Posted: Tue 1st Jul 2025

Updated: Tue 1st Jul

Chester theatre to stage award-winning black comedy

News and Info from Deeside, Flintshire, North Wales
This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Jul 1st, 2025

A production of the award-winning black comedy ‘A Delicate Balance’ by American playwright Edward Albee is set to open at St Mary’s Creative Space in Chester.

The play will be staged by local theatre company Against The Grain from Tuesday 8th July to Saturday 12th July at 7.30pm. It will be directed by Mark Newman.

First performed in 1966, ‘A Delicate Balance’ won a Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1967. It follows the story of Agnes and Tobias, a wealthy middle-aged couple, whose calm suburban life is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of friends claiming to have fled an unnamed fear. The presence of Agnes’ alcoholic sister and their estranged daughter further complicates the household tensions.

The cast includes Marian Newman as Agnes, Simon Phillips as Tobias, Fiona Wheatcroft as Claire, Laura Smith as Julia, Stuart Evans as Harry, and Sally Dillon in her debut with Against The Grain as Edna.

Mark Newman said of the production, “The play is an incendiary mix of domestic discomfort, unforeseen twists, volatile and unpredictable characters with dubious backgrounds and – often – unexpected laughs. We’ve had a lot of fun bringing the characters to life and we’ve found there’s so much fun to be had with them and the script. Albee was an important writer and some regard ‘A Delicate Balance’ as his best play, superior even to ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’. It’s certainly one we’re looking forward to sharing with our audience.”

Tickets for the production can be booked online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/against-the-grain.

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