PAUL ELLIOTT, DUNCAN C WELDON & LIZA McLEAN,
TRH PRODUCTIONS LTD & KARL SYDOW
Present
A CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE PRODUCTION
DAVID SUCHET
in
the last confession
A new play by: ROGER CRANE Directed by JONATHAN CHURCH
PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH AEG OGDEN, PERTH THEATRE TRUST & QUEENSLAND PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
& WILLIAM KENNY AND 1407 PRODUCTIONS LLC
Internationally acclaimed British actor David Suchet will reprise his role on stage in the conspiracy thriller, ‘THE LAST CONFESSION’, in Australia in 2014. The international production will play in Toronto and Los Angeles before arriving in Australia in August. Seasons in Perth and Brisbane were announced late last year and now dates have been confirmed for seasons at Adelaide’s Her Majesty’s Theatre from August 27 and Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre from September 3. Tickets on sale from Friday February 7.
Making his Australian stage debut, David Suchet is an Olivier and Emmy Award winner, BAFTA and Tony Award nominee. He is best known for playing Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot having starred in all 74 television movies over 25 years. This is an iconic role that has taken him into the lounge room of millions around the world. Further to his role in Agatha Christie’s renowned series, Suchet has starred in numerous films and television series internationally whilst also maintaining an impressive theatre career. In ‘THE LAST CONFESSION’ he will play the role of Cardinal Giovanni Benelli.
Sure to ignite controversial debate, ‘THE LAST CONFESSION’ is set within the corridors of power in the Vatican and explores the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of Pope John Paul I in 1978. He died only 33 days after being elected and before he could set his liberal reforms into place. Suspicions are aroused when it is revealed that the new Pope had warned three of his most influential but hostile Cardinals that they would be replaced on the evening before his death. The Vatican refuses to conduct an official investigation into the death but the politically savvy Cardinal Giovanni Benelli who had engineered the election of Pope John Paul, is determined to find the truth.
Originally premiering at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2007 before a hugely successful transfer to The Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End, ‘THE LAST CONFESSION’ is written by first time playwright Roger Crane and has been acclaimed by both the audience and critics alike.
‘A thoughtful whodunit…it’s divine!’ Sunday Telegraph UK
‘David Suchet is marvellous’ Daily Express, UK
‘An intelligent and provocative new work’ Evening Standard UK
This new tour has been mounted by international producing partners consisting of Triumph Entertainment Ltd (Paul Elliott and Duncan C.Weldon), The Theatre Royal Haymarket and Karl Sydow from the UK and Tinderbox Productions (Liza McLean) from Australia. The cast will be assembled from the UK, Canada, USA and Australia under the direction of Jonathan Church (Artistic Director of the famous Chichester Festival Theatre).
Jonathon Church, recently in Australia holding auditions said, “What I find particularly exciting about this production is its international dimension. We are bringing together an American writer, a British creative team, an International producing team and an Australian, Canadian, American and British cast of 20 actors to deliver this exceptional new play.”
The creative team includes Designer William Dudley (7 times Olivier Award winner), legendry Lighting Designer Peter Mumford (3 times Olivier award winner), Broadway and West End costume designer Fotini Dimou and music by the former Director of Music at the National Theatre, Dominic Muldowney.
Rehearsals commence in London with the tour starting in Toronto at the Royal Alexandra Theatre and Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre before transferring to Australia with additional tour dates to be announced.
SEASON DATES AND TICKETING DETAILS
PERTH
HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE
August 5th – 16th 2014
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
General tickets: www.ticketek.com.au or 1300 795 012
Group Bookings: email groupbookings@ticketek.com.au or 1300 364 001
BRISBANE
LYRIC THEATRE – QPAC
August 20th -24th 2014
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
General tickets: www.qpac.com.au or 136 246
Group Bookings: email groups@qpac.com.au or call 07 3840 746
ADELAIDE
HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE
August 27th – 31st 2014
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
General tickets: www.bass.net.au or 131 246
Group Bookings: 08 8205 2220
MELBOURNE
COMEDY THEATRE
September 3rd – 21st 2014
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
General tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100
Group Bookings: email groups@ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 889 278
SYDNEY
THEATRE ROYAL
September 24th – 12th October 2014
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
General tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 723 038
Group Bookings: email groups@ticketmaster.com.au or 1300 889 278
THE PRODUCTION
Set within the corridors of power in the Vatican, “The Last Confession” explores the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of Pope John Paul I in 1978. He died only 33 days after being elected and before he could set his liberal reforms into place. Suspicions are aroused when it is revealed that the new Pope had warned three of his most influential but hostile Cardinals that they would be replaced on the evening before his death.
