Brand new staging of comedy An Hour and a Half Late opening at Bath’s Theatre Royal

Olivier Award winners Griff Rhys Jones and Janie Dee are set to star in a brand new production of the comedy An Hour and a Half Late which opens in Bath appearing at the Theatre Royal from Wednesday 16th February to Saturday 26th February. Touring the UK in 2022, Gérald Sibleyras’s play written with Jean Dell is adapted and directed by Belinda Lang.

An Hour and a Half Late reveals a devastatingly funny and poignantly recognisable portrait of a couple whose life takes a sudden turn when five minutes of candid conversation launches their lives into crises and anarchy. 

All looks rosy in leafy London W4. Peter is about to retire and sell his half of the accountancy business to his partner. They’ll be loaded. Laura has just packed their youngest off to university and the world is their oyster. Will they go on a cruise? Hike in the Himalayas? Take up golf? All that remains is for the documents to be signed. But just as they head out to meet friends for a celebratory dinner, Laura drops a bombshell! 

Griff Rhys Jones stars as Peter. A double Olivier award-winning actor, writer, presenter and comedian, Griff’s many starring roles on stage have included Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh’s Oliver! and the title role in Charley’s Aunt, both in the West End; Redillon in the London production of Feydeau’s An Absolute Turkey, directed by Peter Hall, and Toad in the National Theatre’s staging of The Wind in the Willows. He last appeared at the Theatre Royal in the Molière comedy The Miser in 2017 prior to its West End transfer. His earlier Bath performances include An Absolute Turkey in 1993 and Arturo Ui in 1987, both of which transferred to London. Griff’s many television credits include prime time comedy programmes, dramas and numerous documentary series for BBC and ITV, including Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones, Great West End Theatres, Slow Train Through Africa, Griff’s Great Britain and, in 2020, Griff’s Great Australian Adventure, screened on ITV and Netflix.

Janie Dee stars as Laura. One of the UK’s most versatile actors, Janie is the winner of Olivier Awards for her roles in Carousel, Hello Dolly! and Comic Potential. Her recent credits include the Broadway hit Hand to God, Follies at the National Theatre, and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike in the Theatre Royal’s 2019 Summer Season, which transferred to London in 2021. Janie was a regular star of Bath’s renowned Peter Hall Seasons at the Theatre Royal, with memorable performances in Coward’s A Design for Living, Pinter’s Betrayal, Shaw’s The Apple Cart and Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Her screen credits include Death in Holy Orders, The Murder Room, Heartbeat, London’s Burning, Midsomer Murder and the films Me and Orson Welles, Love Me Still and Official Secrets.

In addition to the play’s two-week run in Bath, on Friday 25th February at 9.15pm, An Hour and a Half Later promises a treat for fans of musical theatre. A special one-night only, post-show performance by Janie Dee and her pianist Stevie Higgins with a guest appearance by Griff Rhys Jones, An Hour and a Half Later will feature an eclectic mix of songs and stories from Janie’s glittering West End and Broadway career with many of the song choices reflecting her favourite roles.

An Hour and A Half Late is written by French dramatist Gérald Sibleyras, who is also the author of Heroes, which was translated by Tom Stoppard and won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2006. 

Director Belinda Lang, who has also adapted An Hour And A Half Late for its 2022 staging, is well-known for her television roles including Bill in the BBC One comedy 2 Point 4 Children, Kate in Dear John, Martha Brett in The Bretts, Sheila Walsh in Bust, Agatha Troy in Alleyn Mysteries, Liza Ferrari in Second Thoughts and Beth in To Serve Them All My Days. On stage, her numerous performances have seen her play opposite Judi Dench in Hay Fever and star in The Killing of Sister George, What the Butler Saw and Dead Funny in the West End. Belinda has starred in thirteen previous productions at the Theatre Royal since 1984; most recently in Oklahoma! in 2015, Ladies in Lavender in 2012, and Present Laughter, which she also directed, in 2010.  

An Hour and A Half Late appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Wednesday 16th to Saturday 26th February. Tickets are on sale at the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk