Double Act is a bitter-sweet comedy for two actors by playwright Barry Creyton, who wrote it for his long-time friend, actress Noeline Brown, and himself. Its world première took place in September 1987 in the Ensamble Theatre in Sydney. The performance received critical acclaim and won audiences’ hearts by storm, paving the way for the play’s success beyond the continent’s borders as well. Only a year after its Australian première, it was staged in one of the West End theatres. To date, it has been translated and staged in as many as 25 languages.
Creyton points to Noël Coward’s drama Private Lives and Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf as two of the main sources of inspiration for his work. Double Act glitters with lively dialogues, acid retorts, unfortunate coincidences and behaviour, phrased in an amusing tone. Under the cloak of comedy, it hides, however, a touching story of two people who cannot live without each other but, at the same time, cannot live with each other either.
It all started on one beautiful, rainy day, during rush hour, on the streets of the West Side Highway. She drove into the back of his car, he started yelling at her, then invited her to dinner... Alexandra and George. Refined, elegant, well educated, around forty. Once a married couple, successful in 75%, according to Alexandra, or in 50%, according to George, they meet by chance in a restaurant, five years after their divorce. An innocent flirt leads to bringing up resentments from the past, but also becomes a new beginning for them. Do these two stand a chance of getting along, even if they answer the question with a question?
The performance is directed by Anna Gryszkówna, who was inspired in large part by Woody Allen’s film works. She will take the audience to the streets of New York with Karolina Łucja Bramowicz, who designed the stage and costumes; Karolina Gębska, who puts everything in the spotlight, and Michał Lamża, who was responsible for the American jazz standards and popular music in new and surprising renditions, performed live by a five-member ensemble led by Oleg Sznicar.
Anna Gryszkówna is an actress and director. Her recent productions include Agnieszka Przepiórska’s monodrama – Ginczanka. Recipe for a Simple Life in the Łaźnia Nowa Theatre in Kraków (2020), Simona K. Crying in the Wilderness in the Big Book Cafe in Warsaw (2020), Snow in the National Theatre in Warsaw (2021), The Maids from Wilko. Rhapsody in the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź (2021), Anna – a performance about Anna Walentynowicz in the Imperial Shipyard (2022).
The leading roles will be played by Barbara Kurdej-Szatan and Michał Staszczak, known to audiences of the Krakow VARIETE Theatre as Roxie Hart and Billy Flynn from the iconic musical Chicago directed by Wojciech Kościelniak.
Tickets are now available at the theatre box office and in on-line sales.
Première: 21 January 2023
Performance with English subtitles.
Performance with live music.
Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.
