Patricia Hodge, Caroline Quentin and Rory Bremner star in Noël Coward's sparkling comedy Relative Values as the curtain rises on the Theatre Royal Bath's Summer Season.
Set in the early 1950s, Relative Values uses an uproarious culture clash between the glittering world of Hollywood and the stiff upper lip of the English aristocracy to satirise snobbery.
Directed by Trevor Nunn, this brand new production of Coward's famous play opened last night at the Theatre Royal and runs until Saturday, June 29.
There is consternation at Marshwood House when the young Earl announces he is to marry a Hollywood film actress, but the family is well and truly flummoxed when it comes to light that the starlet's sister is none other than Moxie, the Earl's mother's maid.
In an attempt to cope with this deeply embarrassing situation, Moxie is dressed up in her ladyship's cast-offs as the aristocratic family endeavours to pass her off as one of their own.
Patricia Hodge stars as the Countess of Marshwood.
Her television and film roles include Mary Fisher in The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, Jemima Shore in Jemima Shore Investigates, Phyllida Erskine-Brown in Rumpole of the Bailey and most recently, Penny, Miranda's eccentric mother, in BBC1's comedy series Miranda.
Caroline Quentin stars as Moxie. Her many television roles in multiple long-running series have included Maddy Riley in Life of Riley, DCI Janine Lewis in Blue Murder, Maggie in Life Begins, Dorothy in Men Behaving Badly, Kate in Kiss Me Kateand Maddy in Jonathan Creek.
Rory Bremner makes his stage drama debut starring as Crestwell. One of the UK's leading impressionists and comedians, he is well known on television for the award-winning Rory Bremner… Who Else? and Bremner, Bird and Fortune.
We talk to Rory on page 52
