When The Summer Palace premiered at the Brighton Fringe, the production created an exceptional buzz, with audiences praising it as "amazingly gripping," and "mesmerising." Now the play returns to the Lantern Theatre for three performances only. Don't miss it!

"A very entertaining and pacy production, with accomplished performers and intelligent writing." - Rialto Arts, Brighton.
This chillingly funny psychological thriller begins when an internationally acclaimed theatre director working under a totalitarian regime is brought in for questioning. He thinks his political activism is the reason, but the person facing him across a desk in an anonymous room turns out to be an actor he hasn't seen for twenty years, and they have unfinished business. The director begins to realise that the interrogation isn't quite what it seems as the personal and the political become dangerously intertwined and themes of power, identity, and the artist's role in resisting oppression play out in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

The twists and turns of this darkly comedic play mark the return to the theatre of writer Paul Bassett Davies, who began his career in experimental multimedia performance before moving to radio and television, where he worked with some of the biggest names in British comedy and drama. He is author of four published novels and several stories, one of which was praised by Stephen King as "Mordantly funny... Poe would have liked it."

Paul also plays one of the roles in this two-hander; the other is performed by local actor John Black, in a welcome return to the Brighton scene that builds on his growing reputation and decade-plus experience across stage, screen and immersive theatre.

RUNNING TIME: 70 minutes AGE SUITABILITY: 13+ CONTENT WARNING: Strong Language and Depictions of Violence