A tale of deception, farce, inept gangsters and tea
The eccentric Mrs Wilberforce lives in a lopsided Victorian house over the Kings Cross railway tunnel, with just her parrot General Gordon for company. When she decides to let her spare room, the mysterious Professor Marcus moves in; but is he the fine upstanding gentleman he appears to be?
As she provides an endless supply of tea and cake to the Professor and his motley crew of ‘musicians’, how long can the gang continue to pull the crocheted wool over this seemingly naïve little old lady’s eyes...
This exciting new adaptation of the classic Ealing Comedy The Ladykillers is by Graham Linehan (Father Ted, The IT Crowd, Black Books) and directed by multi award winning director Sean Foley (Play What I Wrote, Ducktastic, The Right Size).
The stellar cast for this world première includes the BAFTA and British Comedy award winning Peter Capaldi (The Thick of It, In The Loop, Skins) as Professor Marcus with Ben Miller (Armstrong and Miller), James Fleet (Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Vicar of Dibley, Little Dorrit), Olivier Award winner Clive Rowe (Guys and Dolls, Carousel), rising talent Stephen Wight (Whites, The Habit of Art, Dealer’s Choice) and Olivier Award winner Marcia Warren as Mrs Wilberforce.
Presented by Edward Snape for Fiery Angel in association with Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse.
Company
Cast Peter Capaldi, Ben Miller, James Fleet, Clive Rowe, Stephen Wight & Marcia Warren
Author Graham Linehan
Director Sean Foley
Set and Costume Designer Michael Taylor
Lighting Designer James Farncombe
Sound Designers Ben & Max Ringham
Special Effects Designer Scott Penrose
Casting Director Sarah Bird CDG
Associate Director Nicola Samer
Associate Sound Designer Simon Moloney
Fight Director Alison De Burgh
Dialect Coach Majella Hurley
Reviews
The Ladykillers
“Irresistible ... another wonderful cultural coup for Liverpool ... a sure-fire hit"
“It has the credentials, the imagination, and the ability to shine for a very long time.”
“Beautifully paced, bold, extremely funny and full of beautiful theatrical surprises.”
“There’s something genuinely magical about this production that will stay with the audience for a long time to come”
Made Up: On Stage Liverpool
The Ladykillers
“The Ladykillers at the Liverpool Playhouse is an absolute triumph and every person involved should be very proud of themselves today.”
“But who couldn't fail to be enchanted by what Fiery Angel, the Playhouse, Mr Linehan … and co have done with a British comedy classic”
Liverpool Echo
The Ladykillers
★★★★
"Another dazzling hit for the Playhouse: farcical and fantastic - a show to die for."
What's on Stage
The Ladykillers
★★★★★
“A show to cherish ... a star-studded cast"
“A design so dazzling that it draws spontaneous rounds of applause from the audience”
“As the Playhouse's centenary show, The Ladykillers is a fitting birthday present for a theatre built on aspirations to produce the very best.”
Liverpool Daily Post