The Pennington family have not been in the same room for 17 years, yet on the eve of William’s 75th birthday all three generations gather in the hope that the mistakes of the past can be resigned to history.
An errant daughter, an autistic son, and a second son that could never just grasp the nettle; his children have always proved a disappointment to his lofty ambitions. With long-held resentments rising back to the surface, and new problems unexpectedly presenting themselves, any plans of family reconciliation may give way to further turmoil. But William knows he is running out of time to accept his family on their own terms – even if they cannot overlook his own shortcomings in return.
The Gathered Leaves is a moving, poignant and funny family drama that sees the weight of history, of reputation, and of expectation, all descend on one family over Easter weekend in 1997.
10 years after its sold-out run in Park200 The Gathered Leaves returns, directed by former RSC Artistic Director Adrian Noble.
In the press
★★★★ ‘Keatley breathes new life into an old form’
The Guardian
★★★★ ‘Catches the way decades hurtle by and wounds fester and weep despite the passage of time with a freshness and verve that’s hugely impressive’
The Telegraph
★★★★ ‘Outstanding… your sympathy as an onlooker shifts during all the quarrels that erupt between parents and children, spouses and siblings’
The Times
★★★★ ‘Keatley is perceptive and funny about the details of domestic awkwardness. He has crafted a humane, deliberately old-fashioned play’
The Evening Standard
‘A quite terrific play, one of the best I’ve read for a long time. A family saga up there with Apologia and The Last of the Haussmans – and even maybe August: Osage County!’
Nick Hern
Creative Team
WRITER | ANDREW KEATLEY
DIRECTOR | ADRIAN NOBLE
CASTING DIRECTOR | GABRIELLE DAWES
Artwork by Studio Doug.
PostScript Productions in association with Park Theatre presents
The Gathered Leaves
By Andrew Keatley, Directed by Adrian Noble