Happy Birthday, Wanda June

It’s America in the 1960s and Harold Ryan, the famous war-hero, has been missing for eight years. Presumed dead, he returns in secret to discover his house is not exactly as he left it. His hunting trophies still adorn the walls, but there is an inexplicable birthday cake on the table. Worse yet, his son has grown into a sissy and his wife is engaged to a hippy.

In this exciting revival of the only play by the late, great author Kurt Vonnegut, a time-warped version of Odysseus’ return, expect the unexpected, with animalistic doorbells, vacuums and a host of heavenly visitors.

What reviewers have said

"The cross-gender casting of this rare revival instils a cartoonish vigour into Ant Stones' production. The effect is something like 'A Doll's House' after botched hormonal therapy and a fistful of valium."  (Time Out)

****  "With brilliant performances all round, Happy Birthday Wanda June expertly captures both the comedy and the darkness of a play that bristles with relevance even today"  (What's On Stage)

"Watching Kurt Vonnegut's only published play, two thoughts kept occurring – why did he not write more of them and why is this so rarely performed?"  (The Stage)

**** "There is much to enjoy here in what is the first revival that the play has had since 1977 at the Bush, so this may really be the chance of a lifetime if you are interested in Vonnegut, or indeed American plays of that period which are so seldom performed in Britain."  (The Lady)