Heathers, has accrued a huge cult following and it’s easy to see why. This was my second time seeing the show and it was equally as good the second time and is a show I would happily watch again and again. Based on the 1989 film of the same name, Heathers has a Mean Girls vibe just much darker.
The 3 ‘Heathers’ rule the school at Westerberg High, with Heather Chandler (Liberty Stottor) and her minions Heather Duke (Jessica Ibadin) and Heather McNamara (Lou Henry) having full control. Veronica (Gerardine Sacdalan), offers her services as an excellent note forger in exchange for sitting with the ‘Heathers’ at lunch in order to raise her social status in her senior year of High School. She soon realises spending time with them will be a challenge as they continuously make fun of and pick on her classmates, especially her closest and oldest friend Martha (Sophie Manners).
After a particularly difficult night for Veronica in which the Heathers play a particularly cruel prank on Martha, Veronica finally stands up to them and is threated with social ruin. She seeks comfort in the arms of new kid J.D. (Louis Hearsey) who is more than happy to offer a shoulder to cry on. As Veronica and J.D.’s relationship develops Veronica learns of his darker side and just how far he’s willing to go to ensure no one hurts her.
Heathers explores a host of harrowing themes including, suicide, abuse and rape. Yet, still remains witty and a lot of fun. With fantastic music and lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe including Seventeen, Candy Store and My Dean Gay Son. The show manages to address serious themes and shows what teenagers go through, which are still prevalent today despite the show being set almost 50 years ago.
The cast gave this show something extra, the whole ensemble was fantastic. Sacdalan and Hearse have undeniable chemistry and their happy, fun dynamic makes it easy to see why Veronica is left in such a predicament and why J.D. continues to win her over despite his more and more questionable behaviour. Stottor and Ibadin nailed the ‘Bitch’ role and special mention also must go to Markus Sodegren and Beau Jackson’s portrayal of Kurt and Ram, the arrogant, abusive jocks who have to spend half the show in their underwear. They played the foolish, bullies so well you almost feel they deserve what they get.
The story of Heathers is clever and has become universally loved by so many, I have never seen such a long queue for the Merchandise stand before a show. If you get the chance to go se Heathers don’t hesitate, get your ticket and you won’t regret it.
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre – until Saturday 5th September 2026
Reviewed by Rachel Clark
5*****
Exhilarating! I didn’t know what to expect for this, looked at a trailer or two but hadn’t worked out exactly how it worked and the story etc, they really under sell themselves!
This is a breath of fresh air, totally different, it isn’t a musical or a play it is pure fun and if you had a bad day in the office, you would soon forget it and start clapping, feet tapping it is a pure delight! Created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay. This was first performed at Edinburgh Fringe in 2017.
This is set in a pub – The Jungle Arms, when you first arrive at the theatre there are chosen audience members on stage drinking beer and you think – has it started? What is happening? The audience clear the stage and then we are introduced to the cast members – there was 9 on the stage and all brought something to the stage. Their voices were incredible and diverse, and complete range of songs and the musical instruments, and not forgetting the amazing tap dancing by Jack Skelton and amazing is an understatement.
Oluwalonimi Owoyemi was the storyteller/poet and his Luther Vandross number brought me to tears it was so emotional and not expected after the live jolly music, it was like being in an Irish bar at the weekend so vibrant and there was humour.
Gustav Melbardis was good at encouraging the audience participation over emphasising the clapping etc I found I was watching him as I loved his enthusiasm.
Beast – Rob Godfrey played the guitar superbly and sung as good, another singer with a most amazing voice was the Barman – Joshua Lloyd.
Everyone was awesome and they gave out beer and crisps.
This is different not the average show and you wouldn’t expect average from Aylesbury Waterside as they always have top performances. This is a must if you fancy the not normal musical/show – it is a feel good performance, I was buzzing after the show and still am the following day, so glad I got to see it and I would see it again.
