Directed by Judith Howe
May 12 & 13, 1995

Programme Notes        [ Photographs ]

Although Richard Harris is probably best known for his comedies, his latest play, Dead Guilty, recently premièred at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, is a cold and spooky chiller with evil yet undeniably real characters. His screenplays include the adaptation of his stage play Stepping Out. He has written many plays for television; co-creating the BBC series Shoestring and most recently The Darling Buds Of May.

Party Piece (based on his earlier play Local Affairs), tells of the Smethursts' fancy dress house-warming party, where the characters, sharply drawn as usual, provide their own brand of entertainment.

Party Piece is not the first of Harris' plays The Players have produced but is probably the most adventurous! Outside Edge was the first in 1987, the comedy portraying the lives and loves of a group of men, who, as Harris says, just happen to be playing cricket. Captained by Roger ("Love you, okay, fair enough?") and supported by ("Don't chop-chop me") Miriam, he tries to conduct his team of misfits through a symphony of chaos and disaster! Outside Edge won the Evening Standard Award in 1979 and is now enjoying a second series on television. In 1990, the thought of learning to tap-dance in six weeks may have seemed... - well, daunting! Nevertheless, with taps tapping and the three T's in evidence, The Players glided(?) through Stepping Out, the hilarious story of the members of a tap night class. From putting on the shoes to Putting On The Ritz we follow the trials and troubles, affairs and arguments of the six women and Geoffrey.

Richard Harris was born in London and is a keen golfer, his ambition being to get out of the bunker.