Carpe Diem

by Marcy Kahan

A platonic romantic comedy:

A health scare changes Bill's outlook on life, whilst Bella is having trouble deciding how to choose between the men she is dating.

Directed by Sally Avens

Bill works as an economist in a right wing institute giving succour to bankers and businessmen.
Bella teaches yoga, waters the plants in Canary Wharf and holds a Proust seminar for retirees.
But years ago they shared a flat before Bill got married and moved to the States.
Now he's back and he's feeling a little off kilter; his son's stopped talking to him, his wife's not interested, so he decides to hook up again with Bella. Once a month they meet for lunch, where they talk about everything; the one thing they don't talk about is how much they love each other.
Marcy Kahan's delightful comedy moves seamlessly from politics via Proust to the perils of online dating as over five episodes we share lunch with Bill and Bella and watch how their lives change course.
Stephen Mangan is one of our most celebrated comedy actors his past hits include: Adrian Mole, Green Wing and Episodes.
This is the fifth time he has worked on a play of Marcy's.
Claire Skinner is best known as the harassed mother in 'Outnumbered' but her numerous credits include Lark Rise to Candleford and The Glass Menagerie for Sam Mendes.
Marcy Kahan is an established playwright: Her hits for radio include Incredibly Guilty, The Noel Coward Quintet, Twenty Cigarettes and Everybody Comes to Schiklegrubers for which she won a Sony Award.
Her screenplay Antonia and Jane starred Imelda Staunton, Saskia Reeves and Bill Nighy and won the Gold Plaque Award for Best Original Screenplay at the Chicago Film Festival.