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Love From A Stranger was performed at the Royal Kings Arms hotel from 11th - 13th December 2018

Cast & Crew 

Director: Frances Barker
Assistant Directors: Craig Allan & Pitorek Adach
Producer: Matthew Peter Clare
Assistant Producer: Anya Valentin
Stage Managers: Luca Davies & Jack Whitmore
ASMs: Helen Tilby, Ross Buchanan, Morgan Wright & Luman Ye

Bruce Lovell: Hugo Meadmore
Cecily Harrington: Mattie Lefevre
Mavis: Amy Burcher
Auntie Loo-Loo: Alice Sherlock
Nigel: Christian Scales
Dr Gribble: Mark Romein
Ethel: Holly Jones
Hodgson: Benjamin O'Rourke
Cecily Harrington has led a staid and proper existence. Enter Bruce Lovell, a handsome and charming stranger who sweeps her off her feet. In a whirlwind romance, she recklessly abandons her job, friends and fiancé. However, her newfound “love from a stranger” is not what it seems and in an astonishingly tense final scene, Cecily discovers the ghastly truth of her new love.


"Just because something is unfamiliar doesn't mean that it's wrong..."
                        - Bruce Lovell

Picture

Publicity & Trailer

Show Photos


​Review

Picture
As with any Agatha Christie play, the intrigue lies not in who the murderer is, but how their schemes unfold. Frances Barker directs LUTG in bringing Christie’s tale of psychopathy to the stage. The Royal Arms Hotel provided the perfect backdrop for this tale of depravity, and the use of only two settings (two living rooms) gives the production a subtle intimacy as the story unfolds. My one criticism would be that the front row was too close to the action: I moved to the second row before the production began so that I could see the bigger picture.

Cecily Harrington (Mattie Lefevre) has come into some money. With £250,000 in the bank, she is gripped by a wanderlust that leaves her fiancé Nigel Lawrence (Christian Scales) in the dust. On the day he returns from his five-year stint in Sudan, Cecily calls off the engagement and meets the handsome American stranger Bruce Lovell (Will Meadmore). Bruce promises Cecily a life of adventure she could have only hoped for before winning big, and the two retire to a cottage in the country to rest before their grand tour around the world.

Meadmore effortlessly pulls off the charming stranger with his strong American accent and ability to command the audience’s attention. It is nothing short of a spectacle to see him and Lefevre as the focal actors in this play. Both immerse themselves in their characters, and neither put a foot out of place. Again and again, LUTG has reignited my passion for theatre, and Love from a Stranger is no exception to the rule.

When the pair settles in the countryside Bruce’s deviant nature swims tantalisingly closer to the surface of their day-to-day lives. Lighting is used to excellent effect in this production: it adds a sense of gravitas to the critical moments in which we see Bruce’s mental decline. These palpable scenes left me in suspense: how can the unassuming groundskeeper Hodgson (Benjamin O’Rourke) and the over-excitable house made Ethel (Holly Jones) save Cecily from Bruce?
O’Rourke and Jones imbue their everyman characters with likability and realism. O’Rourke’s decision to give the country bumpkin Hodgson a soft-spoken manner is a refreshing take on what could have been a ham-fisted characterisation.

Fortunately for Cecily, love dies hard. In the second act, Nigel bombards her with visits, her worried friend Mavis (Amy Burcher), and her interfering Auntie Loo Loo (Alice Sherlock). Sherlock brings a great deal of humour to the role, and although she sometimes speaks too quickly to catch a breath, this is perhaps even more indicative of the distant relative that must make themselves heard. Helen Tilby has high praise from me, whose work as a costumier and make-up artist tied the production together. In the first scene, my very first thought was: great coats.

What strikes me most about Love from a Stranger is the professionalism of all aspects of the production. Lighting, costumes, and sound weave their way through the narrative to create a real spectacle for the audience. As for Lefevre and Meadmore, I would not be surprised to see them leading stage productions in years to come.

I’d buy a ticket.

