jul 05 to 30 Jul 05	Oxford Playhouse Oxford, Oxfordshire Performance Details => Venue archive
19 Jul 05 to 23 Jul 05	Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk Performance Details => Venue archive
12 Jul 05 to 16 Jul 05	Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, Gloucestershire Performance Details => Venue archive
5 Jul 05 to 9 Jul 05	Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne, East Sussex Performance Details => Venue archive
28 Jun 05 to 2 Jul 05	Liverpool Playhouse Liverpool, Merseyside Performance Details => Venue archive
21 Jun 05 to 25 Jun 05	Playhouse Salisbury, Wiltshire Performance Details => Venue archive
14 Jun 05 to 18 Jun 05	Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford, Surrey Performance Details => Venue archive
7 Jun 05 to 11 Jun 05	Leeds Playhouse (formerly West Yorkshire Playhouse) Leeds, West Yorkshire Performance Details => Venue archive
1 Jun 05 to 4 Jun 05	Buxton Opera House Buxton, Derbyshire Performance Details => Venue archive
19 May 05 to 28 May 05	Northcott Theatre Exeter, Devon Performance Details => Venue archive

Reviews

User Review: 17Jun05: Saw this production in guildford yesterday. Only had three good actors in it, Richard Henders, Jane Murphy and John Dougall. Performance lacked sparkle, set was not designed for actors to easily work round. Worst of all, it didn't make us laugh very much - an almost impossible feat for a Ben Travers farce. Needs better direction.

User Reviews

USER (17Jun05): Saw this production in guildford yesterday. Only had three good actors in it, Richard Henders, Jane Murphy and John Dougall. Performance lacked sparkle, set was not designed for actors to easily work round. Worst of all, it didn't make us laugh very much - an almost impossible feat for a Ben Travers farce. Needs better direction.

CORONAVIRUS: All UK venues closed on 16th March 2020, restrictions were lifted on 19th July 2021. Please note that iUKTDb archive listings between March 2020 and July 2021 may not be accurate as we did not receive details of all rescheduled and cancelled shows.