Celebration (play)
Celebration is a play by British playwright Harold Pinter. It was first presented as a double-bill, with Pinter's first play The Room on Thursday 16 March 2000 at the Almeida Theatre in London.[1]
Synopsis
The plot revolves around three couples dining in the most expensive restaurant in town (an allusion to The Ivy restaurant in London). At one table are sat two brothers, Lambert and Matt, and two sisters, Prue and Julie. Lambert and Julie are married, as are Matt and Prue. They are celebrating Lambert and Julie's wedding anniversary. Seated at another table are Russell and Suki, who later join the other party of diners. The diners' conversations are intersected by the existential ponderings of Richard, the restaurateur (a character based on the London restaurateur Jeremy King), Sonia the maitresse d', and an unnamed Waiter. The dialogue begins as an apparently ordinary celebratory meal for the diners developing into a complex weaving of more sinister themes, including undercurrents of love/hate relationships and incest. The play ends with a mysterious (and 'incomplete') speech from the waiter, which hints at a possible way to escape the pain of everyday life.
Original cast
| Lambert | Keith Allen |
| Matt | Andy de la Tour |
| Prue | Lindsay Duncan |
| Julie | Susan Wooldridge |
| Russell | Steven Pacey |
| Suki | Lia Williams |
| Richard | Thomas Wheatley |
| Sonia | Indira Varma |
| Waiter | Danny Dyer |
| Waitress 1 | Nina Raine |
| Waitress 2 | Katherine Tozer |
Television adaptation
In 2006, director John Crowley adapted Celebration for More4. It was first shown on More4 on Monday 26 February 2007.
Original television cast
| Lambert | Michael Gambon |
| Matt | James Bolam |
| Prue | Julia McKenzie |
| Julie | Penelope Wilton |
| Russell | Colin Firth |
| Suki | Janie Dee |
| Richard | James Fox |
| The Waitress (Sonia) | Sophie Okonedo |
| Waiter | Stephen Rea |
Notes
- "Celebration" at HaroldPinter.org: The Official Website of the International Playwright Harold Pinter