A game of cricket. Two of the greatest playwrights. And maybe even time for some tea.
Before Samuel Beckett became the playwright universally known for Waiting for Godot, he was a cricketer. He is still the only Nobel prize-winner to feature in the pages of Wisden as a first-class player. His friend and fellow Nobel prize-winner, Harold Pinter, whose best known works include The Birthday Party and Betrayal, described cricket as ‘the greatest thing that God created on earth’.
This brilliantly witty new play stars Stephen Tompkinson as Samuel Beckett (Brassed Off, Drop the Dead Donkey, DCI Banks, Wild at Heart) and Andrew Lancel (The Bill, Coronation Street) as Harold Pinter. Stumped gives a wonderful insight into what the friendship between these two great men may have looked like. As well as being a beautiful tribute to their writing, the theatre of the absurd, and of course their love for the game of cricket.
Shomit Dutta is a writer, translator and teacher of Latin and Greek who also reviews books on cricket and the classics. He has been a member of Harold Pinter’s cricket team Gaieties CC for over twenty years and was captain during Pinter’s final years.
Guy Unsworth directs. His credits include Bring It On (Southbank Centre); My Fair Lady (Grange Festival Opera & The Liceu, Barcelona) Being Mr Wickham (Queen Mary 2, UK tour, New York run, Original Theatre); Julius Caesar (Fort Canning Park, Singapore); Of Mice and Men (UK Tour); Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (UK Tour); Hand To God (Singapore Repertory Theatre); The Food of Love (Cadogan Hall, Royal Festival Hall).
“A real treat... see it if you can" The Spectator
“Perfect pitch for lovers of drama and cricket" The Guardian, Mark Lawson
“A delightful play” British Theatre Guide
Important Information
Content Warnings – Strong Language
Access performances:
Captioned performances on 12th July 19:45 & 13th July 14:45. Caption users must book directly with Hampstead Theatre’s Box Office
Age Restrictions
14+
Now taking bookings for performances from Thu 22nd June 2023 until Sat 22nd July 2023.
Show times for each day are below.
Mon
2.45pm
Tue
7.45pm
Wed
Thu
7.45pm
7.45pm
Fri
7.45pm
Sat
7.45pm
2.45pm
Sun
-
Tube lines: Jubilee Line
Nearest tube: Swiss Cottage
In congestion zone?: No
Bar
Disabled toilets
Toilets
Wheelchair accessible
Please note: The location shown on the map is an approximate location of the theatre. In the majority of cases the theatre will be marked on the map so please make sure you locate the exact location yourself. If the theatre is not shown on the map please make sure you locate the correct road name and take account of the directions.
Stumped
Hampstead Theatre - Downstairs, London
Running until: Sat 22nd July 2023
Running time: 1h 10m (no interval)