ORANGE TREE THEATRE ANNOUNCE FULL CASTING FOR
T.S. ELIOT’S MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL
AT RICHMOND’S ST JOHN THE DIVINE CHURCH
Orange Tree Theatre (OT) today announces the full cast for their major revival of T.S. Eliot’s classic Murder in the Cathedral, presented in Richmond’s St John the Divine Church and directed by OT’s Artistic Director Tom Littler with the OT’s Community Director, Francesca Ellis. Following its run in Richmond, Murder in the Cathedral will transfer to Theatre Royal Bath.
Joining the previously announced David Suchet (Thomas Becket) are Mensah Bediako (Third Priest), Ben Caplan (Second Tempter, Second Knight), Paul Hickey (Second Priest), Jyuddah Jaymes (First Tempter, First Knight), Michael Lyle (First Priest), Nick Sampson (Third Tempter, Third Knight), Jad Sayegh (Messenger) and David Yelland (Fourth Tempter, Fourth Knight). In Richmond, the Chorus will be led by Sally Cheng, Sonya Cullingford, Chyna-Rose Frederick and Rebecca Thorn, who will then be joined in Bath by Rebecca Askew, Florence Dobson, Samantha Dorsey, Beatrice John, Yuki Sutton and Hannah Whitehouse. For the performances in Richmond, the Women of Canterbury will be played by a community ensemble.
The production opens at Richmond’s St John the Divine Churchon 19 October, with previews from 12 October and runs until 7 November before transferring to Theatre Royal Bath from 10 to 21 November.
OT’s Artistic Director, Tom Littler said today, “It’s a particular pleasure to welcome this exceptional company to join David Suchet, who leads the production as Becket. Murder in the Cathedral is one of the great achievements of twentieth century verse drama, and Eliot’s questions of conscience and power feel as urgent now as when he wrote them. I’m especially proud that our Women of Canterbury will be played by members of our community ensemble, continuing the Orange Tree’s commitment to building genuine links with the people and communities around us. This is set to be a truly special production, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”
OT IN THE CHURCH
T.S. ELIOT’S MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL
Directed by Tom Littler
with Francesca Ellis
Orange Tree Theatre
12 Oct – 7 Nov 2026
Theatre Royal Bath
10 – 21 November 2026
Cast: Mensah Bediako (Third Priest), Ben Caplan (Second Tempter, Second Knight), Sally Cheng (Chorus Leader), Sonya Cullingford (Chorus Leader), Chyna-Rose Frederick (Chorus Leader), Paul Hickey (Second Priest), Jyuddah Jaymes (First Tempter, First Knight), Michael Lyle (First Priest), Nick Sampson (Third Tempter, Third Knight), Jad Sayegh (Messenger), David Suchet (Thomas Becket), Rebecca Thorn (Chorus Leader), David Yelland (Fourth Tempter, Fourth Knight)
Creative team: Tom Littler (Director); Francesca Ellis (Associate Director); Rob Jones (Set Designer); Cat Fuller (Costume Designer); Peter Mumford (Lighting Designer); Max Pappenheim (Sound Designer & Associate Music Director); Michael Waldron (Music Director); Orlando Gough (Composer); Matilda James CDG (Casting Director); Lizzi Kew Ross (Movement Director); Emily Chase (Casting Assistant); Flora Emily Thomson (Assistant Director); Zoë Thomas-Webb (Associate Costume Designer).
For good or ill, let the wheel turn.
1170. A nation divided. Once the best of friends, King Henry II and his Archbishop, Thomas Becket, are now mortal enemies. Ignoring his allies’ fears, Becket, the ‘turbulent priest’, returns to Canterbury, tempting the monarch’s wrath. As the women of Canterbury seek shelter in the sacred space of the cathedral, four knights ride out on a deadly mission.
The only question: who will blink first?
T.S. Eliot’s 1936 verse drama is one of his crowning achievements. In it, he explores questions that haunt his writing: of worldly and spiritual authority; faith and doubt; temptation and martyrdom.
