Belinda Giblin and Lex Marinos Star in HAPPY DAYS at the Old Fitz in June

Happy Days, first performed 60 years ago and named by The Independent as one of the best 40 plays of all time, opens at Sydney's Old Fitz Theatre on June 12, in a Red Line Productions starring Belinda Giblin and Lex Marinos, directed by Craig Baldwin.

Craig Baldwin is an Australian director who recently relocated home to Sydney after living and working in the US where he was Associate Artistic Director for Red Bull Theatre in New York and Artistic Associate for Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC. Craig was the first Australian to graduate from the prestigious acting program at The Juilliard School in New York.

In a story compelling for these Covid times, Belinda Giblin plays Winnie who wakes up buried to the waist in a burnt-out post-apocalyptic wasteland, with nothing but the contents of her purse. To top it all off, her husband, Willie (Marinos), has stopped talking to her. What is one to do in such isolation but get on with it?

Beckett's absurdly funny, existential masterpiece takes on searing of-the-moment resonance in this strikingly intimate production directed by Craig Baldwin (The Aliens, John) featuring a hilarious and heart-breaking performance from Old Fitz fave Belinda Giblin (Doubt, Home and Away).

The Old Fitz's three artistic directors Catherine Văn-Davies, Alexander Berlage and Constantine Costi said: "In Happy Days we are slammed back to earth, albeit buried under a large mound of dirt, in Samuel Beckett's firebrand text Happy Days. This production will be brought to life by luminary of stage and screen Belinda Giblin under the direction of Craig Baldwin, who most recently worked together on Annie Baker's John. We are so thrilled to have these two theatre makers who are at the top of their craft present Beckett at his existentially hilarious and ironic best in the intimacy of the Fitz."

Red Line's production of Beckett's Krapps Last Tape at the Old Fitz in 2019 was an audience and critic favourite and the company has a proud history with Belinda Giblin who previously starred in Blond Poison and Doubt at The Old Fitz.

Belinda is one of Australia's most distinguished performers for stage and screen; her many accolades including three nominations for Best Actress in an Independent Production by the Sydney Theatre Critics' Circle Awards in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

She is joined on stage for Happy Days by Lex Marinos, also a distinguished actor, writer and director, whose many credits include the films The Last Days of Chez Nous and Backyard Ashes.

Belinda and Lex first worked together some 40 years ago when Lex directed Belinda in Errol Flynn's Great Big Adventure Book for Boys for the Nimrod Theatre. More recently they appeared together in the web-series called Bent 101.

Tickets available here: https://www.redlineproductions.com.au/happy-days

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