Performance Dates
6 June 2003 – 28 June 2003June 2003
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6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28 June
Details
- Playwright
- Peter Whelan
- Director
- Jason Ingram Roth
AddressBrisbane Arts Theatre, Petrie Terrace, Brisbane
Brisbane Premiere
The Herbal Bed By Peter Whelan
Directed by Jason Ingram Roth
ShakespeareÂ’s Daughter in a Class of Passion, Loyalty and Morality
The Herbal Bed is based on actual events which occurred in Stratford-upon-Avon in the summer of 1613, when William ShakespeareÂ’s elder daughter, Susanna Hall, was publicly accused by Jack Lane, a disgruntled ex-apprentice of her husband, of having a sexual liaison with Rafe Smith, a married neighbour and family friend. From these bare facts, Whelan has created a remarkably persuasive and touching portrait of a family in crises. Susanna sues her accuser for slander in the court of Worcester Cathedral. SusannaÂ’s husband, the respected physician, John Hall, is desperate for her to clear her name in order to save his practice, and he gives her his complete support. But how can he avoid the fact that one summerÂ’s night, while he was away from Stratford, Rafe Smith was seen secretly leaving their herbal garden? Faced with political divisions within the church, the hearing in the BishopÂ’s court becomes a risky gamble as three peopleÂ’s lives are held up to the glare of intense public scrutiny in this emotional thriller whose outcome is anything but certain.
The title of the piece refers to the fact that the husband, John Hall, is a physician (of Stratford upon Avon) whose practice, according to the knowledge of the age, relies on herbal medicines grown at home. The “bed”, therefore, has a double meaning – sexual and horticultural.
The Daily Telegraph described it as ‘a marvellous piece, tender, wise and generous of spirit’.
The Financial Times: ‘Whelan crates a play about a relative and absolute truth, about morality, compromise and love. The result is absorbing, intelligent and funny’.
The New York Post: “It is a first rate drama with interesting moral issues of truth and expediency’.
OPENS FRIDAY JUNE 6TH, 2003 AT 8PM
Then: JUNE 7, 12, 13 & 14
Continuing Wed to Sat until June 28th at 8pm
PLEASE NOTE: This Production contains some Nudity
Ticket Prices: Adults $19 / Concession $15
Opening Night Tickets $22 (Inc. Supper & Drinks)
Discounts for Group Bookings, School Groups, Arts Theatre Members & Institute of Modern Art members
Bookings:Arts Theatre Office - 3369 2344
The Herbal Bed By Peter Whelan
Directed by Jason Ingram Roth
ShakespeareÂ’s Daughter in a Class of Passion, Loyalty and Morality
The Herbal Bed is based on actual events which occurred in Stratford-upon-Avon in the summer of 1613, when William ShakespeareÂ’s elder daughter, Susanna Hall, was publicly accused by Jack Lane, a disgruntled ex-apprentice of her husband, of having a sexual liaison with Rafe Smith, a married neighbour and family friend. From these bare facts, Whelan has created a remarkably persuasive and touching portrait of a family in crises. Susanna sues her accuser for slander in the court of Worcester Cathedral. SusannaÂ’s husband, the respected physician, John Hall, is desperate for her to clear her name in order to save his practice, and he gives her his complete support. But how can he avoid the fact that one summerÂ’s night, while he was away from Stratford, Rafe Smith was seen secretly leaving their herbal garden? Faced with political divisions within the church, the hearing in the BishopÂ’s court becomes a risky gamble as three peopleÂ’s lives are held up to the glare of intense public scrutiny in this emotional thriller whose outcome is anything but certain.
The title of the piece refers to the fact that the husband, John Hall, is a physician (of Stratford upon Avon) whose practice, according to the knowledge of the age, relies on herbal medicines grown at home. The “bed”, therefore, has a double meaning – sexual and horticultural.
The Daily Telegraph described it as ‘a marvellous piece, tender, wise and generous of spirit’.
The Financial Times: ‘Whelan crates a play about a relative and absolute truth, about morality, compromise and love. The result is absorbing, intelligent and funny’.
The New York Post: “It is a first rate drama with interesting moral issues of truth and expediency’.
OPENS FRIDAY JUNE 6TH, 2003 AT 8PM
Then: JUNE 7, 12, 13 & 14
Continuing Wed to Sat until June 28th at 8pm
PLEASE NOTE: This Production contains some Nudity
Ticket Prices: Adults $19 / Concession $15
Opening Night Tickets $22 (Inc. Supper & Drinks)
Discounts for Group Bookings, School Groups, Arts Theatre Members & Institute of Modern Art members
Bookings:Arts Theatre Office - 3369 2344
Bookings
This production has concluded. Contact details are not available for past events.