David Suchet returns to theatre to play Thomas Becket. Besides his iconic role as Hercule Poirot, the Emmy Award-winning Suchet’s five-decade stage career includes Amadeus, Oleanna, and All My Sons. OT Artistic and Community Directors Tom Littler and Francesca Ellis unite a top-flight professional cast with a community ensemble to stage a sweeping drama filled with live music by Orlando Gough.
Murder in the Cathedral is generously supported by Linda Christmas.
Mensah Bediako plays Third Priest. His theatre credits include Kubulaya – Away From Home (Roots Mbili Theatre), Miss Myrtle’s Garden (Bush Theatre), On the Ropes, The View From Nowhere (Park Theatre), Driving Miss Daisy (Barn Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (RSC), Invisible Me (Bloomsbury Festival), Oedipus (UK tour), Master Harold and the Boys, One Man Two Guvnors (National Theatre), Clybourne Park (Wyndham’s Theatre), The Water Engine (The Old Vic), Piaf (Donmar Warehouse), and Tobias and the Angel (Young Vic Theatre). His television credits include Death in Paradise, Y Swn, Romantic Getaway, Andor, In the Long Run, and Chasing Shadows; and for film, Flavia De Luce, Area Boy, Wonder Woman, and Baseline.
Ben Caplan plays Second Tempter and Second Knight. His theatre credits include Sunny Afternoon, The Exorcist (UK tours), Faygele, Sherlock Carol (Marylebone Theatre), Redlands (Chichester Festival Theatre), Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice (Globe Theatre), The End of the Day (Park Theatre), The Winter’s Tale (RSC), Describe the Night (Hampstead Theatre), The Knowledge (Charing Cross Theatre), Abigail’s Party (Theatre Royal Bath, UK tour), Hedda Gabler (Sailsbury Playhouse), Hotel Play, Seven Jewish Children (Royal Court Theatre), The Common Pursuit (Menier Chocolate Factory), The Glass Menagerie (Young Vic), Two Thousand Years (National Theatre), and Everything is Illuminated (Soho Theatre). His television credits include Call The Midwife as series regular PC Peter Noakes, Pierre, Ink Black Heart, Lagging, Small Axe, Silent Witness, Midsummer Murders, Maigret, X Company, The Coroner, New Blood, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries, Whitechapel, Dark Matters, The Runaway, Trinity, The Passion, Maxwell, The Candidate, Judge John Deed, Dwarfs, Band of Brothers, A Touch of Frost, Solider Soldier, and The Perfect Blue; and for film, Jay Kelly, Golda, Pretty Red Dress, The Commuter, Leap Year and RocknRolla.
Paul Hickey returns to the Orange Tree to play Second Priest – he previously appeared in Little Light. His theatre credits include Reykjavik (Hampstead Theatre), Brokeback Mountain (Soho Place), Macbeth, The Deep Blue Sea (Royal Exchange Theatre), Waste, Children of the Sun, Peer Gynt, Romeo and Juliet, Playboy of the Western World (National Theatre), Who Cares, O Go My Man, Fewer Emergencies (Royal Court Theatre), Incognito (Live Theatre, Newcastle), The Last Yankee (The Coronet Theatre), Fred’s Diner, Wallenstein (Chichester Festival Theatre), In the Next Room (Ustinov Studio Bath), Ghosts (Arcola Theatre), Fall (Traverse Theatre), Protestants (Soho Theatre), Aristocrats, The Plough and the Stars, The Silver Tassie, Howling Moon Silent Sons (Abbey Theatre), Dealer’s Choice, My Night with Reg (Birmingham Rep), The Merchant of Venice (RSC), In a Little World of Our Own, Pentecost, Halloween Nights, Pentecost (Donmar Warehouse), Drink, Dance, Laugh, Lie (Bush Theatre), Red Roses and Petrol, and Lady Windermere’s Fan (Tricycle Theatre). His television credits include Grace, Hijack, House of the Dragon, Angela Black, Red Rock, Catherine the Great, The Last Czars, Three Girls, Critical, Whitechapel, Sunshine, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial, Friends and Crocodiles, Murder City, Rebel Heart, Father Ted, The Informant, and The Governor; and for film, Professor and the Madman, War Machine, Bitter Harvest, 100 Streets, Noble, The Devil’s Harvest, On the Edge, When the Sky Falls, Nora, Ordinary Decent Criminal, Saving Private Ryan, The General, Quando, The American, The Matchmaker, and Michael Collins.
