The Twelve Pound Look

JM Barrie

“regarded by many as ‘one of the most nearly perfect one-act plays in contemporary drama’ and after just one viewing, I couldn’t agree more. A delight to watch”
The Cuckoo Review

Harry Sims is a successful man.

An English gentleman.

King of his own castle.

Business is booming and his beautiful, doting wife does whatever she is told - as well she should; he is worth half a million pounds.

On the eve of receiving a Knighthood, his domestic kingdom is threatened by the arrival of a hired typist; an independent young woman who proves to be an unwelcome blast from his past.

From the author of Peter Pan comes a grown-up Edwardian comedy with a distinctly modern view. In our era of Trump’s ego and gender politics, JM Barrie’s The Twelve Pound Look remains as relevant today as in 1910.

“If I was a husband, I would often watch my wife quietly to see whether the twelve pound look was not coming into her eyes…”

Sarah Boulter

MARY (2018 production)
Trained at City of Sunderland College.
Selected theatre credits include: The Twelve Pound Look and A Doll’s House (HangFire Theatre), A Viking Christmas (Queens Hall, Hexham) The Dolly Mixtures (The Customs House), Teechers, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, Jack and the Beanstalk (Gala Theatre), The Great Joe Wilson (Wisecrack Productions), Rainbird (Cloud Nine Theatre), Barnaby Rudge (NTC), The Miscast Bard, Shakers (Less is MORE Theatre), The Cinder Path (ION Productions) and Twelfth Night, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet (Theatre Space NE).
Graham Hornsby

SIR HARRY SIMS (2017 production)
Graham is native to Teesside and trained at Manchester University.
Film and television credits include World War Z (Paramount/Plan B), Beowulf (ITV), When The Lights Went Out (Kintop Pictures), Peter (Praslin Pictures), The Beginning (QFilm Produktion Berlin), The Double (Lucas Productions), The Interrogation (Omani Brothers) and Revealed: Sink the Tirpitz (Channel 5). Graham has also provided the voice over for Zombies Run and The Walk.
Theatre includes: Pawnography (Rose Bankside), An Enemy of the People (Arcola Theatre), 1867 (Rich Mix), How Low? (Kings Head Theatre) and Tomorrow (Tristan Bates Theatre).
Viktoria Kay

KATE
Trained at East 15 Acting School.
Selected theatre credits include: The Twelve Pound Look, A Doll’s House and The Importance of Being Earnest (HangFire Theatre), Rattle & Roll (Open Clasp), Perfect Wedding, The Man and the Donkey, Romeo and Juliet, Waiting for Gateaux (The Customs House), A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Durham, Aladdin (Gala Theatre), The Noise (Northern Stage / Leeds Playhouse), Jane Eyre (Hull Truck & Tour), Chalet Lines (Live Theatre / Bush Theatre), The Pitmen Painters (National Tour / West End) and Cooking with Elvis (Bolton Octagon) for which she won the Manchester Evening News Theatre Award.
Selected film and TV credits include: The Song of Names, I, Daniel Blake, Sunday for Sammy 2018, Wolfblood, Harriet’s Army, Vera and Emmerdale.
Brian Lonsdale

SIR HARRY SIMS (2018 production)
Theatre credits include Othello at Tobacco Factory, Noises Off at Northern Stage, Martyr at Unicorn Theatre, War Horse in the West End, The Pitmen Painters at Live Theatre Newcastle/National Theatre/Broadway NY, Bedroom Farce at West Yorkshire Playhouse.
TV and Film credits include Hustle and Doctors (both BBC), The Other Possibility (Pinball Films) Valiant (Vanguard Animation), Goal (Sony Pictures)
Radio credits include The Pitmen Painters and Nowt To Look At.
Samantha Phyllis Morris

LADY SIMS
Selected theatre credits include: Mrs Claus’ Kitchen, Sleeping Beauty, All Creatures Great and Small and Be My Baby (Gala Theatre), Walter (Alphabetti Theatre), Dick Whittington and Jack and the Beanstalk (Tyne Theatre), Berth (ARC Stockton), Fen (Live Theatre), Gaslight on Grey Street (Newcastle Theatre Royal Studio / Arts Theatre London), Hull’s Angel (Ensemble 52 Kardomah / Alphabetti), Guineapig (Hull Truck), Spelling Bee (Sage / Whitley Bay Playhouse) and The Dolly Mixtures (The Customs House).
Television credits include: Hospital People, The Paradise, Inspector George Gently, The Dumping Ground (all BBC) and Emmerdale and Vera (both ITV).
Ethan Scott

FOOTMAN (2017 production)
Ethan has recently completed his final performance as part of the Gala Theatre Stage School, performing the lead role of Roger in RENT!
Previous roles at the Gala include Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera and Doctor Jekyll in Jekyll & Hyde.
In a few weeks time he will be moving to Surrey to study Musical Theatre (BA Hons) at the Guildford School of Acting.

Courtney Thirtle, The Cuckoo Review

‘In our era of gender politics, J.M Barrie’s The Twelve Pound Look remains as relevant today as in 1910’

Upon entering the Gala Theatre, it is fair to say that I did not quite know what to expect of a play which has been hailed as a comedic, Edwardian ‘early feminist’ drama written by the male author of the children’s classic Peter Pan. The above statement, which I saw before my viewing, kickstarted my curiosity and made me wonder what possible relatability can be felt towards the modern woman in the modern age.

Although not published until 1910, Barrie wrote The Twelve-Pound Look in 1892, a time when women were still derided for insisting on their right to vote. I found this fact remarkable after I watched the play – a play which was evidently so ahead of its time in exploring themes of female independence and emancipation. J.M Barrie seemingly unapologetically used all of his panache and flair to make one of the most important plays there is. The play presents a woman who rejects the cult of success in favour of independence; in favour of real friendship; in favour of making a living off her own back.

The scene is set for this Edwardian dramatic comedy in the house of Harry Sims, an enormously successful English gentleman who is eagerly anticipating his upcoming knighthood, accompanied by his doting wife who ‘does whatever she is told – as well as she should; he is worth half a million pounds’! The arrival of a hired typist, Kate, who Harry happens to know very well – or not quite as well as he thinks – quite frankly ‘Spoils his day!’

The back and forth between Kate and Harry is humorous to watch and the unbelievable dated opinions of the Edwardian gentleman is also! A key moment for me was after Kate finishes her speech highlighting the bad qualities of Harry and how she excused them and tried to accept them. His response? … ‘How did you earn 12 pounds?’.

The genius of both the play and the performance is the relentless sarcasm and wit which present a serious topic as comical and refreshing as well as relevant. A simple one-setting production is still made immersive and enthralling by all four cast members; Graham Hornsby (‘Sir’ Harry Sims), Viktoria Kay (Kate), Samantha Phyllis Morris (Lady Sims), and Ethan Scott (Tombes), who make you lose yourself for thirty-five minutes of splendid delivery and stage presence. All give visceral performances, particularly Viktoria Kay who is without a doubt a refreshing and powerful presence on stage. The performances blend with the script delightfully, which in itself is something to behold!

In The Twelve Pound Look J.M Barrie pays homage to the forward-thinking female who was only emancipated years after his death. A play over one hundred years old which explores female independence and still holds parallels to gender politics today is both worrisome, inspiring and remarkable. Laced with humour that has withstood the test of time, it is a show not to be missed and ultimately, to my transfixed eyes and ears its 35-minute running time felt much shorter, to my dismay.

The Twelve Pound Look is regarded by many as ‘one of the most nearly perfect one-act plays of contemporary drama’ and after just one viewing, I couldn’t agree more. A delight to watch.

JM Barrie