The Alchemist

Triple Offie nominated MERCURIUS presents Ben Jonson’s spirited farce The Alchemist

Directed by Jenny Eastop

Slapstick farce meets breath-taking word play in Ben Jonson’s much loved comedy.

Wealthy Lovewit, fleeing disease-ridden London, leaves his town house safely in the care of his butler Jeremy. But Jeremy grabs the chance to set up a criminal den with two fellow swindlers, promising untold riches and success to the gullible. No scheme is too ridiculous, no dupe left untricked as the greedy of London flock to be gulled. But as the three juggle their increasingly crazy schemes will the bubbling cauldron of trickery explode in all their faces? And what will happen if Lovewit suddenly decides to come home?

Mercurius returns to The Rose Playhouse for the fourth time following the sell-out, 5 star success of A Trick to Catch the Old One and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside and most recently Ben Jonson’s The Devil Is An Ass, chosen by LondonTheatre1 as one of its top ten productions of 2015 – “A highly entertaining show” London Theatre1; “A lean, dynamic and frequently hysterical production” Bardathon; “This boisterous staging flares with timeless wit” The Stage

Cast – Clark Alexander, Alec Bennie, Jeremy Booth, Beth Eyre, Benjamin Garrison, Monty d’Inverno, Charlie Ryall and Peter Wicks

“This company are bright and talented and very funny” RemoteGoat

“A gifted and talented company” The New Current