Preview: Snake in the Grass at Newcastle People’s Theatre

Snake in the Grass

by Alan Ayckbourn

Newcastle People’s Theatre

Tuesday 4^th to Saturday 8^th April 2017

A dilapidated tennis court; a reunion of two estranged sisters; the blackmailing nurse of their recently-deceased father; dark family secrets. Can a ghost story tell us anything about human nature?

In a departure from his more familiar comedies, Snake In The Grass sees Alan Ayckbourn turn his pen to a spooky exploration of the sibling rivalry between stringent Annabel and scatty Miriam, all unfolding in the garden of a macabre family home.

Sarah McLane

All of the trademarks that make Ayckbourn a master of his craft are here: the wry humour, a tight plot that twists and turns, and a fascination with loveless relationships. Add to these the unsettling influence exerted by an unseen character and you have a superbly engrossing mystery on your hands.

This rarely-performed gem by the master playwright is half black comedy, half psychological thriller.

Penny Lamport

Ayckbourn is undergoing something of a renaissance at the moment, with his latest play, a two-part, five-hour work called The Divide, forming the centrepiece of the upcoming Edinburgh International Festival. 

A little nearer home, at the People’s they have something of a reputation for bringing plays to Newcastle that have never before been staged in the city.  Snake In The Grass is just such a play and we’re proud to be giving this quirky and atypical piece from Ayckbourn’s (extensive!) back catalogue its debut in the Toon.

Tickets:

Snake In The Grass appears from Tuesday 4 to Saturday 8 April 2017 at 7.30pmat The People’s Theatre, Stephenson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5QF

Tickets cost £13.50 (Concessions £11) and are available from the box office on 0191 265 5020 or online from www.peoplestheatre.co.uk