‘Withnail and I’ to receive stage adaptation
The classic British comedy movie Withnail and I is set to receive a stage adaptation nearly four decades on.
Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, the semi-autobiographical tale follows two unemployed actors, as introduced in the title, who share a flat in Camden Town in the late 1960s. Events begin to take an unexpected course when the pair seek catharsis on a Lake District holiday.
The official synopsis for the 1987 movie reads: “In 1969, two substance-abusing, unemployed actors retreat to the countryside for a holiday that proves disastrous.”
Faithfully adhering to the original narrative, the forthcoming play will premiere at the Birmingham Rep in May 2024. The stage adaptation will be directed by Sean Foley, who said in a new statement that Withnail and I was “part of the furniture of British comedy,” adding, “If it wasn’t so funny, it would be tragic.”
Robinson, now 77 years old, described the stage production as a “most bizarre” prospect after so many years. “I’ve written so many other scripts, but I may as well have not bothered with any except this one,” he adds, “because it’s the only one that seems to have any traction in my life.”
Before he adapted the story for the screen, Robinson wrote Withnail and I as a novel based on his own experiences. “I was sitting there with four quid a week National Assistance in Camden Town,” he says. “It was just so devastatingly awful, life then. It was a question of: do I want to cry my eyes out at the situation I’m in, or is it so ridiculous I may as well laugh at it? That’s why I sat down and wrote the novel. I never thought it would go anywhere.”
Casting for the Withnail and I stage production, set to run between May 3rd and 25th, will soon begin. “I’m very keen to hear from actors who want to be in this play,” Foley adds. “They are amazing parts, and I’m very excited to see who we cast.”
In Robinson’s original production, Richard E Grant portrayed Withnail while Paul McGann appeared as “I.” Watch the original trailer below.
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