Award-winning playwright David Eldridge’s hit play ‘Beginning’ is coming to Manchester for the first time this February.
National Theatre and West-End hit play ‘Beginning’, will be at the Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre 16 February to 11 March.
The hugely successful two-hander tells the story of Danny and Laura, the last two standing at Laura’s housewarming party, and the romantic opportunities that arise between the two as the night unfolds.
David Eldridge said: “It’s so special to return (to Manchester) with a play and original play of my art, I just loved the theatre.
“I think for audiences, and for artists, the intensity of it, the intimacy of it, you really feel like you’re in the room together.
“So, for lots of reasons, I’m really, really chuffed and excited.”
David worked alongside the Royal Exchange Theatre’s joint artistic director, Bryony Shanahan, to bring a Mancunian spark into the play.
He said: “I’ve done a lot to bring the play towards Manchester, so the play is set now in a flat in West Didsbury rather than in Crouch End in North London.
“And that’s something that’s really lovely as well for a Manchester audience, the sense of this thing just happening around the corner or across the city.”
The award winning screenwriter used inspiration from his previous personal experience in the city.
He said: “The play again feels really natural to me because I lived and worked in the northwest and Manchester for three years – Manchester is sort of like a second home to me.
“There’s a space, a mixture of energies in the (Royal Exchange) theatre itself that the building base feels like a fantastic fit for the play.”
The two leads are played by Erin Shanagher (THE BAY) as Laura and Gerard Kearns (FLOODLIGHTS, SHAMELESS) as Danny.
He said: “The thing that you immediately get with these two actors playing these two roles, in particular, is they’re both incredibly warm and charming people.
“It’s a great plus for a play like Beginning, where you want to feel there’s a connection between these characters, and there’s a bit of banter.
“These actors have been brilliantly cast in those roles because of that sort of natural warmth and charm that they’ve both got.”
Book your tickets here: https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/whats-on-and-tickets/beginning-2023
