Lee Mead joins Chelmsford City Theatres for co-production Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me
04 Jun, 2019
Monday 10 – Saturday 15 June 2019
Chelmsford City Theatres are teaming up with West End star Lee Mead to bring an intimate production of the award-winning play ‘Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me’ to the city this June. Lee, well known for his roles in ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ and BBC dramas ‘Casualty’ and ‘Holby City’, will both star in and co-produce Frank McGuinness’s play.
The production will be staged in the Cramphorn Studio - a perfect space for this moving tale of survival, hope, and the human spirit. With seating for around 140 people, audiences are promised a close-up and emotional experience.
The hostage drama was inspired by the stories of Brian Keenan, John McCarthy, and Terry Waite, who were kidnapped in Beirut in the 1980s. The Irish dramatist’s powerful play tells the story of an English academic, an Irish journalist, and an American doctor, all held hostage by unseen captors in Lebanon.
The play was first staged in 1992; it won a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Foreign Play on Broadway and was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play in 1993. Playwright Frank McGuinness has given his personal approval for this new production.
The venture is the theatre’s first drama co-production for many years. Artistic Director Ian Knowles says: “I’ve been looking for the right professional artistic partner for the theatre and I’m really excited that Lee, who I’ve known for 20 years, has agreed to come on board.”
Lee Mead has had a long relationship with the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford, starring in his first semi-professional role as a student with the Chelmsford Ballet Company. Lee says he’s been waiting for an opportunity like this: “I’ve been looking for a play I feel passionate about to make a return to the stage in a dramatic role. The story of ‘Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me’ seems more relevant than ever, and I’m delighted to be bringing this production to a new audience here in Chelmsford.”
“Leading West End producers have already begun to express an interest in an option for the play to transfer, or possibly tour the production in the UK during 2020.”
‘Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me’ premieres on Monday 10 June and runs until Saturday 15. Evening performances start at 7.45pm, with a Wednesday and Saturday matinee at 2.00pm. To find out more, visit the website, book tickets or contact the Box Office on 01245 606505.