When you mix a fabulous story, great music, a very talented cast and an appreciative audience you get the brilliant show that is Waitress.
This was my second time seeing the show, and it was every bit as enjoyable as the first. It is funny and heartwarming, with poignant moments that add real depth.
Jenna (Emma Lucia) works as a waitress in a pie diner, where she dreams of escaping her abusive husband, Earl (Mark Willshire). When she discovers she is pregnant, however, that hope begins to feel out of reach. Diner owner Joe (Dan O’Brien) encourages her to enter a pie-making contest with a $20,000 prize, offering Jenna a possible route to independence if she can win.
At the diner, Jenna’s colleagues Becky (Bernadette Bangura) and Dawn (Evie Hoskins) urge her to see that she does not need to win the contest to leave Earl; they are ready to help and support her. Jenna, however, remains unconvinced. Meanwhile, diner boss Cal (Will Arundell) is far less sympathetic: he simply needs his waitresses to get on with waitressing.
When Jenna visits Dr Pomatter (Dan Partridge), there is an instant attraction that complicates her life even further. Add in Dawn’s new boyfriend, Ogie (Mark Anderson), and Becky’s own relationship challenges, and the result is a series of very funny scenes.
The whole cast are strong performers, with outstanding singing, acting, and dancing throughout. The talented musicians, led by musical director Francesca Warren, performed onstage and added real energy, helping to bring the production vividly to life.
The set design by Scott Pask and lighting design by Ken Billington were among the best I have seen. The stage moved effortlessly from Joe’s Diner to Dr Pomatter’s office and then to Jenna and Earl’s house, creating a strong sense of atmosphere. It was cleverly designed and beautifully executed.
With an excellent production and a fabulous cast, Waitress is a show well worth seeing.
Theatre Peckham announces Young, Gifted & Black 2026 as part of its landmark 40th anniversary year
As Theatre Peckham celebrates 40 years of being the place where talent meets opportunity, the South-East London theatre today announces the return of its acclaimed Young, Gifted & Black season, a month-long celebration of young Black British creativity taking place throughout Black History Month 2026.
Running from 1 to 30 October across Theatre Peckham and Canada Water Theatre, the eighth Young, Gifted & Black season is supported by Southwark Council to present bold new theatre, spoken word and performance that explores identity, belonging, friendship, mental health, migration and community. Young, Gifted & Black is presented within Black History Month’s 2026 theme of Honouring Our Communities, which invites us to recognise the role of Black communities in shaping British society.
In its 40th anniversary year, Theatre Peckham celebrates the voices of today and the generations of young people who have gone on to shape creative culture across the UK. It is a powerful reflection of Theatre Peckham’s belief that when talent meets opportunity, life-changing things happen.
Speaking about the season Theatre Peckham’s CEO and Artistic Director Suzann McLean says “As we celebrate our 40th year and start our new long-term management of Canada Water Theatre we enable young artists from Southwark to create work that reveals the richness of Black British life. Theatre Peckham has long been a place where young people discover their voice, and Young, Gifted & Black demonstrates what happens when they are given the stage.”
The season opens with a Young Peckham production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1-3 October). Set during Notting Hill Carnival, the production reflects a generation of Young Peckham creatives who are no longer asking where they fit within the theatrical canon. Confident in their place on the stage, they bring Black British culture, identity and creativity to the forefront, creating a bold interpretation of Shakespeare that speaks directly to their peers. As artists with every right to see their experiences reflected on stage, the cast unapologetically reimagine this play. Their vision creates a fresh and joyful production that celebrates the power of young people to make timeless stories relevant to a new generation and tell them in their own voice.
From spoken word plays Her and the Voice in Her Head by Lorraine Adeyefa and Ryan Dre Sinclair’s No Photos, to Intrusive Theatre’s In My Head, several productions examine the internal worlds of young people navigating self-image, relationships and mental wellbeing.
