In March 2009 fortyfivedownstairs presented:

And When He Falls
The Plantagenet Kings of England

Performed by: John Stanton
Original Live Music by: Tony Gould
Directed by: Jill Forster


Image: Tony Gould (l) and John Stanton (r), photo by Ponch Hawkes

And When He Falls was a fast-paced and fascinating 75 minutes during which the bloody Plantagenet Kings of England are resurrected on stage. Acclaimed actor John Stanton fulfills a life’s passion to perform his most loved monologues, about this extraordinary dynasty, by Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. And When He Falls combines political and sexual intrigue, tainted bloodlines and rampant blood lust in a medieval royal scandal that lasted 300 years.

Actor John Stanton has regularly trod the boards with the Bard for the Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company in such productions as Macbeth, Richard III and King Lear. Stanton was lauded for his virtuoso performance as Julius Caesar in the MTC’s now famous production and was nominated for a Helpman Award for his Prospero in The Tempest for the MTC.

Pianist and composer Tony Gould is one of Australia’s most respected musicians. For the past three decades he has been involved in an extraordinary number of recording projects both as pianist and composer and has been at the forefront of music education in Australia.

Director Jill Forster also starred in The Box – as twins! However, to modern audiences she is best known for her long-running role as Meredith Monahan in ABC TV’s Seachange, for which she won an AFI Award. Forster’s most recent stage role was with the MTC in their production of Hannie Rayson’s Life After George. And When He Falls is her first foray into stage directing.

In producing this work, fortyfivedownstairs continued to support established artists in realising their personal passions by introducing new work not considered by large companies to a new audience.


And When He Falls ran:
10 – 29 March 2009
Preview: Tuesday 10 March 8pm
Opening Night: Wednesday 11 March 8pm;
Main Season: Wed-Sat  7pm;  Sun 5pm

Image: Photo: Ponch Hawkes, Design: Lin Tobias / La Bella Design