Hampstead Theatre’s critically acclaimed production Di and Viv and Rose, will open at the Vaudeville Theatre on 29 January 2015 with previews from 22 January. Anna Mackmin returns to direct Amelia Bullmore’s funny and insightful comedy about female friendship. Tamzin Outhwaite* reprises her role as Di and will be joined by Samantha Spiro as Viv and Jenna Russell as Rose.
Aged eighteen, three women join forces at university. Life is fun. Living is intense. Together they feel unassailable. Di and Viv and Rose is a hilarious and thoughtful exploration of friendship’s impact on life, and life’s impact on friendship.
Amelia Bullmore’s debut play Mammals, also directed by Anna Mackmin, co-won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and shortlisted for the What’s On Best New Comedy Award. Bullmore’s work as an actress includes The Norman Conquests (The Old Vic and on Broadway), Twenty Twelve, State of Play, Alan Partridge, Jam, Big Train and Scott and Bailey. Her TV writing credits include This Life, Black Cab, Attachments and Scott and Bailey series 2, 3 and 4; radio writing includes 5 series of Craven, Cash Flow, The Middle, Family Tree and The Bat Man.
Di and Viv and Rose is Amelia and Anna’s sixth production together. Anna has directed all of Amelia’s writing for the stage to date, including the award winning Mammals and a new version of Ibsen’s Ghosts at the Gate Theatre. They’ve also worked together twice as an actress and director; in Sheffield where Amelia played Elizabeth Proctor in Anna’s production of The Crucible and at the National Theatre in Really Old Like Forty Five.
Original cast member Tamzin Outhwaite will reprise her role as Di until 28 March. Tamzin is currently appearing on the London stage in Breeders (St James), her other stage credits include Sweet Charity (Haymarket and Menier Chocolate Factory), Boeing Boeing (Comedy), Breathing Corpses, Flesh Wound (Royal Court) and Oliver (London Palladium). Her television credits include New Tricks, Red Cap, Doctor Who, Foyle’s War, Silent Witness, Law and Order UK, The Fixer, Hotel Babylon, Hustle and EastEnders (BBC). Film credits include Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream and Great Expectations.
Samantha Spiro plays Viv. Theatre work includes Kafka’s Dick (Theatre Royal Bath), Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew (Globe), Filumena (Almeida), Company (Crucible), Chicken Soup with Barley (Royal Court – What’s On Stage and Evening Standard Award nominations for Best Actress), Much Ado About Nothing, Hello Dolly (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre – Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical), Two Thousand Years, Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick (National Theatre), Funny Girl (Chichester Festival), A Little Night Music (Chicago Shakespeare’s Theatre – Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical) and Merrily We Roll Along (Donmar – Olivier and What’s On Stage Awards for Best Actress in a Musical). Her television credits include Bad Education, Psychobitches, Panto!, Grandma’s House (British Comedy Award), Rock&Chips, After You’ve Gone, Coupling, series two of The Wrong Mans, and Cold Feet. Her film credits include From Hell, Cor Blimey and Tomorrow La Scala.
Jenna Russell plays Rose. Theatre credits include Mr Burns (Almeida), Urinetown (St James), Merrily We Roll Along (Menier Chocolate Factory and Harold Pinter – Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical), Into the Woods (Regent’s Park Open Air), Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly - Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical) and Sunday in the Park with George (Menier and Roundabout, New York – Theatre World Award for Broadway Debut Performance and Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical). In September Jenna will be reprising her role in the West End transfer of Urinetown (Apollo). On television Jenna is known for her roles in Call the Midwife, Holby City, Minder, Born and Bred and Peak Practice.
Anna Mackmin’s theatre credits include Hedda Gabler, The Real Thing and Dancing At Lughnasa (Old Vic), Di and Viv and Rose (Hampstead Downstairs and Upstairs), Burn, Chatroom and Citizenship and Really Old Like Forty Five (National Theatre - nominated for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award for Best New Play and What’s On Stage award for Best New Comedy), Hedda Gabler (Gate Dublin), In Celebration and Under The Blue Sky (Duke Of York’s - What’s On Stage Award for Best New Play), Dying For It and The Lightning Play (Almeida - nominated for a What’s On Stage Award for Best New Comedy), Ghosts (Gate Theatre), Mammals (Bush Theatre & National Tour - Susan Smith Blackburn Award Best New Play), Food Chain and Breathing Corpses (Royal Court - George Devine Award, Pearson Best Play Award and nominated for Critics' Circle and Olivier Awards), The Dark (Donmar Warehouse), Auntie & Me (The Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh - Fringe First Award), In Flame (Bush Theatre and New Ambassadors - Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play) and Airswimming (BAC and Tour). Anna was an associate director at the Gate Theatre and the Sheffield Crucible where she directed Me and My Girl (nominated for TMA Award for Best Musical Production), Teeth N Smiles, Cloud Nine (TMA Award for Best Director), The Crucible and The Arbor.
Di and Viv and Rose is produced in the West End by Nick Frankfort & Tobias Round for CMP Ltd and Greg Ripley-Duggan for Hampstead Theatre.
Di and Viv and Rose premiered at Hampstead Downstairs in 2011 where it was a sell-out success. Hampstead Downstairs produces new plays in front of a paying audience but without formal press evaluation; the programme allows writers and directors to trial new work, with a view to transferring to a wider audience, ready for critical assessment. Di and Viv and Rose transferred to Hampstead Theatre's Main Stage in 2013, the first in-house transfer of its kind. Other Hampstead Downstairs Productions have transferred to the West End and toured regionally and internationally. Di and Viv and Rose is Hampstead Theatre's third West End transfer this year following Good People by David Lindsay Abaire and the new musical Sunny Afternoon, with lyrics and music by Ray Davies and book by Joe Penhall.
