Ray Cooney’s Run for Your Wife

12 November at 7:00 p.m. at Skrīveru Cultural Centre: Ray Cooney’s “Run for Your Wife” (situation comedy). Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes, including an intermission.

Tickets for “Run for Your Wife” go on sale at Skrīveru Cultural Centre from 1 September. The box office is open on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and also on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets are also available at Biļešu paradīze ticket offices. Admission: EUR 15.00–25.00.

Ray Cooney’s play “Run for Your Wife” is coming to audiences across Latvia and to Skrīveri. The productions of this master of farce have made millions of people around the world laugh until they cried, and this play is no exception. “Run for Your Wife” has been highly acclaimed by critics and audiences, and its author has received awards beyond Europe. Film scripts based on the comedy have been made into movies shown around the world. It is also still considered the longest-running production in London’s famous West End.

On one stage, John Smith’s story is brought to life by a cast of familiar performers: crime-series star Andris Daugaviņš, actors Lelde Dreimane, Rihards Lepers, Linda Kalniņa, Jānis Jarāns, and either Edgars Lipors or Valdis Pavlovskis, as well as director Valdis Pavlovskis and comedian Edgars Bāliņš. Since the comedy’s plot is relevant in all times and places, audiences may well recognise some of their own friends and acquaintances in these colourful characters. At the same time, the absurd comic situations offer a chance to forget everyday worries and follow events that cannot be predicted in advance.

The central character is taxi driver John Smith (Andris Daugaviņš). John drove passengers by day and, naturally, by night, following a carefully arranged schedule. Nothing unusual, you might say? That is where the main intrigue begins! John was unlike his colleagues: he led two parallel lives, living in two different places with two very different wives (Lelde Dreimane and Linda Kalniņa). This was possible, of course, as long as he stuck to his strict schedule. It would have continued indefinitely without arousing the slightest suspicion, had the resourceful John Smith not got into a fight, in which he suffered a serious head injury and woke up in hospital. The world held together by his strict schedule began to unravel rapidly!

Trying to save himself, Smith became entangled in attempts to explain the situation to both wives. The lies kept growing. His friend and neighbour (Rihards Lepers) came to his aid with a few tricks of his own. But things got even worse! To complicate matters further, police officers (Jānis Jarāns and Valdis Pavlovskis) join the investigation. Now there is nothing left but to run for it! Or might there still be hope of finding a way out? Audiences can find out by coming to the performance.

The production for Latvian audiences was staged by director Valdis Pavlovskis and producer Jānis Kļaviņš. Run for it… No, here comes trouble! That’s the…