producer

“I loved the bones of yeh then and I love them now.”

Christmas Eve. 1948. Deep in the heart of Galway, Eamonn, the fattest baby you’ve ever seen, is found abandoned in a manger.

70 years later, after struggling to make amends with his estranged daughter Sarah and grandson Ben, one final and fateful action leaves the next two generations of his family reeling.

Inspired by true events, Bromley Bedlam Bethlehem is a visceral and candid new play about the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.

The play ran at the Old Red Lion Theatre from Friday 3rd to Saturday 25th May 2019. Bromley Bedlam Bethlehem was supported by Arts Council England and Unity Theatre Trust.

PRESS & AWARDS
WINNER of the Methuen Drama and Marlowe Society’s The Other Prize 2017
★★★★1/2 “an Offie-worth performance… an unflinching examination of mental health” Breaking the Fourth Wall
★★★★ “superior storytelling.. a very well written play utilising an excellent cast” Everything Theatre
★★★1/2  “a stunningly atmospheric world… Tookey’s brave writing is bold and steeped in familial mythoi… a promising playwright” London Pub Theatres
★★★ “a sensitive and sharp portrayal” The Stage
“Can we ever escape our family histories is the question behind this heartfelt play” Lyn Gardner, Stage Door
★★★ “a powerful exploration… gorgeous prose… [carries] an emotional punch which is amplified even further by the excellent actors” The Upcoming
“a fantastic cast and direction in an intimate, half-immersive setting… genius [writing]… the importance of this play couldn’t be clearer” The Prickle
“the play is an engaging one which prompts you to think about how pain is often out of your control” Islington Tribune / Camden New Journal
Recommended by Lyn Gardner on StageDoor
London Pub Theatres Opinion Piece by Rachel Tookey
Terri Paddock Q&A Video & Photos
London Live TV Interview
Spectator Life Inclusion

CAST
Eamonn: Dan Mullane
Sarah: Madeleine Bowyer
Ben: Daniel Rainford

CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Rachel Tookey
Director: Thomas Martin
Producer: Hannah Tookey
Designer: Georgia De Grey
Lighting Designer: Pete Maxey
Composer: Hollie Buhagiar
Casting Director: Jane Frisby
Stage Manager: Summer Keeling
Production Managers: Joe Monk & Shaz McGee

Photography by Ali Wright.