Jyuddah Jaymes plays First Tempter and First Knight. His theatre credits include Sherlock Holmes (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Delay, Choir Boy (Bristol Old Vic), Twelfth Night (Young Vic Theatre), The American Clock (The Old Vic), 1883 (Shoreditch Town Hall), and Romeo and Juliet (Almeida Theatre). His television credits include Amadeus, Clique, Brassic, Django, Grantchester, Sanditon, and Hijack; and for film, Fight or Flight, Hard Truths, The Boys in the Boat, Criminal and The End of It.
Michael Lyle plays First Priest. His theatre credits include Twelfth Night, A Christmas Carol (RSC), The Mousetrap, The History Boys (UK tours), Amadeus (National Theatre), The Game of Love and Chance (Arcola Theatre), Season’s Greetings (Stephen Joseph Theatre, New Vic Theatre), No Villain (Trafalgar Studios), A Super Happy Story About Feeling Super Sad (Hull Truck Theatre), Screwface (Bush Theatre), Belle: Rapid Write Response, The Sexual Awaking of Peter Mayo (Theatre503), Home Theatre (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Talking to Alice (Greenwich Theatre), This One Goes Out to All My Motherf*ckers Back Home (Soho Theatre), Sweet Love Remember’d (Shakespeare’s Globe), For the Best (Unicorn Theatre), and Lord of the Flies (Watford Palace). His television credits include The Sandman and The Last Hours of Laura K; and for film, My Grandson Charlotte, Number One Fan, New World, and Nuryan.
Nick Sampson plays Third Tempter and Third Knight. His theatre credits include Richard II, La Belle Sauvage, The Book of Dust (Bridge Theatre), The Unfriend (Wyndham’s Theatre), Horse Play (Riverside Studios), Plenty (Chichester Festival Theatre), and Antony and Cleopatra (National Theatre). His television credits include Dirty Business, Brian and Margaret, I Jack Wright, The Gold, Sister Boniface Mysteries, Belgravia, Catastrophe, Doc Martin, Witness for the Prosecution, Genius, and Home Fires.
Jad Sayegh plays Messenger. His theatre credits include Plays from Palestine (Royal Court Theatre), A Very Clownless Show (Playhouse East), A Brief Play About Rage (The Cockpit), The Glass Menagerie (The Yard Theatre), and The Ocean and the Star (The Space U.K. Edinburgh).
Emmy Award-winning David Suchet returns to theatre to play Thomas Becket. His theatre credits include The Prince (Wyndham’s Theatre), Peter Pan (Bristol Hippodrome), The Importance of Being Earnest (Vaudeville Theatre), The Last Confession (International tour), Long Day’s Journey Into Night, All My Sons (Apollo Theatre), Complicit (The Old Vic), The Last Confession (Chichester Festival Theatre, Theatre Royal Haymarket), Once in a Lifetime (National Theatre), Amadeus (The Old Vic, Music Box Theatre, Ahmanson Theatre), Oleanna (Royal Court Theatre) and Othello (RSC). His television credits include Agatha Christie’s Poirot. The Au Pair, His Dark Materials, Press, Urban Myths: The Dali and The Cooper, Capitaine Marleau, Decline and Fall, Doctor Who, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Hidden, Richard II, Great Expectations, Going Postal, Diverted, Maxwell, Flood, Dracula, A Bear Names Winnie, Henry VIII, George Carman QC, The Way We Live Now, NCS (National Crime Squad), Victoria and Albert, Soloman, Seesaw, Moses, The Curious, The Cruel Train, Separation, The Life of Agatha Christie, Secret Agent, and Kings and Castles; and for film, American Assassin, Mercy, Effie, The Bank Job, Act of God, Foolproof, Live From Baghdad, The In-Laws, Sabotage, Wing Commander, A Perfect Murder, Sunday, Executive Decision, Deadly Voyage, The Lucona Affair, When The Whales Came, Bigfoot & The Hendersons, A World Apart, To Kill A Priest, The Last Innocent Man, Crime Of Honour, Iron Eagle, Murrow, Falcon & The Snowman, Gulag, and Greystroke: The Legend of Tarzan.
