Love's Labour's Lost at Braboeuf Manor

Summer 1939. Four friends escape to the country, swearing to forgo worldly pleasures to write, read, and study, but their plans are soon thwarted by a group of eccentric locals and, worse, the arrival of four dazzling women from town. Now our heroes face a challenge: how to pursue true love – without their friends finding out... The story ends on one of comedy’s great cliffhangers: one resolved in Much Ado About Nothing – also known as Love’s Labour’s Won.

Orange Tree Theatre Artistic Director Tom Littler (The Rivals; Twelfth Night, Orange Tree Theatre) returns to GSC following his triumphant Hamlet with Freddie Fox in the title role, to stage Shakespeare’s bittersweet comedy of youthful romance. Tom directed our 5-star production in 2018.

Original music will be composed by the internationally acclaimed Matthew Floyd Jones (Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder, West End; Nanny, BBC Radio 4; A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad), Fringe First Award; The Elmer Adventure, Tall Stories), best recognised as one half of the acclaimed comedy duo Frisky & Mannish.

A co-production with the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond (The Stage Theatre of the Year 2025).

GSC co-founder, Matt Pinches: 'The prospect of staging these two beloved comedies and returning to Braboeuf Manor is incredibly exciting for our 20th Anniversary. As the first show we produced, Much Ado will always hold a special place in our hearts, and to pair it so sensitively as Tom has done with Love’s Labour’s Lost is something very special. Beautifully staged Shakespeare, full of feel-good factor fun in an idyllic setting… what better way to spend a summer evening?'

Director, Tom Littler, adds: 'I am delighted to help celebrate the 20th birthday of one of my favourite theatre companies, Guildford Shakespeare Company. I loved directing these two great comedies a decade ago, and I'm excited by the opportunity to return to them and, this time, to tie them together as a rich and sweeping narrative that sees love gained, lost, and, against the odds, won again. It's a treat to be back in Guildford, and to share these plays with audiences in London too - in the Orange Tree's first visit to the gardens of Thomas's College on Richmond Hill.'

'An infectious sense of escalating absurdity infuses the whole production, eventually breaking with enough force to ensure that the play’s final twist feels every bit as wrenching as it should.' The Stage, Love's Labour's Lost, GSC 2018