‘My Night With Reg’: Kevin Elyot’s classic gay play to tour UK
The 1994 gay comedy of manners is being revived by Manchester's Green Carnation Company.
By Will Stroude
Words: Will Stroude
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Kevin Elyot’s seminal gay play My Night with Reg is set to return to British stages later this month in a new production from Manchester’s Green Carnation Company.
The revival of Elyot’s 1994 comedy-drama about a group of gay friends living through the Aids crisis in 1980s London will visited theatres across the Midlands and north of England until March, kicking off at The Lowry in Salford on 23 January.
The cast includes Nicholas Anscombe (BBC’s Requiem), as well as David Gregan-Jones and Simon Hallman, both of whom have recently filmed roles in Russell T Davies’ upcoming Channel 4 Aids drama Boys.
Left-right: ‘My Night with Reg’ stars Nicholas Anscombe, David Gregan-Jones and Simon Hallman
A gay comedy of manners, My Night with Reg was first produced for the London stage in 1994 before transferring to the West End and winning the Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 1995.
A West End revival five years ago generated national headlines after its promotional posters were banned from the London Undergound for containing exposed male buttocks, before going on to win the 2015 Olivier Award for Best Revival.
In a press release, Green Carnation Company promise that the latest incaration of My Night with Reg offers “an evening of laughter, heartbreak and celebration”, adding that “Elyot’s razor-sharp wit will be brought to life in a stunning, visual feast that captures the decadence, celebration and uncertainty of 1980s London.”
The company’s co-artistic director Dan Jarvis said in a statement: “Kevin Elyot’s writing is gorgeous – it’s witty, and it’s really human.
“This play explores how a group of close friends cope with loss and use their humour, warmth and their friendship to deal with that. That’s something anyone can relate to.”
He adds: “Elyot’s comedy is believable – it’s not slapstick or farcical but really human. And it’s set in the 80s which for gay audiences is synonymous with time of crisis and fear, but also a time of opportunity and excess and decadence.”
Check out the dates for the new UK tour of My Night with Reg below:
23-25 January – The Lowry, Salford
13-15 February – Hull Truck Theatre, Hull
20-22 February – Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield
5 March – Gala Theatre, Durham
12-14 March 2020 – Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
For the best deals on tickets and shows from Attitude and LOVEtheatre, click here.