Churchill extends limited run at New World Stages

Ronald Keaton's one-man drama Churchill extends its limited run at off-Broadway's New World Stages. The play began previews on 6 February 2015, officially opened on 18 February, and was originally scheduled to conclude its limited engagement on 5 April 2015. It is now booking through to 12 July 2015.

Churchill, which staged its world premiere engagament in Chicago, is based on "the life and writings of one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century" and adapted by Keaton himself, with direction by Kurt Johns.

Synopsis: "It is March 1946. In the past year, Winston Churchill has led Britain and the Allies to victory in the European Theatre of World War II. He has also shockingly been defeated for re-election as Prime Minister. Sitting in forced retirement with his wife Clementine at their Chartwell home, Churchill receives an invitation from President Harry Truman to speak in the States at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, where he will deliver his legendary, emphatic 'Iron Curtain' speech. He arrives in Fulton to an informal and esoteric gathering of friends and supporters, and shares his life in flashback and in storytelling. Experience the man who famously proclaimed, 'I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.' In Churchill, the influential Nobel Prize laureate discusses his failures and his successes; his love of art, liquor and women; and the bravery of Britain's finest hour."

The creative team features scenic and lighting design by Jason Epperson, with projection design by Paul Deziel and sound design by Eric Backus. The play is produced by the Greenhouse Theater Center, SoloChicago, and the Wendy and William Spatz Charitable Foundation, with the support and permission of The Churchill Centre.

- by Tom Millward