The Vatican refuses to conduct an official investigation into the death but the politically savvy Cardinal Giovanni Benelli (played by David Suchet), who had engineered the election of Pope John Paul, is determined to find the truth. Charles Spencer of the Daily Telegraph said, “What a pleasure to encounter such an ambitious new play - a conspiracy thriller and murder mystery that manages the rare feat of being as intelligent as it’s “entertaining …” “The Last Confession” enjoyed both critical and financial success at the Haymarket Theatre in London following a season at the Festival Theatre in Chichester.
The cast of twenty actors include American, Australian, British and Canadian artistes making this a truly international production.
BOOK NOW
| DATE | CITY | VENUE | |
| 19 APR - 1 JUN | TORONTO | Royal Alexandra Theatre | BOOK NOW |
| 10-29 JUN | LOS ANGELES | Ahmanson Theater | BOOK NOW |
| 5-16 AUG | PERTH | His Majesty's Theatre | BOOK NOW |
| 20-24 AUG | BRISBANE | Lyric Theatre QPAC | BOOK NOW |
| 27-31 AUG | ADELAIDE | Her Majesty's Theatre | BOOK NOW |
| 3 - 28 SEP | MELBOURNE | Comedy Theatre | BOOK NOW |
| 24 SEP - 12 OCT | SYDNEY | Theatre Royal | BOOK NOW |
BIOGS
DAVID SUCHET
David is an Associate Artist and Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He is best known around the World for his portrayal of Agatha Christie’s “Hercule Poirot” having starred in all 74 “Poirot” TV films which is the whole canon of Agatha Christie’s “Poirot” stories.
THEATRE Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Apollo Theatre) nominated for Olivier Award - Best Actor, Best actor nomination What’s On Stage Awards, All My Sons (Apollo Theatre) nominated for Olivier Award/ Won Best Actor Critics Circle, Complicit (The Old Vic), The Last Confession (West End and Chichester Festival Theatre) Once in A Lifetime (Royal National Theatre), Man and Boy (West End and No. 1 Tour),The Play What I wrote (West End), Amadeus (West End, London and Broadway) won Best Actor USA Award/nominated for Olivier and Evening Standard Awards, Tony nomination for Best Actor, Saturday, Sunday, Monday (Chichester Festival Theatre), George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Aldwych Theatre (won Critic’s Circle Award, nominated for Best Actor Evening Standard and Olivier Awards), What a Performance (Plymouth Theatre Royal and Queens Theatre),Oleanna (Royal Court and Duke of York’s - Best Actor, Royal Variety Club), Best actor nomination Olivier Awards, Timon of Athens (Young Vic - Best Actor, Evening Standard Awards), Separation (Hampstead Theatre and Comedy Theatre - Olivier nomination for Best Actor). David has also acted extensively in the Regional Theatres including Liverpool, Birmingham, Chester, Exeter, Edinburgh Festival, Chichester Festival. An Associate Artist of The Royal Shakespeare Company he has played Iago in Othello, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Caliban in The Tempest, Bolingbroke in Richard II, Angelo in Measure for Measure (all nominated for Olivier Best Actor Awards)
FILM
Effie, The Bank Job , Act of God, Foolproof, The In-Laws, Live From Baghdad, Sabotage,Wing Commander, A Perfect Murder, Sunday (Winner of the best film at the Sundance Film Festival), Deadly Voyage, Executive Decision, The Lucona Affair, Big Foot and the Hendersons, When the Whales Came, Iron Eagle, Gulag, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Song for Europe (Channel 4 - Best Actor Award, RTS Awards), Falcon and the Snowman, The Last Innocent Man (HBO - Best Actor, Ace Awards), Red Monarch (Channel 4 - Best Actor Award, Marseilles Film Festival), A World Apart (Working Title - Best Actor Nomination, BAFTA),
TELEVISION
Great Expectations (BBC 2) Richard II (BBC 2), Hidden (Origin Pictures /BBC 1) Going Postal (Sky), Diverted (TV film Shaftesbury Films/Big Tree Productions) Best Actor Gemini Award, Flood (Power), A Bear Named Winnie (Powercorp Prods.), Networks): Henry VIII (Granada TV) George Carmen QC: (BBC) NCS: The Series (BBC ) The Way We Live Now (BBC) won Best Actor Olivier Awards, Nomination Best Actor BAFTA Awards, Murder In Mind - ‘Teacher’ (BBC) NCS: Manhunt (BBC), Victoria & Albert (BBC & A&E), RKO281 (HBO), Seesaw (LWT), Solomon (Lux & TNT USA), Moses (Lux & TNT USA), Secret Agent (BBC), Separation (BBC), Bingo (BBC), Once in a Lifetime (BBC), Cause Celebre (Anglia), Ulysees (LWT), Playing Shakespeare (LWT), Blott on the Landscape (BBC - Best Actor, BAFTA), The Life of Freud (BBC - Best Actor, RTS Awards), The Muse (BBC). David received an Emmy Award for his performance as Robert Maxwell in “Maxwell” on British and American television.”
