London Theatre To Present 'Never So Good'

The designer is Vicki Mortimer, with lighting by Mark Henderson, music by Dominic Muldowney, choreography by Lynne Page and sound by Paul Arditti.

Harold Macmillan, the Eton-educated idealist who rushed, with Homer's Iliad under his arm, to do his duty in the Grenadier Guards, is tormented by the harsh experiences of war and an unhappy marriage. His career in the 30s is blocked by his loyalty to Winston Churchill and he nearly loses his life in the Second World War. When at last he becomes Prime Minister, he is brought down by the Profumo scandal.

Set against a back-drop of fading Empire, war, the Suez crisis, vintage champagne, adultery and vicious Tory politics at the Ritz, Never So Good paints the portrait of a brilliant, witty but complex man, at times comically and, in the end, tragically out of kilter with his times.

NT productions of Howard Brenton's plays include Paul, Weapons of Happiness, The Romans in Britain and Pravda (co-written with David Hare). His plays also include In Extremis, Bloody Poetry and The Churchill Play. He has written extensively for radio and television, including episodes for the spy thriller series Spooks.

Jeremy Irons' most recent stage appearance was in Christopher Hampton's Embers in the West End; other theatre includes The Real Thing on Broadway (Tony Award for Best Actor) and Richard II for the RSC. His extensive and multi award-winning screen work includes Eragon, Stealing Beauty, Reversal of Fortune (Academy Award), The French Lieutenant's Woman and Betrayal. TV includes Elizabeth I (Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Emmy Awards), Longitude, Brideshead Revisited and Tales from Hollywood.

Howard Davies is an Associate Director at the NT, where his recent productions include Present Laughter, Philistines, The Life of Galileo, Paul, The House of Bernarda Alba and Mourning Becomes Electra. -- www.nationaltheatre.org.uk