A brand-new acclaimed British farce, Octopus Soup, comes to Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre for a week from Tuesday 26th March featuring a star cast which includes Nick Hancock, Eastbourne favourite Paul Bradley (Journey’s End, EastEnders) and Eric Richard (The Bill).
The perfect antidote to another night in-front of the telly; meet Seymour Norse (Nick Hancock) otherwise known as the safest man in the UK, who wears 2 belts – just to be on the safe side. He works in insurance and has a plan to revolutionise the business, his career rests on a much wrangled 20 minute conference webcam call with Virginia the CEO of the largest insurance company in the world (Gillian Bevan).
What could possibly go wrong? Enter stage left Marvin (Paul Bradley) a bungling burglar with a pet octopus, a neurotic actress wife Gloria (Carolyn Backhouse) and the shadowy Mr Big, Marvin’s underworld boss who is rather un-terrifyingly called Alan (Eric Richard). The premise of the story is as outlandish as you’d expect with a farce, suffice to say it involves a lot of misunderstandings and rather uniquely – an eight limbed mollusc.
The show marks the first visit to Eastbourne for Nick Hancock who enjoyed West End success with the show An Evening with Gary Lineker. Nick was a regular face presenting some of the UK’s biggest TV shows including 10 years on They Think It’s All Over and 5 years with Room 101.
Paul Bradley last appeared at the Devonshire Park in the acclaimed revival of RC Sherriff’s Journey’s End, and is fondly remembered for his long-running roles as Nigel Bates in EastEnders and Elliot Hope in Holby City. Paul is reunited with his on-screen wife from his time in Holby City, Gillian Bevan, whose varied career encompasses West End Theatre and many iconic TV shows including Teachers, Heartbeat and cult-show Ghostwatch which prompted 30,000 complaints to the BBC!
Eric Richard makes his Eastbourne debut, Eric starred in the Oscar winning short film Stutterer in 2016 and his previous theatre work includes plays at the Royal Court Theatre and the Theatre Royal as well as seasons with the Royal Exchange, Manchester and Birmingham Repertory Theatre but he’s perhaps best known as Desk Sergeant Bob Cryer in The Bill. The cast is completed with Carolyn Backhouse (Woody Allen’s Scoop, Robin Hood) who steals the show as Seymour’s airy-fairy actress wife Gloria.
The Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne will be serving Octopus Soup, with a big side of laughs, nightly at 7.45pm, with 2.30pm matinees on Wednesday and Saturday, from Tuesday 26th to Saturday 30th March.
Tickets priced from £21, can be booked by calling the box office on 01323 412000 or online at
eastbournetheatres.co.uk – which now gives the option to print your tickets at home and to choose your
seat based on the view that it offers.