Any season of work that’s taking place in a London theatre at the moment is worthy of five stars in my book. The Bridge Theatre’s proving that there is no business like showbusiness, with its Talking Heads season allowing audiences to witness — quite simply — acting masterclasses from Britain’s finest actors. After Alan Bennett’s monologues were revived on our screens earlier this year, it seems fitting to the British "keep calm and carry on" mentality that we’re... Read more
During April and May, while the Bridge Theatre was closed, the venue worked with the BBC to produce Alan Bennett’s landmark Talking Heads monologues. Now, eight of them come to the stage in a series of unique double bills, all of them with the same leading actors whose performances were universally acclaimed on television. Each of the short plays that make up Talking Heads is a perfectly distilled masterpiece, sometimes disturbing, often hilarious and always profoundly humane.
The Shrine & Bed Among the Lentils
7th September - 22nd September 2020
The Shrine performed by Monica Dolan, directed by Nicholas Hytner
Bed Among the Lentils performed by Lesley Manville, directed by Nicholas Hytner
Playing Sandwiches & Lady of Letters
28th September - 31st October 2020
Playing Sandwiches performed by Lucian Msamati, directed by Jeremy Herrin
Lady of Letters performed by Imelda Staunton, directed by Jonathan Kent
The Outside Dog & The Hand of God
9th September - 26th September 2020
The Outside Dog Performed by Rochenda Sandall, directed by Nadia Fall
The Hand of God Performed by Kristin Scott Thomas, directed by Jonathan Kent
Nights in the Gardens of Spain & Miss Fozzard Finds her Feet
30th September - 24th October 2020
Nights in the Garden of Spain Performed by Tamsin Greig, directed by Marianne Elliott
Miss Fozzard Finds her Feet Performed by Maxine Peake, directed by Sarah Frankcom
Talking Heads Performance Information
Talking Heads Performance Dates & Times
The Bridge Theatre Venue Information
Address:
The Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG
Nearest tube:
Borough
Seating Plan:
Customer reviews
Our Review of Talking Heads
Alan Bennett’s monologue series Talking Heads is ingeniously booby-trapped. It may look, at first glance, a little safe: all teapots, cosy, unflattering knitwear, and well-kept, conventional suburbia. But pull back the net curtains, and these characters are surviving domesticity in extremis, their personal crises sometimes assuming the proportions of classical tragedy. That could hardly be more true of the pitch-black, bloody tale The Outside Dog (1998), the first in this double... Read more
Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads monologues, which chronicle the quiet turmoil of lives behind ordinary suburban front doors, have been on an extraordinary journey. They made landmark TV when they first appeared in 1988, with a second series a decade later and various stage versions over the years. Read more