Questions of migration, memory and place run throughout the season. Greener Pastures reflects on migration and expectation, while X Marks the Spot explores gentrification and belonging through the changing landscape of Elephant and Castle. A Collection of Conversations captures the experiences of young Black women negotiating identity and adulthood.
Tobi King Bakare returns to Theatre Peckham with his prequel Before I Go: Marcel; Mo Korede returns with comedy In Her Eyes I’m a Good Man; and schools’ audiences will enjoy the interactive forum theatre play Don’t Write Me Off. Together these plays examine friendship, responsibility, resilience and the choices people make when navigating unequal systems.
Theatre Peckham’s commitment to developing artists is highlighted through the Alex Wheatle Witness Writing Project, delivered in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University and Words of Colour, which showcases ten new playwrights inspired by the legacy of award-winning writer Alex Wheatle. Meanwhile, Poetry Foyer, championed by the Esmee Fairbairn foundation returns with its Black History Month edition as part of the Elevating Spoken Word Theatre project.
The season concludes with Legacy After Dark, bringing together some of London’s most exciting young Black artists. Produced by Legacy in Motion, founded by Shakeil Edwards and Tyrese Walters, the showcase celebrates the creative ambition and talent driving the next generation of Black culture. Through music, dance, rap and spoken word, it provides a platform for artists to gain visibility and build the networks and recognition needed to thrive.
In Theatre Peckham’s 40th year the Young, Gifted & Black season honours the communities that have shaped Black British life while championing the artists who will shape its future. It is a powerful expression of Theatre Peckham’s anniversary theme: Your Stage, Your Story, Your Theatre Peckham.
Listings
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – A Young Peckham Production 1-3 October at Theatre Peckham. Set during Notting Hill Carnival season, the Shakespearean classic is reimagined with an unapologetic Black British lens, celebrating Black art, cultural authenticity, and the full, multifaceted brilliance of the talented cohort.
Her and the Voice in her Head by Lorraine Adeyefa 2-3 October at Theatre Peckham. A solo performance piece that follows a woman in her mid-20s in the aftermath of a recently ended situationship, where heartbreak and self-doubt give way to the first fragile steps towards healing.
A Collection of Conversations by Munashe Danga 2-3 October at Canada Water Theatre. The lives of three young Black women at university as they navigate friendship, identity, ambition, relationships and the uncertainty of becoming adults.
No Photos by Ryan Dre Sinclair 8-9 October at Theatre Peckham. A spoken word play that explores social anxiety, self-image, and visibility through the lens of a man who never wants to be in the picture. Rooted in humour, rhyme, and storytelling, the show explores the inner life of a young man who avoids the camera at all costs.
Greener Pastures by Nana Adjoa Baidoe-Ansah 8-9 October at Canada Water Theatre. When Kukuwa arrives in 1980s London from a privileged life in Ghana, she expects a new life filled with opportunity. But she soon realises that London is not quite what her sister had written about in her letters.
X Marks the Spot by Joy Kirigo 10-11 October at Canada Water Theatre. A teenage graffiti artist on the run from the police suffers a head injury that leaves him with memory loss. As he retraces his steps through the now-gentrified Elephant and Castle, he is forced to confront what remains of a place being erased around him – and whether home is a building, a community, or something carried within us.
In My Head by Intrusive Theatre 15-16 October at Canada Water Theatre. A powerful psychological play exploring the hidden thoughts that shape our lives. Challenging perceptions of mental health, the production invites audiences to confront what often remains unspoken and unseen.
Don’t Write Me Off by Actively SEEK.I.N.G 16 October at Theatre Peckham. The interactive forum theatre play is for young people aged 13+ and follows Jubal, a Black teenager from London who dreams of becoming a professional musician and entrepreneur. Through Jubal’s story, the play explores the pressures young people can face at home, at school and among their peers.
