A stage adaptation of The Lavender Hill Mob will play at Richmond Theatre next week.
Based off the iconic 1951 comedy from Ealing Studios, the world premiere adaptation of The Lavender Hill Mob on stage can be seen from Monday 14 to Saturday 19 November every evening at 7.30pm, with matinee performances on Wednesday 16 and Saturday 19 at 2.30pm.
The play stars Miles Jupp, who featured in A Very British Scandal and is a former host of The News Quiz on Radio 4, as Henry Holland, a bank clerk who dreams of stealing gold bullion he drives around London in a van every day.
Justin Edwards, who appeared in the BBC comedy The Thick of It and the Sam Mendes-directed film 1917, also stars as Pendlebury, Henry Holland’s lodger who is key to the plan of stealing the gold.
Lavender Hill refers to a Battersea street, making London a central location in both the film and play.
Victoria Blunt plays Audrey, an expat who arrives in the Rio de Janeiro club they all frequent.
As the show is currently in Malvern, Blunt has had plenty of opportunities to travel around the country.
Blunt said: “It’s always a real joy to travel around your own country and get to know different places.
“Each venue is a new surprise and a new thing to love.”
From the experiences of performing to numerous audiences, Blunt highlighted how different theatre attendees would connect more with certain parts of the play, though some enjoyment was universal.
While prior knowledge of the film is not required, Blunt’s own affection for The Lavender Hill Mob is strong.
She added: “I watched the film when I was younger.
“I used to be obsessed with Ealing Comedies, I loved Kind Hearts and Coronets and The Ladykillers.
“When I first saw the script, I was so excited about the fact that it was supported by StudioCanal and that it was something brand new.”
Blunt highlighted how the story moves around the world, as the stage transports audiences from Rio de Janeiro to London all without leaving their seats.
Though T. E. B. Clarke’s screenplay for the original film looms strong, Blunt revealed how the play’s author Phil Porter was adaptable and collaborative on the writing process.
She explained: “He’s been wonderful at allowing lots of flexibility, he’s been doing rewrites the whole way through and helping us find little comedy moments that help tell the story in a different way.”
The most well known members of the cast are Jupp and Edwards, but the play is very much an ensemble piece.
Blunt revealed how everyone is on stage the entire time, jumping in and out of character in a very fast-paced manner.
Nonetheless, despite the inevitable exhaustion this creates, Blunt had nothing but praise for the collaborative rehearsal process.
She added: “Everyday in rehearsal, I would laugh until my stomach was sore.
“Miles and Justin are not only incredibly witty people and clever but have such an incredible understanding of comedy.
“I think there’s a lot of trust and we all very much support each other and have each other’s backs.
“It’s a lovely feeling to be involved in a company like that who all care a lot about the play and care a lot about each other and care a lot about comedy.”
Though Covid-19 in the UK has largely receded, the impact on theatres was immense.
Yet Blunt remarked the theatres have been well-attended for this tour alone, even as some audience members wore masks.
She said: “Those two years were so bleak.
“It’s so lovely to be back on a tour. I didn’t think that would happen again for a long time.
“I’m so thrilled to be doing the thing that I love because it was taken away from us for so long.
“I think it’s a really good piece of theatre for this time.
“It’s heart-warming, it’s charming and it’s just lovely and I think that’s what a lot of people really need in their lives at the moment.”
Featured image credit: Maidwell Marketing
