★★★★ A CHILLING PARABLE OF SELF-DELUSION … DAVID LYNCH MEETS THE BROTHERS GRIMM
TIME OUT (CRITICS CHOICE)
★★★★★ THE BEST PLAY I'VE SEEN THIS YEAR. GRIPPING, TENSE, THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND DRIPPING WITH BLACK HUMOUR AT EVERY TURN
LONDON FESTIVAL FRINGE
Hundreds and Thousands
by Lou Ramsden
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“Don't you have that furious ache in the middle of you? All day and night. You must have something you want so much ….”
Plagued by the deafening tick of her biological clock, Lorna pins all her hopes for true love on Allan. But she soon discovers that life in his isolated farmhouse raises disturbing questions, not happy endings...
As the horror of Allan’s world is exposed, will Lorna do what's right or turn a blind eye to get what she wants?
Hundreds and Thousands is a darkly comic tale about deciding what's more important - doing what's right or what's right for you.
Directed by Lisa Spirling and designed by Polly Sullivan, it premiered at Soho Theatre Upstairs from 21st June to 16 July 2011.
Lou Ramsden’s acclaimed first play Breed was produced by Theatre503 in September 2010. She was subsequently shortlisted for the Critics’ Circle Most Promising Playwright Award.
WHAT AUDIENCES SAID ....
On Twitter :
"Hundreds and Thousands at Soho Theatre is pure Psychoville-esque brilliance. Fantastic cast and wonderful writing. Go see if you like it dark."
"Absolutely loved Hundreds and Thousands, Lou Ramsden's writing is so enjoyably dark and twisted. Felt so wrong to laugh!"
"Saw Hundreds and Thousands at Soho Theatre. Didn't expect anything so scary like that. Must see!"
"Hundreds and Thousands at SoHo Theatre is astounding. Audacious, thoughtprovoking theatre, so edgy, dark & funny; I was gripped"
"I went 2 c Lou Ramsden's play 'Hundreds&Thousands' last night. Brilliantly dark off kilter edge of ur seat drama. GO SEE IT!"
"Went to see Hundreds and Thousands at the Soho Theatre last night. It's proper ace. You'll love the cat. Trust me - you'll love the cat."
"I saw Hundreds and Thousands last night and was quite blown away by it. A fantastic gripping, cruel and funny play."
In exit surveys :
"I don't think I've ever been so terrified in my whole life - but I loved it."
"Oh my! [My friends] and I had one of the most interesting nights in the theatre for a long time. The horror! And the traverse idea was brilliant. Watching the audience, watching the horror. Dare we laugh? Who dares laugh? It was brilliant! I felt so uncomfortable. Big debate after."
“I’ve never wanted to just leap onstage and rescue one of the characters before. Amazing!”
“Absolutely riveting! And food for thought..”
“Loved the Grand Guignol style, the sustained suspense, and the social comment...”
“A real edge-of-the-seat experience!”
INTERVIEWS
Lou talked to Exeunt Magazine about what inspired her to write the play and her love of exploring the dark and twisted side of our nature.
Citing inspiration in plays by Anthony Neilson, Dennis Kelly and Philip Ridley, Lou told the on-line magazine that she loves theatre that “makes use of the claustrophobia of the theatre space. I think one of the things that theatre can do as oppose to TV or film is make you feel claustrophobic; it can build up the tension, put you in a situation you can’t leave. I like playing with that.”
"You try and write a play that you yourself would want to see and that’s what I’m trying to do. We’ve had a couple of moments in the previews where people have not been able to look and someone said to me afterwards it was a bit like a Paula Rego painting, grotesque and you don’t really want to look at it but you’re compelled by it.”
Click here to read the full interview.
The Cast
Stuart Laing’s acting credits include playing Rob Minter in BBC’s EastEnders, other television credits include How TV Ruined My Life, Trial and Retribution, Vincent and Cambridge Spies. His stage credits include The Furies/Land of the Dead (Greenwich Theatre), Blowing Whistles (Leicester Square Theatre), Drowning on Dry Land (Salisbury Playhouse) and Season’s Greetings (Liverpool Everyman).
Sukie Smith’s theatre credits include Garage Band (Nottingham Playhouse), My Mother Said I Never Should (West Yorkshire Playhouse), A Girl in A Car with A Man (Royal Court) and The Things We Do For Love (Exeter Northcott). Television and film credits include The Yellow House (Channel 4), EastEnders (BBC) and My Hero (BBC), Hush Your Mouth, The Lawless Heart, Topsy Turvy and The Witches
(c) All photos Graham MichaelRobert Wilfort’s stage credits include Present Laughter (Theatre Clywd), The Jollies (Stephen Joseph Theatre) and Sense and Sensibility (Northcott). Television and film credits include Campus (Channel 4) Ashes to Ashes (BBC), Gavin and Stacey (BBC), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Libertine, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and All or Nothing.