Theatre

AFTER 36 WEEKS IN THE WEST END, YES PRIME MINISTER OPENS A SECOND UK TOUR AND PREMIERES IN AUSTRALIA

Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay reunited after 24 years to write a bang up-to-date Yes Prime Minister for the stage. After a sell-out season at the Gielgud Theatre last autumn and a hugely successful tour of the UK, it returned to London's West End in July where it played at the Apollo Theatre until September 17 before moving back to the Gielgud Theatre for the autumn season. It is now going on it's second UK tour, and simultaneously opening in Melbourne, Australia, after which it will play a season on all of Australia's major cities. Productions are pending in Finland, Israel, Germany and Malta (English language). It is playing in Croatia. Productions in Poland and Spain will probably follow.

The cast will be:
Simon Williams as Sir Humphrey Appleby, Cabinet Secretary
Chris Larkin as Bernard Woolley, Principal Private Secretary
Richard McCabe as Jim Hacker, Prime Minister
Charlotte Lucas, Claire Sutton, Special Policy Advisor
Kevork Malikyan as The Kumranistan Ambassador
Jonathan Coote as Jeremy Burnham, Director-General of the BBC
Michael Fenton Stevens as Simon Chester, BBC presenter

Spin, BlackBerrys, sexed-up dossiers, sleaze, global warming and Europe on the brink of a financial meltdown form the background to mayhem at Chequers as the Foreign Minister of Kumranistan makes a seriously compromising offer of salvation. Prime Minister Jim Hacker, narrowly re-elected, remains in power with his coterie of close advisors including cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby and Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley.. but for how long? They govern a whole new world.

The play premiered at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, in May 2010 and came to the end of it's hugely successful 16 week season at the Gielgud Theatre, London, on Saturday January 15th. The cast was Henry Goodman as Sir Humphrey Appleby, David Haig as Prime Minister Jim Hacker, Jonathan Slinger as Bernard Woolley, Emily Joyce as Claire Sutton, Head of the Policy Unit at Number 10, Sam Dastor as the Ambassador from Kumranistan, William Chubb as the Director-General of the BBC and Tim Wallers as BBC interviewer Simon Chester.

Designer: Simon Higlett
Lighting: Tim Mitchell
Sound Consultant: John Leonard
Casting Director: Gabrielle Dawes
Assistant Director: Tim Hoare

Director: Jonathan Lynn

Website: www.yesprimeminister.co.uk

The play is published by Faber and Faber ( www.faber.co.uk )