Bill Kenwright Ltd accused of 'cheating' Before the Party audiences after using quotes from previous production's reviews for publicity

Marketing for Tom Conti's 'Before the Party' used positive quotes from reviews describing unconnected staging of the work

Tom Conti in his touring production of ‘Before the Party’, which was promoted using reviews of Matthew Dunster’s 2013 work at the Almedia

Theatre-goers flocking to see Tom Conti’s touring show Before the Party would have been reassured by glowing quotes used in the publicity campaign, calling it “sheer spikey bliss” and “gleefully vicious”. The only problem was the fulsome praise from the newspapers was for a different production of the play altogether.

Production company Bill Kenwright Ltd has been accused of deceiving audiences with the material it used to publicise its production of Rodney Ackland’s play, which toured the UK in September and October.

The marketing material used positive quotes from reviews and the star ratings from newspapers describing a completely unconnected staging of the work, directed by Matthew Dunster at the Almeida Theatre in London in 2013.

The production, which travelled to playhouses including the Theatre Royal Windsor and the Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, used quotes by critics from newspapers including The Daily Telegraph describing the Almeida show. It also took phrases from London newspapers the London Evening Standard and Metro, despite the touring show not playing in the capital.

Mr Dunster, an Olivier award-nominated director, was told about the play’s revival at a party in October. Looking online out of interest, he found the quotes. “It was stuff about my show, I knew it was,” he said. “I don’t think this is the first time it has happened in the industry.”

He contacted Bill Kenwright Ltd – named after its owner, the theatre director and Everton Football Club chairman – asking for an apology and a commitment that they would never do it again. He also took the issue to the industry body Stage Directors UK.

The 2013 Matthew Dunster production of Before The Party at the Almedia (Keith Patterson)

Piers Haggard, chief executive of Stage Directors UK, wrote to the company laying out the directors grievances. “I was horrified,” he told The Independent, calling it “improper and immoral”.

“The public are being cheated – selling a pair of crap shoes with a Nike label is wrong,” he said. “This shouldn’t happen.”

Mr Haggard expressed his surprise that a company the size of Bill Kenwright’s would misuse quotes. The use of reviews from one production to promote another to an unsuspecting public is a breach of unfair trading regulations, he added.

The public are being cheated – selling a pair of crap shoes with a Nike label is wrong. This shouldn’t happen

&#13; <p>Piers Haggard, chief executive of Stage Directors UK</p>&#13;

Shortly after the company received the complaints, it removed the offending material from its publicity and from the websites of the regional theatres where Before the Party played.

With a touring production such as this one, often the producer will put together a package for the receiving theatres, which includes relevant publicity materials.

Steve Potts, commercial director at Bill Kenwright Ltd, told The Stage, which first revealed the story: “I’ve written to Piers Haggard at Stage Directors UK about this matter and I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise sincerely to Matthew Dunster for any upset caused.

“There was certainly no intention to upset or disrespect Matthew, or to mislead anyone. I have given SDUK the appropriate assurances that this will not happen again. I also intend to write to Matthew personally about this matter.”

Mr Dunster accepted the apology after it appeared, and will now push the matter no further. “They’ve pretty much done what I asked them to do,” he said. “I asked them to publicly apologise and make a statement that it wouldn’t happen again.”

He said that although he would still like an explanation, it would not be a sticking point, and the matter was now closed. SDUK said it would not take the matter further.

Alistair Smith, editor of The Stage, said: “Theatre producers misquoting reviews is a practice as old as the hills, and most of the time it is pretty harmless. But piggy-backing on someone else’s hard work and taking credit for it crosses the line.

“Matthew Dunster has every right to be furious. Credit to Bill Kenwright Ltd, though, for holding their hands up and apologising.”