Labour of Love at Olney Theatre Center

Labour of Love

Olney Theatre Center
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd. Olney

The winner of the 2018 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, Labour of Love is a delightfully clever mashup of the political gamesmanship of The West Wing with a war of the sexes that feels straight out of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Set in a member of Parliament's district office, this wildly witty comedy is about the ups and downs of left-wing British politics over the past 25 years.

Thru - Oct 28, 2018

Wednesdays: 7:45pm

Thursdays: 7:45pm

Fridays: 7:45pm

Saturdays: 1:45pm & 7:45pm

Sundays: 1:45pm

Box Office: 301-924-3400

www.olneytheatre.org

Olney Theatre Center Seating Charts

Labour of Love Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"...All of director Leora Morris's cast acts with "West Wing" energy on Daniel Ettinger's small rotating set, a grubby office that becomes a sophisticated wall of video images (by Rasean Davonte Johnson) during transitions that sweep the story back several years at a time. Coffey is the center in a role that has Emma Thompson written all over it, razor-sharp and daft as a bubble, with a low but discernible undercurrent of sexiness that's right where Graham's wonky story needs it. The earnest, debonair M. Scott McLean does much the same as the other half of this fetching pair, playing David as a stylish yet sincere politician fencing about the fine points of strategy and constituent service."

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- Nelson Pressley

DC Theater Arts - Recommended

"...Morris’ directorial decisions are intriguing, and her creative concept makes the show easy to follow even for audience members without precise knowledge of British politics or cultural familiarity with the background characters (Blair, Thatcher, Atlee). She does this along with Scenic Designer Daniel Ettinger. They use videos and projected images both before and during the production. I particularly appreciated the idea of projecting the years as we go back and forth through the decades. (Projection Designer Rasean Davonte Johnson)"

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- Susan Brall

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

"...Once the audience gets past the differences between U.S. and British electoral politics, Labour of Love, receiving its U.S. premiere in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab at the Olney Theatre Center in suburban Maryland, is an entertaining comedy about finding compromise at both the national and the personal levels."

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- Susan Berlin

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

"...This is a lovely cast who breathe and live these roles. The quick dialogue, the hysterical swearing (I now have a new phrase for expressing shock that can’t be repeated here), the very humanness of these people trying to bring a vision into reality is engrossing and supremely funny. The structure lends itself well to a light-hearted touch on some very serious issues, which resonate uncomfortably with America’s current situation. We get to watch David and Jean grow and change and come to new understandings. It’s a delightful journey and one well worth taking."

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- Mary Ann Johnson

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

"...Playwright Graham keeps the political sphere juggling in the air but he’s really written a romantic comedy, and it does not take a pundit to see that David and Jean sniff around each other for more than two decades before they finally connect. The fun of this kind of play is to see just how the characters will come together finally. Along the way, they spar with wit and grit over everything from each other’s faults and their own view of politics."

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- Jeffrey Walker

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Labour of Love at Olney Theatre Center

Labour of Love

Labour of Love Reviews

Washington Post - Recommended

DC Theater Arts - Recommended

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

Labour of Love Photo Gallery

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