Someone Who'll Watch Over Me @ The Actors Studio @ Lot 10, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

3 men. An Englishman, an Irishman and an American have been taken hostage and held in a windowless cell in Beirut. They have no contact with the outside world and are uncertain about their future. As the three men strive for survival they also strive to overcome their differences.

Staying away from violence and politics, the play instead focuses on the remarkable resilience of the human spirit and humanity. It is also peppered with light moments as well as hilarious scenes as the three men amuse themselves and escape into their fantasy worlds.

The play is inspired by Irishman Brian Keenan’s abduction in 1986. He was kidnapped while he was on his way to work at the American University of Beirut. It was only four and a half years later that he was released. Keenan went on to write an autobiographical book called An Evil Cradling which won the Irish Times Literary Prize for Non-fiction in 1991.

Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me premiered at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 1992. The Broadway production starring Stephen Rea ran for five years and was nominated for Best Play and Best Actor in Play in the Tony Award. The show also bagged the 1993 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Foreign Play.

The KL staging will be directed by Joe Hasham and features a stellar cast comprising British actor Charles Donnelly, Australian actor Kingsley Judd and our very own Gavin Yap. Donnelly and Judd will be reprising their roles from the hugely successful Scottish and Australian production, respectively.

Do not miss one of the most startling theatre pieces you are ever likely to see and the kind of work that The Actors Studio is so well-known for. It is also the kind of thought-provoking drama that director Joe Hasham is respected for.