The Greatest Play in the History of the World
What makes The Greatest Play in the History of the World unique?
After selling out its run at the Traverse Theatre in 2018, The Greatest Play in the History of the World is coming to Trafalgar Studios for you this winter. It is Ian Kershaw’s newest play about love, space and…shoes. It is set in 1977 Lancashire when the Voyager space probe was launched. This unique piece is funny and heartwarming, one that will keep you guessing about what’s coming next. It stretches the earthly and the celestial to tell a story that is somewhere in between romance and sci-fi fantasy.
Julie Hesmondhalgh, Ian Kershaw and Raz Shaw
The Greatest Play in the History of the World is written by the award-winning writer, Ian Kershaw and performed by one woman, his wife Julie Hesmondhalgh. She has won multiple awards for her famous role in Coronation Street as Hayley Cropper. She has been in television shows and holds multiple performance credits to her name. Over the years, she has won the Best Actress Award at the British Soap Awards, a National TV Award for Best Serial Drama Performance, and an RTS Award for Best Performance.
Kershaw’s writing is brilliant and his way of depicting the depths of space using earthly moments makes this one-woman play even better. His credits include Bread & Roses, Union Street, Star-Cross’d and The Mist in the Mirror. Among his TV credits are Cold Feet, Coronation Street, and Death in Paradise.
Directed by Raz Shaw, this piece brings in the heartiest elements of life – love and the sense of belonging in this universe. Shaw’s direction credits include the like of The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, The Producers, Things of Dry Hours, and WIT, which won him the Best Director award at the 2016 UK Theatre Awards.
The show is beautifully aligned
The show starts with Hesmondhalgh’s narration about one December night in Preston Road when time stood still. Looking at each other through their windows are Tom at Number 28 and Sara at Number 27, the only two people who are awake. Tom has no luck in life and thinks that life is going by, while Sara has a more practical mindset but is worried about getting left behind. The other characters are Tom’s noisy neighbours, the Forshaws. A terminally ill Mrs Forshaw was a science teacher and loves to talk about the Golden Record, Voyager probes launched into space, and extraterrestrial affairs.
Hesmondhalgh, while talking about each character, takes a shoebox from the tall racks placed on the set, and puts the shoes on the carpet. While introducing the other characters, she also borrows shoes from the audience members to represent the personalities she’s describing. This one-of-a-kind idea creates a strong relationship between the performance and the audience. With the help of powerful words by Kershaw, she builds a strong, engrossing narrative with utter precision and care that will leave you spellbound. The Greatest Play in the History of the World is worth the watch.