Celebration (play)


Celebration is a play by British playwright Harold Pinter. It was first presented as a double-bill, with Pinter's first play The Room on Thursday 16 March 2000 at the Almeida Theatre in London.

Synopsis

The plot revolves around three couples dining in the most expensive restaurant in town. At one table are sat two brothers, Lambert and Matt, and two sisters, Prue and Julie. Lambert and Julie are married, as are Matt and Prue. They are celebrating Lambert and Julie's wedding anniversary. Seated at another table are Russell and Suki, who later join the other party of diners. The diners' conversations are intersected by the existential ponderings of Richard, the restaurateur, Sonia the maitresse d', and an unnamed Waiter. The dialogue begins as an apparently ordinary celebratory meal for the diners developing into a complex weaving of more sinister themes, including undercurrents of love/hate relationships and incest. The play ends with a mysterious speech from the waiter, which hints at a possible way to escape the pain of everyday life.

Original cast

LambertKeith Allen
MattAndy de la Tour
PrueLindsay Duncan
JulieSusan Wooldridge
RussellSteven Pacey
SukiLia Williams
RichardThomas Wheatley
SoniaIndira Varma
WaiterDanny Dyer
Waitress 1Nina Raine
Waitress 2Katherine Tozer

Television adaptation

In 2006, director John Crowley adapted Celebration for More4. It was first shown on More4 on Monday 26 February 2007.

Original television cast

LambertMichael Gambon
MattJames Bolam
PrueJulia McKenzie
JuliePenelope Wilton
RussellColin Firth
SukiJanie Dee
RichardJames Fox
The Waitress Sophie Okonedo
WaiterStephen Rea