PRESS RELEASE

One For The Road Ltd presents
A UK national tour of the Oldham Coliseum production

A TASTE OF HONEY
By Shelagh Delaney

The award winning modern classic A TASTE OF HONEY commences a major national
tour opening at THE SHEFFIELD CRUCIBLE on 16 May 2006. (See tour list for
full dates)

Starring SAMANTHA GILES (Emmerdale and Where The Heart Is) and BRUNO
LANGLEY (Coronation Street).

First produced in 1958 by Joan Littlewood’s Theatrical Workshop, this gritty
tale of life in Manchester took the theatrical world my storm subsequently
transferring to the West End and then onto Broadway.

‘Miss Delaney brings real people on to her stage … she is busy recording the
wonder of life as she lives it’ Kenneth Tynan, Observer

A TASTE OF HONEY hinges on the relationship between Jo, a young working
class girl and her boozy, irresponsible mother. Pregnant and abandoned by a
black sailor, Jo is left picking up the pieces of her shattered life.
Seeking comfort she befriends a sexually confused young man and they move in
together like two children playing house, for a while finding an innocent
but fragile happiness. A TASTE OF HONEY provides a grim slice-of-life look
at the working class poor in early 1960’s England. Teen pregnancy, an openly
homosexual companion, a negligent single mother and homelessness all feature
in this modern classic.

Written by a then 19 year old Shelagh Delaney, A TASTE OF HONEY was praised
at its London premiere by Graham Greene as having ‘all the freshness of Mr.
Osborne’s Look Back In Anger and a greater maturity.’ It was made into a
highly successful film in 1961 with Rita Tushingham making her indelible
screen debut.

The play won many awards, including the Charles Henry Foyle New Play award
in 1958 and the New York Drama Critics Award in 1961. The film version won
the British Academy Award for best picture in 1961 and a best supporting
actress award for Dora Bryan. The film also won two awards at the Cannes
Film Festival in 1962 for best actor (Murray Melvin) and best actress (Rita
Tushingham).

Rumoured to be Morrissey’s favourite play. The playwright Shelagh Delaney
appeared on two covers of The Smiths albums and dozens of lines from the
play are used (slightly altered) as Smiths/Morrissey lyrics.

Directed by STUART WOOD, designed by LIZ ASCROFT. CAST – SAMANTHA GILES who appeared in three series of Where The Heart Is as ‘Sally Boothe’. Prior to
that she played series regular ‘Bernice’ in Emmerdale. Most recently she
played the role of ‘Jennifer’ in Party Piece at Windsor and on Tour. BRUNO
LANGLEY appeared for 3 years as Coronation Street’s “Todd Grimshaw’, for
which he won the Most Popular Actor at the National Television Awards 2004.
Since leaving the Street he has appeared in the new Doctor Who series and
League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse. With ANDONIS ANTHONY, CHRIS JACK and
SAMANTHA ROBINSON.

Directed by STUART WOOD whose credits include a new piece of music theatre
based on the Indian classic Mahabharata, with music by Nitin Sawhney and
words by Stephen Clark. The new musical of The Lord of the Rings, opening in
Toronto in March 2006. The British Premiere of A Bicycle Country by Pultizer
Prize Winning playwright Nilo Cruz. The West End production of the musical
When Harry Met Barry, in 1990 he co-founded and became Artistic Director of
Anglo American Theatre, co-producing Our Town starring Alan Alda at the
Shaftesbury Theatre in 1991.

SHELAGH DELANEY was born and brought up in Salford, Lancashire. Her first
play, A Taste of Honey, was originally presented by Theatre Workshop,
Stratford, and London 1958. The Lion in Love, her second play, was performed
at the Belgrade Theatre, London 1960. In 1963 she published a collection of
short stories entitled Sweetly Sings the Donkey. She has written widely for
television and for radio, and for the cinema: A Taste of Honey (1962): The
White Bus (1966); Charley Bubbles (1968) and Dance with a Stranger (1985).

LISTINGS

5 – 10 June
Richmond Theatre
Box Office 0870 060 6651
Eves: 7.45; Wed & Sat Mats 2.30pm
Tickets 10.00 – 22.00

12 – 17 June
Malvern Festival Theatre
Box Office 01684 892277
Eves: 8pm; Wed & Sat Mats: 2.30pm
Tickets 14.00 – 22.00

19 – 24 June
Nottingham Theatre Royal
Box Office 0115 9895555
Eves: 7.30pm Mats: Wed 2pm; Sat 2.30pm
Tickets 8.00 – 23.50

26 June – 1 July
Regent Theatre Stoke
Box Office 0870 060 6649
Eves: 8pm; Wed & Sat Mats: 2.30pm
Tickets 7.00 – 19.50