There is a rare chance to see The Unexpected Man, one of Yasmina Reza's pre-Art works, when it comes to the Belgrade from 4 July for its only Midlands stop on a UK tour. The acclaimed play stars stalwarts Peter Bowles and Sian Phillips as two strangers who sit opposite one another on a train from Paris to Frankfurt. He is Paul Parsky, an embittered novelist while she, Martha, is a lifelong fan who brought his latest book, The Unexpected Man, to read on the journey. He is glum with the prospect of travelling to see his daughter marry an older man with an unpleasant voice; she with the unknown etiquette of how to read a book written by the famous author sitting opposite her. They do not speak to each other, but their thoughts pour out in dazzling monologues about their loves and lives, art and fiction. Alive with dramatic tension and sexual anticipation this beautifully crafted piece delves into the imagined lives of strangers, the convolutions of the mind and the unexpected comedy found in the drift of thought from the ordinary to the profound. Peter Bowles has recently played in the West End to great acclaim in Simon Gray’s The Old Masters. He is well known for To the Manor Born, The Bounder, Perfect Scoundrels and The Irish RM on television. Siân Phillips is remembered for the classic BBC series I, Claudius and the film Dune, Her esteemed stage work includes Pal Joey, A Little Night Music and Marlene for which she won a Tony Award nomination on Broadway. This production of The Unexpected Man is presented by Theatre Royal Bath, who also produced the acclaimed Time and the Conways with Penelope Keith, which had an immensely successful run at the Belgrade in 2003. The Unexpected Man runs at the Belgrade from Monday 4 to Saturday 9 July. For tickets, call the box office on 024 7655 3055 or visit the website using the link on the right. | 
