Girl With A Pearl Earring closes early 18 Oct 2008

Girl With A Pearl Earring closes early 18 Oct 2008

Girl With A Pearl Earring, a new play by David Joss Buckley, is closing 2 weeks early on 18 Oct 2008. (it was originally booking to 1 Nov 2008)

The play opened for a limited season at the Haymarket Theatre on 29 Sep 2008, following previews from 24 Sep, to luke warm notices from the popular press: BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE for THE TIMES says, "Worthy but uninspired play." MICHAEL BILLINGTON for THE GUARDIAN says, "Tracy Chevalier's book is an immensely subtle, compelling, first-person narrative about the obsessiveness of genius and a girl's disruptive impact on Vermeer's household: in David Joss Buckley's adaptation it becomes a conventional, thwarted love-story." CHARLES SPENCER for THE DAILY TELEGRAPH says, "It left me feeling unsatisfied, even ripped off."

This new play is a stage adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's novel, which was subsequently made into a film.

Directed by Joe Dowling, the cast includes Adrian Dunbar (Vermeer), Kimberley Nixon (Griet) , Sara Kestelman (Maria Thins), Niall Buggy ( Van Ruijven), Lesley Vickerage (Catherina) .

It has set and lighting design by Peter Mumford, costume design by Fotini Dimou, sound by Matt McKenzie and original music by Christopher Gunning. It is produced by Brian Eastman and Andrew Welch.

Johannes Vermeer is the greatest painter of his time. When he hires a young girl Griet to help in his house, it is not long before she becomes more than a servant - she starts to help him in his studio, learning the art of painting by watching the master. And then, secretly, Vermeer begins to paint her and Griet becomes model and muse for his greatest masterpiece 'Girl With A Pearl Earring'.