The Dumb Waiter – East Riding Theatre Confirm Latest Production

East Riding Theatre is thrilled to announce that they will be welcoming audiences back with a production of Harold Pinter’s early masterpiece. The show will run from 9 to 25 September.

ERT’s Artistic Director Adrian Rawlins said;

“I’m so happy that at long last we are able to open the ERT doors once again.”

“Our screens continue to serve us well in getting through this challenging time but there is nothing quite like the thrill of the live arts, and I can’t wait to see ERT coming alive with the buzz of audience and performers in the next few months.”

The Dumb Waiter is a dark tragicomedy set in a dingy basement where two hitmen, Ben and Gus, wait on orders for their next job.

As the atmosphere becomes stale and their differences become more visible, a deep-seated tension begins to stifle their relationship. Directed by critically acclaimed actor and director Martin Hutson, whose work includes Twelfth Night, Henry V, and Art which he directed for ERT in 2018.

“I’m honoured to be directing the first show back. And what a play to be directing! The Dumb Waiter is extraordinary. A one-act, perfectly formed play that punches well above its weight.”

“We have two amazing actors in Frazer Hammill and Nick Figgis, who were seen together earlier this year in John Godber’s Moby Dick. They blew me away in the auditions and I can’t wait to get into a rehearsal room with them.”   

Adrian goes on to say;

“This play has a special place in my heart as almost 40 years ago I performed in it at college and was so inspired by the experience that it fired up a desire to try and become an actor. Today it feels just as fresh and exciting, as funny and as challenging, and I’m thrilled to have the brilliant Martin Hutson directing and a fantastic cast in place raring to go!”

Martin adds “I really hope everyone enjoys this truly remarkable play. I think it’s a perfect post-lockdown evening: funny, rich, disturbing, short and to the point, and yet not easily forgotten. It’s also about two people trapped together in a small space waiting for dubious powers above to give them instructions; if any of that sounds familiar.”

Tickets are £16.50 (£15.50 concessions) on sale now and available from: https://www.eastridingtheatre.co.uk/the-dumb-waiter/