Sian Phillips & Robert Powell to Star in A SUMMER IN THE SOUTH at Birmingham Rep

A SUMMER IN THE SOUTH is a tribute to Colette, one of France's greatest writers. This celebration of her work is brilliantly brought to life for one evening only at Birmingham Repertory Theatre by acclaimed actors Siân Phillips and Robert Powell.

Everyone is familiar with Gigi, Colette's story of the pert little miss who captured the heart of a millionaire (and a wedding ring as well) and which was famously made into a film starring Leslie Caron and Louis Jourdan. But the evening offers many more fascinating episodes set against the Paris of la belle époque and World War I.

Born in 1873 in a Burgundy village Colette was always allowed to run free in the fields and woods - often alone she preferred her own company.

From Sido, her mother, Colette learned of the fascination of the natural world - perhaps a hairy caterpillar which looked like a tiny golden bear, or a black iris breaking into flower, or the savage colour of the evening sky announcing storm and tempest.

We hear of the spider who came down from her web to drink hot chocolate with Colette's mother. Then there is the handsome young man, Alain, and his strange affection for his cat, Sasha and the trouble that ensued when he married the highly jealous Camille.

There are many amusing and colourful characters in this sparkling programme including Lina Otéro, one of the grandes horizontales whose Mercedes was no more than a moving box for her dramatic millinery confections. Then there was "Missy" - actually the Marquise de Belboeuf - who dressed like a plumber, adjusted leaking taps for her lady friends, and wore a moustache made from her poodle's tail.

At the end of her life, Colette renounces love with a determination and strength she had learned from Sido. She tells us that she has learned to play the game of love allowing her self finally to lose to a younger woman.

In this rare and haunting mosaic of prose and dramatised passages, Cheri and The Last of Cheri appear as a tragic testimony to a great obsession - the love of a younger man for an older woman who slowly abandons him.

A SUMMER IN THE SOUTH is devised and directed by Richard Edmonds. Richard has been a leading dance and theatre critic in the West Midlands for over 20 years and has written and directed numerous recitals of poetry, prose and song that have been performed at various festivals both here and abroad. He explains his love for Colette began when he was a student:

"A Summer in the South came about in the South of France during a very hot summer when I was attending the University of Aix-Marseilles and was inspired by a French lecturer who was devoted to the writings of Colette. It was first performed at the Bromsgrove Festival and then later with Sylvia Syms and Edward Woodward and has gone on to have many performances since including at the Edinburgh Festival and the seasons at Kenwood House in Hampstead. It's wonderful to be bringing it to the Birmingham Rep."

Siân Phillips last appeared at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2013 in Alan Bennett's People - the production which re-opened The REP during its Centenary year. Her extensive television and film appearances include Livia in I Claudius (BAFTA Award for Best Actress), Shoulder to Shoulder (BAFTA nomination), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Smiley's People, How Green Was My Valley (BAFTA Best Actress Award), Lewis, New Tricks, Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Borrowers, Beckett, Clash of the Titans, The Age of Innocence, Goodbye Mr Chips and David Lynch's Dune. Her many distinguished theatre credits in the West End, on UK and international tour and on Broadway, include her tribute to Marlene Dietrich, Marlene (which on Broadway earned her Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations), Pal Joey, A Little Night Music (Olivier nomination), Lovesong for Frantic Assembly, Cabaret (Olivier nomination), Calendar Girls and Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Siân Phillips was awarded a CBE for Services to Drama in 2000.

Robert Powell has received multiple awards and a BAFTA nomination for his portrayal of Jesus in Franco Zefferelli's Jesus of Nazareth. Robert went on to star in numerous film hits including 39 Steps, Four Feathers and Shaka Zulu. His extensive stage performances include Alan Bennett's Single Spies, Keith Waterhouse's Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and most recently as Poirot in Agatha Christie's Black Coffee.

Tickets for A SUMMER IN THE SOUTH are priced £12.50 - £25 with concessions available.
Box Office: 0121 236 4455 Online Booking: Birmingham-rep.co.uk

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