Maureen Lipman to direct stage premiere of The Knowledge
Maureen Lipman is to direct the world stage premiere of The Knowledge at the Charing Cross Theatre.
The play is based on the 1979 TV comedy of the same name which was written by Lipman's late husband Jack Rosenthal. Lipman also starred in the television film.
It is about the struggles of four Londoners during the hard economic times of the seventies, and follows them as they attempt to better themselves as they attempt "the Knowledge" - the process by which you become a black cab driver.
The Knowledge will run at the Charing Cross Theatre from 4th September to 11 November, with an official opening night of 11th September.
On directing the production, Lipman said: "It is 13 years since I lost my husband, the unassuming genius Jack Rosenthal. The Knowledge is perhaps Jack's best realised play - a hymn to the London that he came to love.
"It shows the years of pain, strain and sacrifice that London cabbies have to endure to acquire The Knowledge, pass the world's toughest and most terrifying taxi examinations and earn the right to wear the Green Badge."
The story has been adapted for the stage by Simon Block, and will feature set designs by Nicolai Hart-Hansen, costumes by Jonathan Lipman and sound design by Andrew Johnson.
It has also been announced that Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Woman in White will run at the Charing Cross Theatre later this year.
To read more about The Knowledge, click here.
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