by TERENCE RATTIGAN
directed by AMELIA SEARS
★★★★★ “Wryly funny and deeply moving.” All That Dazzles
★★★★★ “The cast is extraordinary.” Everything Theatre
★★★★ “Claire Price’s excellent, subtly layered Lydia holds the stage.” Financial Times
★★★★ “Nuanced and sharply observed study of human nature.” The Stage
★★★★ “Director Amelia Sears finds her way unerringly to the heart of the piece.” Evening Standard
★★★★ “Neat twists and terrific acting.” Daily Mail
★★★★ “An elegant revival.” Time Out
★★★★ “Excellent performances.” West End Best Friend
★★★★ “A deeply moving drama.” Mark Aspen Reviews
★★★★ “Touching.” theatreCat
★★★★ “Dominic Rowan delivers a complex portrayal of a man weighed down by secrets and sentimentality.” North West End
★★★★ “A perceptive and deeply moving drama.” London Theatre 1
“A fascinating study of loving deception.” The Observer
“Knotted drama contains warmth – and love.” The Guardian
“The Orange Tree’s intimate, in-the-round configuration draws us into the heart of the domestic discord.” The Times
Honesty between people who love each other is the thing that matters least in this life.
England, 1973. Estonian refugee Lydia and her Marxist literary critic husband Sebastian both worked in wartime intelligence. They excel at keeping secrets – from friends, from each other, and even from themselves. But their world is crumbling.
The arrival of Lydia’s admirer, a best-selling American author, sparks their complex deceptions into an explosion of family truths.
A perceptive and deeply moving drama, In Praise of Love is Rattigan’s penultimate play, and loosely based on the relationship between the actor Rex Harrison and his wife Kay Kendall.
Orange Tree audiences loved Terence Rattigan’s French Without Tears and While the Sun Shines. This is a rare chance to see a haunting and provocative play by one of the twentieth century’s most popular playwrights.
Starring Daniel Abelson (Amsterdam – OT), Joe Edgar (Just For One Day – Old Vic), Claire Price (Poison – OT, King Lear – Duke of York’s Theatre) and Dominic Rowan (The Invention of Love – Hampstead Theatre).
“The most piercing exposition of love under great stress I have ever seen on the stage.” Harold Hobson, Sunday Times on In Praise of Love
“Few dramatists of this century have written with more understanding of the human heart than Terence Rattigan.” Michael Billington
In rehearsals...
On stage...
Rehearsal and production photography by Ellie Kurttz
Show Info
PERFORMANCE TIMES
Mon – Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 29 May)
CONTENT ADVICE
This production explores themes of terminal illness and death, contains some strong language and references to the Holocaust. This production may use flashing lights, loud sound effects and water-based haze.
Our content warnings are updated as a production evolves through rehearsals and previews, so please note they may change between booking a ticket and seeing the production.
Saturday Seminar
Sat 14 Jun 11am; find out more and book here
Members’ and Patrons’ Evening with Post-Show Talk
Wed 11 Jun
Booking is open exclusively to all our Members and Patrons. Membership starts at £60pa and supports the OT to create our ambitious programme of artistic and community work. These evenings are a chance to mingle with fellow Members and Patrons, meet the OT staff, and hear from the cast and creative team of the production.
OT Under 30 Night
Fri 20 Jun
On OT Under 30 Nights, enjoy a FREE DRINK and POST-SHOW TALK all included with your £15 ticket.
Post-show discussion led by the OT
Thursday matinees
Admission is free with your ticket to the performance.
Audio Described performance
Wed 2 Jul, 7:30pm
Captioned performances
Tue 1 Jul, 7:30pm
Relaxed & Distanced performance
Wed 25 Jun, 7:30pm
To book accessible seats, and for audio described and captioned, please call the box office on 020 8940 3633 (Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm) or email
box.office@orangetreetheatre.co.uk. If you’re on our Access List, you can log in and book online.
TICKET PRICES
No booking fees. Prices increase based on demand. Book early to secure your seats at the best prices.
£15 tickets for Under 30s on all seats for all performances – subject to availability.
£15 access tickets – find out more
£15 tickets available for members of theatre unions and guilds
£1 tickets available through our subsidised ticket scheme – find out more
Cast
Mark Walters
Daniel Abelson
Joey Cruttwell
Joe Edgar
Lydia Cruttwell
Claire Price
Sebastian Cruttwell
Dominic Rowan
Creative Team
Terence Rattigan
Writer
Amelia Sears
Director
Peter Butler
Set and Costume Designer
Bethany Gupwell
Lighting Designer
Elizabeth Purnell
Sound Designer and Composer
Eleanor Dolan
Costume Supervisor
Alex Payne
Fight Director
Aundrea Fudge
Dialect Coach
Helena Palmer CDG
Casting Director
Rosie Tricks
Assistant Director
Lizzi Adams
Deputy Stage Manager
Charlotte Smith-Barker
Assistant Stage Manager