David Yelland plays The Fourth Tempter and Fourth Knight. His theatre credits include And Then There Were None (UK tour), Farm Hall, All Our Children (Jermyn Street Theatre), The Habit of Art (National Theatre), Witness for the Prosecution (London County Hall), The Winter’s Tale (Globe Theatre), Taken at Midnight (Chichester Festival Theatre, Theatre Royal Haymarket), An Ideal Husband, Mrs Warren’s Profession (Gate Theatre), For King and Country (Southwark Playhouse Borough), Nicholas Nickleby (Chichester Festival Theatre), Troilus and Cressida (RSC), Man and Boy (Duchess Theatre), and Henry IV (Donmar Warehouse). His television credits include The Outlaws, The Diplomat, Father Brown, Endeavour, Reg, The Crown, Poirot as series regular George, Foyle’s War, Bones, Spooks, Law and Order: UK, Mystery!, Waking the Dead, The Line of Beauty, Rocket Man, Bad Girls, Love Soup, Strauss Dynasty, The Bretts, A Little Princess, Nancy Astor, Secret Army, Rumpole of the Bailey, and David Copperfield; and for film, Happy Ending, Hunter Killer, Coriolanus, Private Peaceful, and Chariots of Fire.
Sally Cheng returns to the Orange Tree – she previously appeared in this summer’s open-air Loves Labour’s Lost / Much Ado About Nothing.Her other theatre credits include My Neighbour Totoro (Gillian Lynne Theatre), The Sound of Music (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Twelfth Night (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), The Wizard of Oz (The Watermill Theatre), Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera (Leicester Square Theatre), Richard II (Guildford Shakespeare Company), Twelfth Night, A Christmas Carol (RSC) The Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 and 3/4 – The Musical (The Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch), The Play that Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre), A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Scoot Theatre), The Wind in the Willows, For Services Rendered (Jermyn Street Theatre), The Last of the Pelican Daughters (Bristol Old Vic), A Christmas Carol, The Emperor and the Nightingale (Theatre by the Lake), Shadowlands (Chichester Festival Theatre), Macbeth (Watermill Theatre), Robin Hood (Orange Tree Theatre), Footprints on the Moon (Finborough Theatre), and Singin’ In the Rain (Bolton Octagon, Salisbury Playhouse, New Vic Theatre).
Sonya Cullingford’s theatre credits include The BFG, West Side Story (RSC), Ballet Shoes, Hex (National Theatre), May Contain Food, Vestige (The Place), 101 Dalmatians (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Baal (Bristol Old Vic), Elizabeth (Barbican), The Wind in the Willows (The Royal Ballet and Opera, Vaudeville Theatre), The Indian Queen (English National Opera), The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable (Temple Studios), and Secret Cinema: The Red Shoes (Tabacco Docks). Her television credits include Capturing Lee Miller, Blast, and Egon Schiele: Dangerous Desires; and for film, The Survivor, In the Trap, The Mummy, The Danish Girl and Les Misérables.
Rebecca Thorn’s theatre credits include Elektra (Duke of York’s Theatre), Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Devil’s Disciple, and Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards (National Theatre).
Chyna-Rose Frederick’s theatre credits include Clueless The Musical (Trafalgar Theatre), Pericles (RSC), The Crucible (National Theatre); and for film, Matilda.
Rebecca Askew’s theatre credits include Eyam (Shakespeare’s Globe), As You Like It (National Theatre), Peter Pan (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Tongue-Tied (Linbury Theatre ROH), Critical Mass (Almeida Theatre), Tall Stories, Hotel (international tours), Here All Night (The Coronet Theatre, On the Beach Brighton), Dart’s Love, Jilted (Riverside Studios), Flam (Tron Theatre, International tour), Breathe (The North Wall Arts Centre Oxford), Goalmouth (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music), and In Their Own Words (Quarterhouse, Folkestone).
Florence Dobson’s theatre credits include Anna Karenina (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Invention (Hampstead Theatre), A Mirror (Trafalgar Theatre), Cold Threats (London Performance Studios), and This Might Stranger (The Bread and Roses Theatre). Her television credits include Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story and Compulsion; and for film, Blitz.
