Australian actress Penny Downie will lead the cast of Anton Burge’s Storm In A Flower Vase, which opens at the Arts theatre later this year.
Playing from 13 September (press night 20 September) to 12 October, Burge’s new play paints a vivid portrait of Constance Spry, the iconic floral designer and bestselling cookery writer who popularised a do-it-yourself approach to home-making in mid-20th century Britain.
Downie, who will take on the role of the complex and unconventional woman who styled two royal weddings and the Queen’s coronation, is well-known for her performances on both stage and screen, having appeared in productions including Richard III, The Winter’s Tale and Hamlet for the RSC and Euripides at Shakespeare’s Globe on stage, and television series Minder, New Street Law and New Tricks on screen.
Directed by Alan Strachan, Downie is joined in the cast by Carolyn Backhouse, Sally George, Sheila Ruskin, Carol Royle and Christopher Ravenscroft.