Russell Bentley, Matthew Marsh, et al. Cast in HIS GREATNESS, Opening April 27 at Finborough Theatre

A European premiere from one of Canada's pre-eminent playwrights, Daniel MacIvor, His Greatness opens at the Finborough Theatre on Tuesday, 24 April 2012 (Press Night: Friday, 27 April 2012 at 7.30pm) for a four week limited season.  Directed by Che Walker, the cast includes Russell Bentley, Matthew Marsh and Toby Wharton.

Inspired by a ‘potentially true story’ during the declining days of Tennessee Williams, His Greatness is an intimate insight into the mind of a familiar public figure, grappling with the loss of former glory and desperate for a return to form and success.

Three men; a great American playwright, his trusted and loyal assistant, and a young Canadian street hustler find themselves together for two days in a hotel room in Vancouver. The ensuing battle for power, love and loyalty is frequently funny, engagingly dark and ultimately moving. This is the story of living with greatness and the pain of its inexorable decline.

Celebrated Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor has written and directed numerous award–winning productions including See Bob Run, Wild Abandon, 2-2-Tango, This Is A Play, The Soldier Dreams, You Are Here, How It Works and A Beautiful View. With long time collaborator Daniel Brooks, he created the solo performances House, Here Lies Henry, Monster and Cul-de-sac. Daniel’s play Never Swim Alone won the award for overall excellence at the New York Fringe in 1998 and, in 2002, he won a GLAAD Award and a Village Voice Obie Award for In On It, which was presented at PS122. His play Marion Bridge received its off-Broadway premiere in New York in 2005. From 1987-2007, with producing partner Sherrie Johnson, he ran Da Da Kamera, a respected interNational Theatre touring company that has brought his work to Australia, Israel, Europe, the UK, and extensively throughout Canada and the US. In 2007, His Greatness was critically lauded in its premiere production at the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver and has subsequently been seen in New York City in a sell-out production. Both House and See Bob Run have been produced at the Finborough Theatre, while His Greatness received a staged reading at the Finborough Theatre in April 2010 to complement its London premiere production of Tennessee Williams' The Notebook of Trigorin.

Director Ché Walker returns to the Finborough Theatre where he made his directorial debut with Achidi J’s Final Hours in 2004, and where he has directed three other critically acclaimed sell-out productions – Etta Jenks, starring Daniela Nardini and Clarke Peters (2005), Blue Surge (2011) and Fog (2012). Other Theatre includes Been So Long (Young Vic and English Touring Theatre), Extended Family (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Glory of Living (BAC), Estate Walls, Little Baby Jesus (Oval House), Lovesong (English Touring Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe), Car Thieves (National Theatre Studio) and Dance for Me (Tricycle Theatre). Ché's writing includes Been So Long (The Young Vic and Royal Court Theatre), The Frontline (Shakespeare's Globe), Iphigenia (Southwark Playhouse), Flesh Wound (Royal Court Theatre), Crazy Love (Paines Plough), Car Thieves (National Theatre Studio), Carmen (Open Air Theatre), Dance For Me (Theatre Royal Stratford East) and Rootz Spectacular (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry). He is also writing the book for The Eighth, a new musical with music and lyrics by Paul Heaton of The Beautiful South for this year's Manchester International Festival as well as writing his own musical adaptation of The Bacchae with Arthur Darvill for English Touring Theatre. This year, Ché will direct the feature film adaptation of his original musical, Been So Long from his own screenplay for Greenacre Films/UKFC and is also developing an original television series with the BBC.

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