The world premiere of Andrew Keatley’s second play, The Gathered Leaves at North London’s Park Theatre features a top-notch cast of 11 that includes two generations of two theatrical families. The story revolves around the first reunion in 17 years of a divided upper-class family gathering for the 75th birthday of its monstrous patriarch William Pennington. His long-suffering wife and mutinous daughter are played by Jane Asher and her daughter Katie Scarfe. Alexander and Tom Hanson play William’s younger son and grandson. In his four-star review for The Guardian, Michael Billington said that the real-life parent and child combination  “leads to an instant plausibility to the family relationships.”

I left this portrait montage of Jane and Katie, based on rehearsal images for the production, at the theatre. Both signed it for me, with Jane also enclosing a nice complimentary note. The Gathered Leaves runs until 15 August, but given the positive critical response, many expect it to transfer to the West End.