The Gathered Leaves

The Gathered Leaves description

A decade after it sold out at Park200, The Gathered Leaves returns.

Written by Andrew Keatley and directed by former RSC Artistic Director Adrian Noble, The Gathered Leaves is back in town, on stage at London's Park Theatre.

The story? Roll back time to 1997, where we meet the Penningtons, who have been estranged for a long time. The family hasn't been in the same room together for seventeen years. But the night before William's 75th birthday, three generations of Penningtons meet, hoping the past can finally be put aside and their differences forgotten and forgiven.

William's children have always been a let down. A deviant daughter who never toed the line, an autistic son, and another son who never quite managed to get a grip on life, between them, they never reached William's high standards. Now they're back together, the same old resentments surface once more, along with a slew of new problems, making their plans for reconciliation less and less likely to succeed. But William knows his life is almost at an end, and he's running out of time. Will he manage to forgive his family even if they can't forgive him?

This moving, poignant, funny family drama strikes a chord with everyone who sees it. Many of us know how history, reputations and expectations can easily turn a family event into a nightmare. Will the Penningtons survive this extraordinary Easter weekend?

The producers are PostScript Productions in association with Park Theatre. The play is from the pen of Andrew Keatley (Alligators). It is directed by Adrian Noble (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), and the casting is by Gabrielle Dawes.

Described as a production full of freshness and verve, hugely impressive, and a quite terrific play, this is a family drama for our times. Don't miss this rich portrayal of what makes a family tick.

Playing at Park Theatre

Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London, N4 3JP GB (venue info)

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