It may be “a dazzling piece of theatre that makes you laugh one minute and cry the next,” but what can we expect of After Edward, a hilarious queer-who’s-who of a show, being brought to OFS by Oxford Theatre Guild?
Picked by OTG to help celebrate 50 years of PRIDE, Tom Stuart‘s hilarious and thought-provoking play was first performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2019, so this is only the second production of the play ever, and the first outside London.
After Edward shows someone coming to terms with their own identity through a prism of eclectic characters, each person helping with the journey.
From Edward II to Gertrude Stein, Harvey Milk, Quentin Crisp and Margaret Thatcher as the pantomime baddie, After Edward is where Queer politics collide with imagined and personal experience.
“We call it a fever dream because it’s so off the wall but it all becomes clear in the end,” OTG director Simon Tavener says.
“Essentially After Edward is a comedy so we have had such a laugh in rehearsals,” Simon says. “There is so much warmth and humour in the script, so it really is the complete package, really building up-and-up towards the end.
And as After Edward has only been performed for eight shows, OTG is thrilled to be bringing it back again.
“It has been a real privilege to stage the first revival of this outstanding modern script that has such an important message about being proud of who you are,” Simon says, “and anyone who loves theatre will enjoy the references and the theatricality of the piece.
“We know our loyal audiences enjoy being kept on their feet and we try to surprise them with our programming. So yes we do Shakespeare and Ayckbourn, but we also try to introduce new and unusual plays, because where equality is concerned there are still many fights to be had and battles to be won.”
After Edward runs at OFS from Monday October 31 – Saturday November 5. Book at https://oldfirestation.org.uk/whats-on/after-edward