Samantha Dorsey’s theatre credits include I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical (Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh), High School Rebellion, The Bells and The Barricades (The Crazy Coqs), Les Misérables (Sondheim Theatre), Jekyll & Hyde (The English Theatre, Frankfurt), and Anything Goes (Upstairs at the Gatehouse).
Beatrice John’s theatre credits include As You Like It, Twelfth Night, A Christmas Carol and Dick Whittington (UK tours).
Yuki Sutton’s theatre credits include The Baddies (UK and Ireland tour), Billie the Kid (Vaudeville Theatre), Ride (Charing Cross Theatre), Tokyo Rose (Southwark Playhouse, UK tour), Sam Wu is Not Afraid of Ghosts (Polka Theatre), and The Poison Belt (Jermyn Street Theatre). Her television credits include Theodosia and Ruby Speaking.
Hannah Whitehouse’s theatre credits include Tim Rice: My Life in Musicals (UK tour).
Listing Information
ORANGE TREE THEATRE
Orange Tree Theatre
1 Clarence Street, Richmond, TW9 2SA
box.office@orangetreetheatre.co.uk
https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/
Performance Times
Mon, Tues, Weds, Friday 7:30pm
Thu, 4:00pm, 8:00pm, Sat 2:30pm, 8:00pm
LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST
Thomas’s College, TW10 6JW
31 July – 22 August 2026
Gala Fundraiser: Thursday 13 August at 2:30pm
OT Under 30 Night: Saturday 15 August at 7:30pm
Relaxed and distanced performance: Tuesday 11 August at 7:30pm
Audio described performance: Wednesday 19 August at 7:30pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 11 August at 11:00am
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Thomas’s College, TW10 6JW
1 August – 22 August 2026
Gala Fundraiser: Thursday 13 August at 7:30pm
OT Under 30 Afternoon: Saturday 15 August at 2:30pm
Relaxed and distanced performance: Wednesday 12 August at 7:30pm
Audio described performance: Tuesday 18 August at 7:30pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 11 August at 11:00am
a small and quiet light
21 September – 24 October 2026
OT Under 30 Night: Friday 2 October at 8pm
Audio Described Performance: Wednesday 14 October at 8pm
Captioned Performance: Tuesday 20 October at 8pm
Relaxed and Distanced Performance: Tuesday 13 October at 8pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 10 October at 11:00am
T.S. ELIOT’S MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL
St John the Divine Church, TW9 2NA
12 October – 7 November 2026
OT Under 30 Night: Friday 30 October at 7:30pm
Relaxed and distanced performance: Wednesday 28 October at 7:30pm
Audio described performance: Wednesday 4 November at 7:30pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 31 October at 11:00am
ABOUT THE ORANGE TREE THEATRE
We are a local theatre with a global reputation.
A show at the Orange Tree is close-up magic: live, entertaining, unmissable. We’re an intimate theatre with the audience wrapped around the stage. We believe in celebrating what it means to be human. We believe in putting people at the centre of the stories we tell. And we believe in the power of a writer’s words, an actor’s voice, and an audience’s imagination to transport us to other worlds and other lives.
We punch above our weight to create world-class productions of new and contemporary drama, revitalise classics and re-discoveries, and introduce children and young people to the magic of theatre.
We are deeply rooted in our local community in South West London. We work with thousands of people aged 0 to 100 in Richmond and beyond through participatory theatre, bringing generations together to build confidence, connection, and joy. Our groundbreaking Primary Shakespeare and Shakespeare Up Close projects pack the theatre with children and ignite a spark to last a lifetime.
We’re a registered charity (266128). With only 180 seats and no support from Arts Council England, we rely on the generosity of our audiences and donors to raise £650,000 a year. These funds support our outstanding work on stage and in the community and invest in the next generation of talent.
The Orange Tree was named Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards in 2025.
Artistic Director Tom Littler
Executive Director Julie Weston
Website orangetreetheatre.co.uk | Email box.office@orangetreetheatre.co.uk
X @OrangeTreeThtr | Facebook/Instagram OrangeTreeTheatre