News Story
Our season of brand-new writing in the Minerva Theatre opens with John Morton’s sharply observed, witty and touching new play, Eclipse. Take a look behind the scenes in the new rehearsal photos and read more from John about writing his first stage play after a celebrated career in radio and television.
John Morton launched his career with the comedy series People Like Us, which ran for three series on BBC Radio 4 and was then adapted for BBC Two, winning the Royal Television Society Award for Best Comedy.
Twenty Twelve, his mockumentary which imagined the preparation for the London Olympics, won the BAFTA for Best Sitcom. W1A saw the main character Ian Fletcher (played by Hugh Bonneville) moving to the BBC; he returned again in Twenty Twenty Six which has just aired on BBC Two and iPlayer.
With the seed in personal experience, John wrote the first draft of Eclipse in 2004.
I always hoped this would be a story where nothing happens but everything happens, and these people’s lives will not be the same again. There’s a lot going on which is not being said.
This play reflects his belief in the power of ordinary people and their lives:
I do believe that if you drill a bore hole into ordinary lives, you eventually hit sadness, and comedy, and profundity, and heroism. As a viewer, that’s my favourite thing to be drawn into… There’s more than enough in an ordinary life to make comedy and drama out of.
Sarah Parish is no stranger to John’s work or to Chichester - she was last at CFT in Way Upstream in 2015 and starred in W1A. Her recent TV credits include Piglets, Industry and Bancroft.
Rupert Penry-Jones began his career on the stage. His acclaimed screen credits include Spooks, Silk, Whitechapel, The Strain and The Feud.
Eclipse premieres in the Minerva Theatre from 8 May. Tickets are selling fast, with best availability towards the end of the run, so book now to avoid disappointment.