RADIO
The Kreutzer Sonata (Best Actor Award), Never Been Kissed in the Same Place Twice, Ironhand, First Night Impressions, The Merchant of Venice, Richard II, Debussy, Gorky on Tolstoy/Gorky on Chekhov, Wilkie Collins - Rich Pickengs, The Shout, Rosenburg in the Trenches and Life of Chekhov. He has just finished recording the complete Bible - “One Voice - One Bible”.
DOCUMENTARIES
David has featured in many documentaries including “Who Do You Think You Are”, “In The Footsteps of St. Paul” best documentary in the Sandford Martin Trust Awards and “Being Poirot” to celebrate the end of 25 years of playing “Hercule Poirot”.
David was awarded the CBE in 2010.
CREATIVE TEAM
JONATHAN CHURCH
Director
Born and educated in Nottingham, Jonathan trained as Assistant Director at the Nottingham Playhouse. Other posts include Associate Director of Derby Playhouse (1994-1995), Artistic Director of Salisbury Playhouse (1995-1999) Associate Director of Hampstead Theatre (1999-2001) and Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre (2001-2006).
As Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre Jonathan has directed The Resistable Rise of Artuto Ui, The Grapes of Wrath, The Circle, Hobson’s Choice, Pravda, co-directed, with Philip Franks, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, The Critic/The Real Inspector Hound co-directed with Sean Foley, and Singin’ in the Rain.
West End Productions include the upcoming production of The Resistable Rise of Artuto Ui (Duchess Theatre), Of Mice and Men (Savoy Theatre and The Old Vic ), The Witches (Wyndhams Theatre), A Busy Day (Lyric Theatre), The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby and Singin’ in the Rain (Palace Theatre).
National touring productions include The Crucible, The Witches, Of Mice and Men, The Diary of Anne Frank, Hobson’s Choice, God and Stephen Hawking, Romeo and Juliet, The Circle, Master Class.
Other Productions include The Life of Galileo, Promises and Lies, Elizabeth Rex, Hobson’s Choice, Of Mice and Men, Private Lives, Closer, Peter Pan, The David Hare Trilogy, The Norman Conquests, The Crucible and The Witches (Birmingham Rep), A Busy Day (Bristol Old Vic), You Be Ted and I’ll Be Sylvia (Hampstead Theatre), The Crucible (Birmingham Old Rep), The Norman Conquests, The Rover, The Banished Cavaliers, The Merchant of Venice, The Rehearsal, The Double Inconstancy, Disappearances, Racing Demon, The Cherry Orchard, Romeo and Juliet, The Alchemical Wedding, Colombe (Salisbury Playhouse), Angels Rave On and Saint Oscar, (Nottingham Playhouse), Educating Rita and Oleanna (Salisbury Playhouse and Chichester Festival Theatre), Top Girls (Plymouth Theatre Royal), Time And The Conways (Colchester Mercury), Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Two, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, The Importance of Being Earnest, Absurd Person Singular and Oleanna (Derby Playhouse), The Bear and The Ballad of Reading Gaol (Sheffield Crucible), Magnetic North (West Yorkshire Playhouse), In Lambeth (Lyric Hammersmith Studio and Nottingham Playhouse), The Broken Heart (Lyric Hammersmith Studio), Comic Cuts (Derby Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic and Lyric Hammersmith Studios).
MEDIA
Competition Terms and Conditions -
The Last Confession, Comedy Theatre - Melbourne:
Hachette Australia Media Release
ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
NATIONAL:
- Vicky Iliopoulos - vicky@aka-au.com
03 8866 8336 or 0410 551 388
PERTH:
Lynne Burford Publicity – Lynne Burford - lburford@iinet.net.au
08 9355 1455 or 0417 921 038
International venue /ticketing information
PERTH OFFICIAL CAR SPONSOR
BRISBANE OFFICIAL CAR SPONSOR
MELBOURNE OFFICIAL CAR SPONSOR
ADELAIDE OFFICIAL CAR SPONSOR
