The Last Cigarette Tickets

Penned before his death in 2008, The Last Cigarette is writer Simon Gray’s adaptation of his own memoirs. Working alongside Hugh Whitemore, he brought his works Coda, Enter A Fox, Fat Chance and The Smoking Diaries together into one moving play, directed by Richard Eyre. The production was originally found at the Chichester Festival Theatre and makes its appearance at the Trafalgar Studio 1 from Tuesday 21st April 2009.

Bringing this story to the London stage is a cast that is made up of some talented and well known actors. The Good Life’s Felicity Kendal makes an appearance alongside stage actors Nicholas Le Prevost and Jasper Britton.

Le Prevost and Britton have a wealth of stage experience to their names, with Le Prevost landing a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award for My Fair Lady at the Lyttelton National Theatre. Britton’s productions include a recent appearance in Plague Over England at the Finborough Theatre and before that Rhinoceros at the Royal Court Theatre.

The Last Cigarette is a thought provoking story of one man’s mortality. It chronicles Gray’s final years as a lifetime of smoking has finally caught up with him and resulted in cancer. He must deal with his death head on and accept the fate that has been provided for him, with themes of humanity shining through, portraying to audiences what it is like to face the end of the road with eyes that signal courage and braveness. But amongst the sardonic themes of death and the end, there are moments of funny and moving quality that are bound to leave audience members compelled to the end.

This story is one that is handled with care and is helped by the experienced cast. Felicity Kendal, best known for her role in the hugely popular TV sitcom The Good Life, makes her latest stage appearance following a string up hits in recent years that include The Humble Boy (2002), Amy’s View (2006) and The Vortex (2008). Her close professional relationship with Sir Tom Stoppard has also led to many roles in his own plays, including Arcadia (1993) and Indian Ink (1995). But it is for the screen that she is best remembered, with a string of television shows that followed up The Good Life, including Honey For Tea, The Mistress, Solo and Rosemary and Thyme.

The Last Cigarette is at the Trafalgar Studio 1 from Tuesday 21st April 2009 to Saturday 1st August 2009.