THE CIRCLE

★★★★ “A sparkling revival of Somerset Maugham’s comedy of manners…certainly no shortage of laughter” The Times

★★★★ “Littler’s debut production as artistic director at the Orange Tree is strongly acted and nicely judged” The Guardian 

★★★★ “Nimbly combines humour with pain…a wonderfully waspish production” The Stage

★★★★★ “All of the cast shine…if you love good theatre, you need to put this production of The Circle in your diary” London Living Large

★★★★ “Laugh out loud…an elegant exploration of social conventions and hidden passions” Theatre Weekly

Only Cairo will push you to your absolute limits and then suddenly…you’re in love. How does this city do that?

Jane Asher (Alfie, Deep End) plays Lady Kitty, a society beauty who notoriously abandoned her stuffy husband Clive, played by Clive Francis (A Clockwork Orange, The Crown), and eloped with the handsome Lord Porteous, played by Nicholas Le Prevost (Shakespeare in Love, Testament of Youth). 

Thirty years later, love’s young dream has descended into non-stop squabbling… Meanwhile, Clive and Lady Kitty’s son Arnold (Pete Ashmore, The Lovely Bones, Brief Encounter) faces the same marital fate, as his wife Elizabeth, played by Olivia Vinall (The Woman in White, Apple Tree Yard) threatens to elope with the dashing Teddie Luton (Chirag Benedict Lobo, Life of Pi; The Winter’s Tale).

Will history come full circle? Or can one generation learn from their parents’ disastrous mistakes? 

Production photos by Ellie Kurttz