''Jack Absolute Flies Again'' is a play by

Richard Bean Richard Anthony Bean (born 11 June 1956) is an English playwright. Early years Born in East Hull, Bean was educated at Hull Grammar School, and then studied social psychology at Loughborough University, graduating with a 2:1 BSc Hons. He the ...

and

Oliver Chris Oliver Graham Chris (born 7 November 1978) is an English actor. He has appeared in television series, TV films, and on the stage. His work has included theatrical productions in London's West End and New York City's Broadway. Early life Chris w ...

, based on

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, writer and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1780 to 1812, representing the constituencies of Stafford, Westminster and I ...

's 1775 play ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 List of Maverick ...

'', a

comedy of manners In English literature, the term comedy of manners (also anti-sentimental comedy) describes a genre of realistic, satirical comedy that questions and comments upon the manners and social conventions of a greatly sophisticated, artificial society. ...

Production history

The play was scheduled to make its world premiere in the

Olivier Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

at the National Theatre in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

from April to July 2020. However, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, all scheduled performances were cancelled and the production postponed, not joining the repertoire in either 2020 or 2021. The play finally premiered on 9 August 2022, running until 9 September, directed by Emily Burns (replacing

Thea Sharrock Thea Sharrock is an English theatre and film director. In 2001, at age 24, she became the artistic director of London's Southwark Playhouse and the youngest artistic director in British theatre. Early life and education Sharrock was born to ...

who was originally due to direct), with set and costumes by Mark Thompson, lighting designed by Tim Lutkin (replacing Bruno Poet), music composed by

Paul Englishby Paul Englishby is a film and theatre composer, orchestrator, conductor, and pianist. He is best known for his Emmy Award-winning jazz score for David Hare's '' Page Eight'', his orchestral score for the Oscar nominated '' An Education'', his BA ...

(replacing Adrian Johnston) with a cast including

Caroline Quentin Caroline Quentin (born Caroline Amanda Jane Jones; 11 July 1960) is an English actress, broadcaster and television presenter. Quentin became known for her television appearances, portraying Dorothy in ''Men Behaving Badly'' (1992–1998), Maddie ...

as Mrs Malaprop, Peter Forbes as Sir Anthony Absolute (replacing

James Fleet James Edward Fleet (born 11 March 1952) is an English actor of theatre, radio and screen. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' and the dim- ...

) and

Kelvin Fletcher Kelvin Warren Fletcher (born 17 January 1984) is an English actor, model, racing driver, presenter and farmer. He played Andy Sugden in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', a role he played from 1996 until 2016. In 2019, Fletcher won the sevent ...

as Dudley Scunthorpe (replacing

Richard Fleeshman Richard Jonathan Fleeshman (born 8 June 1989) is an English actor and singer. His career began at age 12 playing Craig Harris on the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2002 to 2006. He went on to become an established West End and Br ...

Awards and nominations

In 2023, Quentin received a

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

nomination for

Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The Oliviers were established as the Society of West End th ...

References

2022 plays British comedy plays Plays based on other plays Plays by Richard Bean Plays set in England Plays set in the 1940s Adaptations of works by Richard Brinsley Sheridan {{2020s-play-stub