Tuesday 25 February 2014

Two Into One


Final week up in the rehearsal room at The Menier for 
Ray Cooney's Two Into One before moving down onto the stage
for a very busy tech week (the set is going to be fantastic, but a whole new adventure!)
leading up to our first show next Saturday (8th March) at 3.30pm.

Menier Chocolate Factory


Ray is directing and we've got a great cast - 
Kelly Adams, Ray Cooney, Jean Fergusson, Josefina Gabrielle,Tom Golding, Jeffrey Holland, Michael Praed, Kathryn Rooney (and me).
It's going to be a lot of fun!


I'm very lucky to have worked with two of the Masters of British farce; one of my first professional acting jobs (in 1980) was as acting asm, playing Corporal Flight (a role originally played by Ray Cooney), in a tour of Sinple Spymen directed by Brian Rix. Eight years later I played opposite Brian in the West End  revival of Dry Rot at the Lyric, Shaftesbury Avenue. I played the role of Fred Phipps (the role Brian played in the original production from 1954-1958) and Brian took on the part of Alf Tubbs (originally played by John Slater and then Leo Franklyn).
I first worked with Ray Cooney in 1996 when he directed me in Cash On Delivery (written by his son, Michael) at the Whitehall Theatre (now the Trafalgar Studios). Since then I have worked with Ray on numerous occasions, the most enjoyable of which were two World cruises for P&O in 2007 and 2008 performing in Out of Order and It Runs In The Family (both plays on both cruises). Ray also wrote in a new part of a second taxi driver, which I played in his film of Run For Your Wife.

RIX & COONEY FARCES
2014 TWO INTO ONE by Ray Cooney (George Pigden)
           Menier Chocolate Factory  - diirected by Ray Cooney
2013 CAUGHT IN THE NET by Ray Cooney (John Smith)
           The Mill At Sonning (took over at last minute for final 6 performances only)
2012 CASH ON DELIVERY by Michael Cooney (Norman)
           The Mill at Sonning
           RUN FOR YOUR WIFE by Ray Cooney (Taxi Driver)
           Film  - directed by Ray Cooney
           OUT OF ORDER by Ray Cooney (George Pigden) 
           British Theatre Playhouse, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur
2010 TWO INTO ONE by Ray Cooney (George Pigden)
           The Mill at Sonning
2008 TOM,DICK & HARRY by Ray and Michael Cooney (Dick)
           UK tour
           OUT OF ORDER  by Ray Cooney (George Pigden)
           P&O Oriana World Cruise (Cape Town - Southampton) - directed by Ray Cooney
           IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY  by Ray Cooney (Hubert)
           P&O Oriana World Cruise (Cape Town - Southampton) - directed by Ray Cooney
2007 OUT OF ORDER  by Ray Cooney (George Pigden)
           P&O Aurora World Cruise (San Francisco - Southampton) - directed by Ray Cooney
           IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY by Ray Cooney (Hubert)
           P&O Aurora  World Cruise (San Francisco - Southampton) - directed by Ray Cooney
2005 CAUGHT IN THE NET by Ray Cooney  (Stanley)
           The Mill at Sonning Theatre - directed by Ray Cooney
           FUNNY MONEY by Ray Cooney (Henry)
           British Theatre Playhouse, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur 
2001 RUN FOR YOUR WIFE by Ray Cooney (Bobby Franklin)
           UK Tour
1996-7 CASH ON DELIVERY by Michael Cooney (Norman)
           Whitehall Theatre - directed by Ray Cooney
1988 DRY ROT by John Chapman (Fred Phipps)
           Lyric, Shaftesbury Avenue 
1980 SIMPLE SPYMEN  by John Chapman (Corporal Flight/ASM)
           Oxford Playhouse and Tour - directed by Brian Rix