UK premiere for Falling In Love Again

Australian-based writer Ron Elisha had a big hit in London with his play The Soul of Wittgenstein, which played at the King's Head Theatre back in the summer of 2016 (you can read our 5 star review of that "powerful drama" here).

Now the playwright gets another premiere at the same venue this coming January with his work entitled Falling In Love Again - about King Edward VIII and Marlene Dietrich.

The show will be at Islington's King's Head Theatre from 14 January to 8 February 2020, starring Canadian-born Ashton Spear as Edward and Australian-German Ramona Von Pusch as Marlene Dietrich.

The directorial reigns will be in the hands of Tama Matheson, Artistic Director of Poesis: Words and Music in London, and Artistic Director of the Brisbane Shakespeare Festival, in Australia.

About the author

Ron Elisha is a playwright based in Melbourne, Australia.

His stage plays include 'In Duty Bound' (1979), 'Einstein' (1981), 'Two' (1983), 'Pax Americana' (1984), 'The Levine Comedy' (1986), 'Safe House' (1989), 'Esterhaz' (1990), 'Impropriety' (1993), 'Choice' (1994), 'Unknown Soldier' (1996), 'The Goldberg Variations' (2000), 'A Tree, Falling' (2003), 'Ladies & Gentlemen' (2004), 'Wrongful Life' (2005), 'Controlled Crying' (2006), 'Renaissance' (2006), 'The Schelling Point' (2010), 'Carbon Dating' (2011), 'Stainless Steel Rat' (2011, produced in London in 2012 under the title 'Man In The Middle'), 'The Crown Versus Winslow' (2011), 'Love Field' (2013), 'The Soul Of Wittgenstein' (2016), 'Certificate Of Life' (2017), 'Window' (2017), 'Unsolicited Male' (2018) and 'I Really Don't Care' (2019).  He has also written a telemovie, 'Death Duties' (1991), two children's books, 'Pigtales' (1994) and 'Too Big' (1997), and hundreds of feature articles and stories in a variety of magazines, newspapers and journals.  

His plays have been produced throughout Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Poland, Israel and France, and have won a number of awards, including four Australian Writers' Guild Awards, the Mitch Matthews Award (2006) and the Houston International Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay.

He has also been shortlisted for many awards over the years, including the Patrick White (most recently in 2019), the Griffin, The Victorian Green Room, the Australian Writers' Guild and various state Premiers' Awards.

In 2020, in addition to 'Falling In Love Again', he has a new play, '21 Down', opening in Helsinki, and two new works, 'Donating Felix' and 'Individual 1' opening in Melbourne.

Tama Matheson - Director

Tama is Artistic Director of Poesis: Words and Music in London, and Artistic Director of the Brisbane Shakespeare Festival, in Australia.

His directing credits include 'Hamlet' (Brisbane Shakespeare Festival), 'Memoirs of a Sailor' (JACC, Kuwait), 'Metamorphosis' (Opera Australia), 'Der Rosenkavalier' (Melbourne Opera), 'Patience', and 'Amahl and the Night Visitors' (Teatru Manoel, Malta); 'A Christmas Carol' (Royal Albert Hall; AMcK Fine Entertainment); 'Falstaff' (Opera Graz); 'The Force of Destiny', 'The Love of the Nightingale', 'La Traviata' (Opera Australia); 'Amadeus' (Classic Productions); 'La Traviata', 'Don Giovanni', (Sydney Opera Projects); 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (Garnet Productions); 'Henry V', 'Richard III', 'Much Ado About Nothing', 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (Brisbane Shakespeare Festival); 'The Tempest', 'The Night before Christmas', 'Prometheus Unbound' (Classic Productions); 'Don Giovanni', 'Tosca' (4MBS Festival of Music); 'Orpheus in the Underworld' (Queensland Conservatorium); 'Memoirs of a Sailor' (JACC, Kuwait).

His stage credits include 'Hamlet', Henry Lawson ('When the World Was Wide'), Melchior ('Amahl and the Night Visitors'), Bunthorne ('Patience'), Felix ('The Odd Couple'), Banquo ('Macbeth'), Leo ('Design for Living'), Don Pedro ('Much Ado About Nothing'); Richard III; Henry V; Romeo; Oberon; Lysander; Ariel; Mozart ('Amadeus'); Michal ('The Pillowman'); Sgt. Troy ('Far From the Madding Crowd'); Duke Ferdinand ('Duchess of Malfi'); Haemon ('Antigone').

Television credits include: 'Heartbeat', 'EastEnders', and 'Hoges - the Story of Paul Hogan'.  

Tama has written and produced several plays, including 'When the World Was Wide', 'Ben', 'Johann Sebastian', 'Bright Stars Shone for Us', 'The White Mouse', and 'Panufnik - His Quest for Peace'. He has also written 'Don Juan', which he performed with Karin Schaupp, and adapted 'A Christmas Carol' and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', both of which have been performed in London and Australia.

He won Best Production for 'Amadeus', and Best Supporting Actor for 'The Pillowman' at the Matilda Awards; Outstanding Director for 'Metamorphosis' at the Opera Chaser Awards in Melbourne, and his production of 'Rosenkavalier' won four more Opera Chaser awards.

'Metamorphosis' was also nominated for Best Opera at the Helpmanns earlier this year.

Show listing information