Charlie Condou to star in stage comedy called Straight White Men
Creators say the show is about the "world's most unoppressed peoples"
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: This Morning
Charlie Condou is to star in a stage show coming to London called Straight White Men.
Joining the former Coronation Street actor in the cast are Cary Crankson, Alex Mugnaioni, and Simon Rouse.
Written by Young Jean Lee and directed by Steven Kunis, the production will open at Southwark Playhouse on Wednesday 10 November 2021. The comedy has been described as about “the most unoppressed of this world’s peoples.”
“Feared, envied, occasionally attacked and derided”
A press release shared today describes the theme of the play as such: “They are feared, envied, occasionally attacked and derided. But pitied? When personal identity is essential and privilege is a problem, what is a straight white man to do?
It describes the story as taking place “over the Christmas holidays, when three brothers assemble at the family home, to celebrate the season with their widowed father Ed played by Simon Rouse” – best known for his work on The Bill.
“The youngest, Drew (Cary Crankson) is an award-winning fiction writer. The middle boy, Jake (Alex Mugnaioni) is a hotshot banker, but the oldest, Matt (Charlie Condou), is burdened by student debt and an unexplained failure to thrive.
“Games are played. Chinese food is ordered. Brotherly pranks and trash talk distract them from the issue that threatens to ruin the testosterone-fuelled, boys-will-be-boys celebration. In this raucous, surprising and fearless work, Lee takes an outside look at the traditional father/son narrative, shedding new light on that theatrical storyline we have come to know all too well.”
The press release adds that “the people in charge of proceedings are neither straight, nor white, nor male…” with movement direction by Christina Fulcher, set design by Suzu Sakai, costume design by Beth Colley, sound design by Mwen and lighting design by Rajiv Pattani. The show is produced by David Adkin and Panorama Productions.
The show runs from Wednesday 10 November to Saturday 4 December.
For more information, head to southwarkplayhouse.co.uk.