Principal Partner
By Edward Albee
Directed By James Macdonald
“Are you home forever, back from the world? To the sadness and reassurance of your parents?”
Urban socialites Agnes and Tobias appear to inhabit a glamorous world of drinks parties and social clubs. The return home of their recently divorced daughter, the constant presence of Agnes’ alcoholic sister and the impromptu late-night arrival of some close friends, begin to peel away this veneer.
As their lives become increasingly claustrophobic, the characters battle with their fear of stepping into the real world, opting instead for the undemanding familiarity of their own drawing room.
Laced with acerbic wit, A Delicate Balance won Edward Albee his first Pulitzer Prize and followed the success of his breakthrough work Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? One of the great American plays of the 20th Century, this is the fourth of Albee’s dramas at the Almeida after Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1996), The Play About the Baby (1998) and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (2004).
James Macdonald was last at the Almeida in 2009, directing our acclaimed production of Judgment Day. He was associate director at the Royal Court for 14 years and his other credits include Dido, Queen of Carthage (National Theatre) and Glengarry Glen Ross (Apollo Theatre).
icket Prices: £8 - £32
Evening Performances 7.30pm
Wednesday Matinee 2.30pm on 8 & 22 June
Saturday Matinees 3pm from 14 May
Please note this production contains smoking.
TalkBack
Tuesday 14 June (with speech-to-text transcription)
Stay in the auditorium after the performance to have your question answered by members of the A Delicate Balance company.
Free to same day ticket holders.
ACCESS PERFORMANCES
Captioned
Tuesday 14 June, 7.30pm (Followed by Talkback with live speech-to-text transcription)
Saturday 25 June, 3pm
Audio Described
Saturday 18 June, 3pm
(touch tour at 1.30pm)
Running time is approximately 2 hrs 55 mins including two intervals.
Lucy Cohu
Diana Hardcastle
Ian McElhinney
Tim Pigott-Smith
Imelda Staunton
Penelope Wilton
Direction James Macdonald
Design Laura Hopkins
Lighting Guy Hoare
Sound Ian Dickinson
Casting Toby Whale
Dialect Penny Dyer