This is an independent site and has no connection with Mr Irving.
George starred in "The French Lieutenant's Woman" adapted by Mark Healy from the John Fowles novel in it's 2006 UK premiere and tour.
Directed by Kate Saxon the production premiered at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford on 30th August 2006 before going on a 13 week tour to 12 locations around the UK until 25th November 2006.
| Theatre | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Yvonne Arnaud Theatre | Guildford | 30 August 2006 - 9 September 2006 |
| Theatre Royal | Glasgow | 11 September 2006 - 16 September 2006 |
| Theatre Royal | Windsor | 18 September 2006 - 23 September 2006 |
| Theatre Royal | Brighton | 25 September 2006 - 30 September 2006 |
| Milton Keynes Theatre | Milton Keynes | 2 October 2006 - 7 October 2006 |
| Arts Theatre | Cambridge | 9 October 2006 - 14 October 2006 |
| Everyman Theatre | Cheltenham | 16 October 2006 - 21 October 2006 |
| Richmond Theatre | London | 23 October 2006 - 28 October 2006 |
| The Lighthouse | Poole | 30 October 2006 - 4 November 2006 |
| Churchill Theatre | Bromley | 13 November - 18 November 2006 |
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford - 30 August 2006
Nestling between a gently flowing river and a bank of late blooming trees the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre provided the perfect venue for the UK premiere of The French Lieutenant's Woman. Large enough to accommodate the capacity audience the theatre proved to be surprisingly intimate, the stage being only inches from the front row.
A desk adorned with the tools of a writer's trade, gently lit with a lamp, set in the centre of a multilevel stage is the first glimpse of the evening ahead. To the excited mutterings of the opening night crowd the lights dim and George Irving playing The Writer takes his place on the stage. The sound of a typewriter and the image of a writer struggling with his art open the play. The Writer is soon joined by an assembly of his disparate characters playing in his mind. The Writer screams "Stop" and tells the audience "I don't know where to begin ..." and so opens The French Lieutenant's Woman.
It inspired, Jane Austen and John Fowles to write about it and the image of Meryl Streep in the French Lieutenant's Woman standing, hooded and windswept, at its end is unforgettable.
The Cobb at Lyme Regis has inspired artists and writers since its creation in Medieval times and sheltered seafarers for centuries. Generations of children have enjoyed the innocent pleasure of dangling baited string over the stone shelter's walls, in search of its many crabs.