Use Me As Your Cardigan

In February and March of 2002 Richard Armitage played Jez in a bitter sweet comedy by Samantha Ellis at Jackson's Lane in north London.

Use Me As Your Cardigan, a play about post-natal depression, was a production by Charm Offensive that was part of the 10xTen festival. It gave Richard his first leading role.

A review in Time Out said that it was "the humane, generous performances that really hook us in. Stacey (Imogen Butler-Cole) plays an ex-dancer turned morose mum, left in the hands of hard-nosed cousin Molly (Joanne Bending) and seductively free-living Jez (Richard Armitage) when doctor husband Dan (Tim Hyam) heads off on his night-shift. These actors stamp their mark so impressively, you wish they'd collaborated on the script. [...] Gavin McAlinden's production crackles in Alexia Bertsatou's convincing North London set and Ellis' promise is far from embryonic."

Further information

Jonia's post on her blog, Jonia's Cut, about her search for information about the play, has several useful links.

The Charm Offensive website has several photographs of the production.

UK Theatre Web's entry about the play

Jackson's Lane website