​- Written by Lexi Burgess


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  • Home
  • About
    • What is LUTG
    • Executive Team >
      • President
      • Vice President
      • General Secretary
      • Chairperson
      • Publicity Officer
      • Social Secretary
      • Safety & Equipment Officer
      • External Events Officer
      • Exec Archive
    • The Constitution
    • Membership
  • Shows
    • Current Shows & Projects
    • LUTG Shorts
    • Past Term Shows >
      • 2015/16 >
        • Michaelmas Term >
          • JUMPERS FOR GOALPOSTS
          • TOP GIRLS
          • THE GUT GIRLS
          • THE SHADOW BOX
        • Lent Term >
          • CALLBACK
          • BLOOD BROTHERS
          • ABIGAIL'S PARTY
          • ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS
        • Summer Term >
          • THE ELEPHANT MAN
          • MY MOTHER SAID I NEVER SHOULD
          • MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
          • ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST
      • 2016/17 >
        • Michaelmas Term >
          • HOUSE WITH A RED DOOR
          • HIS FRIEND ED
          • PARADE
        • Lent Term >
          • BLITHE SPIRIT
          • 1984
          • INCOGNITO
          • THE GLASS HOUSE
        • Summer Term >
          • THE CRUCIBLE
          • SAUCY JACK AND THE SPACE VIXENS
          • PROOF
          • AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
          • THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
      • 2017/18 >
        • Michaelmas Term >
          • CHATROOM
          • THE HISTORY BOYS
          • ARCADIA
          • MACBETH
        • Lent Term >
          • DIOGENES IN A JAR
          • SPRING AWAKENING
          • HERE
          • STATION
        • Summer Term >
          • TWO
          • DUNSINANE
          • HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
          • THE 39 STEPS
      • 2018/19 >
        • Michaelmas Term >
          • LOVE FROM A STRANGER
          • JEKYLL & HYDE: THE MUSICAL
          • STOP!... THE PLAY
          • THE TEMPEST
        • Lent Term >
          • CLICK
          • AN IDEAL HUSBAND
          • BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S
          • DINNER
        • Summer Term >
          • GAMES AND AFTER LIVERPOOL
          • TWELFTH NIGHT
          • METAMORPHOSIS
      • 2019/20 >
        • Michaelmas Term >
          • KATHERINE HOWARD
          • THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE
          • FRANKENSTEIN
          • LEAR
        • Lent Term >
          • DEALER'S CHOICE
          • THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
          • HEDDA GABLER
      • 2021/22 >
        • Michaelmas Term >
          • THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT
          • PERFORMANCE SHOWCASE
        • Lent Term >
          • WOYZECK
          • IN EVENT OF MOONE DISASTER
          • THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF YOUR LIFE
        • Summer Term >
          • THE VILLAGE
          • GOD OF CARNAGE
          • A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
      • 2022/23 >
        • Michaelmas Term >
          • A CHRISTMAS CAROL
          • BRIEF ENCOUNTER
          • AFTER LIFE
        • Lent Term >
          • HAMLET
          • EQUUS
        • Summer Term >
          • CHEEZE
          • MACHINAL
          • THE LOST SONGBIRD
    • Past LUTG Shorts >
      • Z IS FOR ZELDA
      • IN THE WHITE
      • SOMETHING SOMETHING
      • HORATIO
      • THE DUMB WAITER
      • BULL
      • THE NEW QUAY PROJECT
      • BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
      • IN THE WHITE (2022)
    • External Projects >
      • Lancaster Offshoots >
        • BEATRIX POTTER'S PETER RABBIT AND OTHER TALES
        • HUNCHBACK
        • NEVERLAND
        • DR FAUSTUS 2010
        • SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
        • DR FAUSTUS 2019
      • Collab
      • Charity Showcase >
        • MOULIN ROUGE
        • CHICAGO
        • WICKED
        • GREASE
  • ARCHIVE
    • Oscars
    • Past Socials
    • Lifetime Members
  • TUTORIALS
    • Proposing a Show
    • Directing
    • Producing
    • Stage Managing
    • Fringe
    • FAQ'S
  • Store
  • RESOURCES