By Franz Amussen
HOT ON the heels of its acclaimed production of Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming over the summer, the Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice is following up with some more great British drama, – or comedy in this case – with a production of The Dock Brief” by John Mortimer, opening October 10th and running Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm through November 15. The Pacific Resident Theatre is located at 705 ½ Venice Blvd. in Venice.
The play centers on an unsuccessful barrister who has been waiting for years to make a grandstand defense. He is overjoyed when he gets assigned to defend an innocuous little man accused for murdering his wife. Finally, he will have his chance to shine. However, in pleading his client “not guilty” the case may not quite go as planned.
John Mortimer was a brilliant English barrister, dramatist, and screenwriter is most notably remembered for his comic novel series Rumpole of the Bailey, which was made into a popular BBC series. He later wrote the script for the film Tea With Mussolini, based on the autobiography of Franco Zeffirelli and starring Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, and Maggie Smith. Mortimer became a legal consultant for the television series Boston Legal and is also father to the talented British actress, Emily Mortimer.
The Sunday Times described The Dock Brief as “A perfect jewel of a play”, while the New york Times said it was “Charming, comic…robustly amusing.”
Mortimer said of his work: “Comedy is, to my mind, the only thing worth writing in this despairing age, providing it is comedy which is truly on the side of the lonely, the neglected and unsuccessful.”
The Dock Brief is directed by Robert Bailey and stars Frank Collison and Wesley Mann.
Tickets are priced at $25 to $34. For more information, please click HERE
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