CORNELIUS

May 2013, Theatre A, 59East59, New York City

A forgotten masterpiece from one of Britain’s greatest dramatists, J. B. Priestley.

As bankruptcy looms, the ever-optimistic Jim Cornelius, partner at import firm Briggs and Murrison, is fighting to keep his creditors happy and his spirits up. Tensions rise with the arrival of Judy, the beautiful, hopeful typist who shows Cornelius the life he could have led…

Written for Ralph Richardson in 1935, Priestley observes the politics and tensions of daily office life with searing wit and humanity in this hilarious and heart-breaking story of friendship, unrequited love and business.

★★★★ ‘Delirious joy… truthful and fearless’
The Guardian

★★★★ ‘A beautifully staged and fascinating production’
Mail on Sunday

★★★★★ THE NEW YORK TIMES | Ben Brantley (Critics’ Pick) 
“Expertly directed by Sam Yates…Cornelius, given virtuosic life by Mr. Cox, exudes an infectious, vital engagement with the world around him and a self-aware distance from it…As designed by David Woodhead and acted with in-the-moment precision, Mr. Yates’s production is a work of straightforward naturalism, with subtle suggestions of the numinous provided by Howard Hudson’s lighting and Alex Baranowski’s music…Wonderful.”

★★★★ NEW YORK POST | Frank Scheck 
“A must-see….Impeccably staged by Sam Yates on David Woodhead’s realistic, ’30s-era office set, the production features superb work by the ensemble… The play’s final moments, in which he unveils a dizzying array of emotions after revealing his love for a much younger woman, won’t be easily forgotten.”