The Awkward Squad Tickets

The Arts Theatre in London’s West End will reunite two talents from television’s “Emmerdale” in March as writer Karin Young presents her new play “The Awkward Squad” with the show’s Val Pollard, Charlie Hardwick, taking on a role. The cast also includes Barbara Marten in the lead role of Lorna, Libby Davison and Lisa McGrillis, with audiences getting an opportunity to witness some talented performers coming together with a compelling story.

The focus is on the character of Lorna, portrayed by Marten, who is a renowned member of her local community and is about to be recognised with an honorary PhD. She has spent her life helping people and she has seen it all, but all she wants from her weekend is a nice quiet time, so when her daughters and granddaughter arrive with their so-called problems, this hope is certain to be dashed. It is clear that some things in life never change, though she must face some stranger problems now, such as boob jobs, redundancies and more.

Barbara Marten takes on the lead role on the back of a career onscreen that will make her recognisable to London theatre audiences. Like Charlie Hardwick she is known for a British television show and in this case it is “Casualty”, which brought her to people’s attention in the 1980s, and she has also appeared in the likes of “Fat Friends”, “Bob & Rose” and 2012’s  “Public Enemies”, in addition to the movie “Between Two Women”.

Meanwhile, Libby Davison has also got a well known television series to her name, having played Liz Rawton in “The Bill” in the late 1990s, in addition to starring in “Byker Grove” (a show that also featured Hardwick), “Holby City”, “Doctors” and, more recently, “Hollyoaks” in the role of Rose Townsend.

Then there’s Lisa McGrillis, whose television credits include “The Other Possibility” and “Spit Games”, though she is also known to audiences for appearing in the National Theatre production “The Pitmen Painters” (which returned at the Duchess Theatre in 2011).

“The Awkward Squad” premiered in South Shields ahead of its appearance in the West End with a run at the Arts Theatre from Thursday 8th March 2012 (previews from Tuesday 6th March 2012) until Saturday 7th April 2012.