She may be best known for her role as Edina Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous, but Jennifer Saunders has now landed an equally important part as one of the “greatest” comic characters in British theatre. The comedian will be taking on the part of Mrs Rafi in the latest stage adaptation of The Sea, the “intoxicating” 1973 play by Edward Bond. The latest version is the first revival of the play in almost two decades, and will take place at Bath’s Theatre Royal.
“It is 1907, the height of the Edwardian era,” reads the logline (via Theatre Royal). “A wild storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village to its core. Amid the confusion, Mr Hatch, the local draper, wrestles with the possibility that aliens from outer space may be ready to invade.”
“[Meanwhile], the village’s self-appointed ‘First Lady’ Mrs Rafi, prepares her ladies for an amateur dramatic performance of Orpheus and Eurydice,” it continues, with the play said to contain “brilliant social satire”.
The new version is being directed by Jonathan Munby, with performances running from 22 October until 7 November. The description bills it as a “fascinating blend of wild farce, high comedy, biting social satire and bleak poetic tragedy”.
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Saunders is no stranger to Bath’s Theatre Royal. She previously appeared on the stage there for a revival of Noël Coward’s acclaimed comedy, Blithe Spirit. Since then, she’s also appeared in Sister Act the Musical.
While we’ll have to wait a few months to see Saunders as Mrs Rafi, the actor reunited with her Ab Fab co-star Joanna Lumley over the festive season, with the pair appearing in the Christmas special for BBC sitcom Amandaland.
BBC
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“It was really good fun. It’s really good fun just hanging out,” Saunders said of the reunion, while Lumley quipped that she threatened to “kill” her long-time friend if she turned down the part of Aunt Joan.
“When I heard the notion that they were hoping for Jennifer, I actually emailed her and said, ‘If the script comes your way, do it or I’ll have to kill you’,” she joked. “Because I knew she’d take the pants off it.”
The Sea runs at Bath’s Theatre Royal from 22 October until 7 November.
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