Cast

Synopsis

Rome: the hotel Argive: five British holidaymakers. It is the Tuesday of their holiday so it’s the Vatican or ‘random churches. Brief encounters and whole histories are recorded in conversation or on postcards from this most romantic city, making a play that is by turns amusing, moving, rough of language or beautiful. “Who says I’m miserable? I’m on me ‘olidays.”

Directors Notes

Perhaps the most startling thing about this lovely lite play is the age of the playwright: Adam Pernak was 24 when West Yorkshire Playhouse gave Postcards from Rome its world premiere in February 1994. It is startling because one would expect only a writer of far more mature years to present us with such acutely observed characters. The idea for the play came to him after he’d enjoyed a cheap (£90!) five-day coach trip to Rome. Here we meet some of his observations: five disparate characters staying in the same hotel – each hiding an individual guilt or insecurity behind an established facade – finding their lives changing as their interactions and the magic of the eternal city begin to work their various charms.

There’s comedy and pathos in full measure in this visit to some of the popular tourist attractions of Rome, recreated in Bingley through the consummate skills of the set and lighting designers. We invite you to bask in the warmth of place – and character. Ciao!