The Sea

About the show

Jennifer Saunders stars as Mrs Rafi, one of the greatest comic roles in British theatre, in the first major revival of Edward Bond’s intoxicating The Sea for almost two decades, at Theatre Royal Bath from 22 October to 7 November 2026.

It is 1907, the height of the Edwardian era. A wild storm shakes a small East Anglian seaside village to its core. Amidst the confusion, Mr Hatch, the local draper, wrestles with the possibility that aliens from outer space may be ready to invade, and the village’s self-appointed ‘First Lady’ Mrs. Rafi, prepares her ladies for an amateur dramatic performance of Orpheus and Eurydice...

The Sea is a fascinating blend of wild farce, high comedy, biting social satire and bleak poetic tragedy.

National treasure Jennifer Saunders returns to Bath following her previous appearance as the iconic Madame Arcati in the record-breaking West End production of Blithe Spirit. Jennifer Saunders is much loved for the sketch show French and Saunders, for which she and Dawn French received a BAFTA Fellowship, and hit comedy series and movie, Absolutely Fabulous.