The Alex Wheatle Witness Writing Project Sharing 17 October at Canada Water Theatre. Showcasing the work of ten new playwrights developed through an intensive programme led by Roy Alexander Weise and guest playwright Roy Williams, offering audiences an exclusive first look at a new generation of playwrights. Presented in partnership with Theatre Peckham, Manchester Metropolitan University and Words of Colour.
In Her Eyes I’m a Good Man by Mo Korede, produced by Imagiphoria Productions 22-23 October at Theatre Peckham. The moving and hilarious coming-of-age story exploring loyalty, healing and the courage it takes to choose the people who truly see you. Lifelong best friends discover what it really means to stand by someone.
Before I Go: Marcel by Tobi King Bakare 25 October at Theatre Peckham. Marcel is offered a way out of a life sentence for a crime he did not commit – but it involves snitching. The show playfully jumps between verse and prose, featuring a live band that guides the audience through the rhythmic language. It is an exposing, electric and provocative play that speaks to our community values.
Poetry Foyer: Black History Month Edition 29 October at Theatre Peckham. A monthly spoken word event that celebrates poetic talent. A joyful gathering of Black brilliance to honour legacy, uplift each other and celebrate a future full of promise through words and rhythm. Open mic sign-up is available on the door.
Legacy After Dark produced by Legacy in Motion 30 October at Theatre Peckham. The flagship talent showcase led by Shakeil Edwards and Tyrese Walters celebrates talented young Black artists across London. Featuring singing, rap, dance and spoken word, it provides a professional platform to build confidence, gain exposure, and connect with audiences while championing the next generation of creative talent.
Lion and Unicorn Theatre – until 5th September 2026
Reviewed by Mike Linane
3***
A Beginner’s Guide To Widowhood is a one-woman play originally created by Omar Khan and written by Rae Mainwaring. It stars Liz Jadav as Suria who is on an out-of-season package holiday in Türkiye, with her two teenage children, a 20-year-old travel guide, and an audiobook on grief, but not her husband, Dan. Because he’s dead. She’s not ready to ‘move on’ (whatever that is), but maybe there is something that can help her feel better. An empathetic stranger? Four shots of Bailey’s? Screaming into a pillow? Throwing herself off a cliff?
Very much based on a true story, A Beginner’s Guide to Widowhood is relatable, sad and funny, and gently and tentatively hopeful.
This is a beautifully written play that touches on all the emotions that are experienced by someone who has recently been widowed. Suria tries to stay strong for her children to help them cope with their grief (though they appear to be coping much better than she is). On the outside Suria is doing fine but on the inside she is missing her dancefloor soulmate so much as she reflects on their life together from the crummy first flat they lived in to when life got better and they started making plans together about what they would do once their children had left home and they would be alone together once more and could enjoy life again as a couple.
Things didn’t work out like that, of course, and Liz Jadav gives a wonderfully emotional yet controlled and highly nuanced performance as Suria. There are times you just want to give her a big hug and tell her how brave she is being, and that things are going to turn out all right in the end.
One of the big changes Suria has to adjust to in life is the way people look at her differently now she is a widow… the friends who don’t know what to say to her and now cross the road to avoid having to speak… the men who see her as fair game … these are just some of the challenges she has to deal with in the new situation she now finds herself in.
We probably all know someone who has been widowed much earlier than they expected. This play challenges how we dealt with them and how we maybe should have done things a bit differently.
This might sound like a depressing and sad play, but it really isn’t. There is plenty of humour in it and is life affirming and you will leave the theatre determined to do better next time.
Birmingham Rep today announced the full cast of its brand-new production of the beloved Christmas classic, The Snowman™,which premieres on its main stage, The House, from Tuesday 20 October – Sunday 1 November 2026. It then heads to the Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells’ home in the West End, for winter 2026, running from Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. The production is based on the much-loved wordless picture book by Raymond Briggs published by Penguin and featuring Howard Blake’s acclaimed score, including the iconic Walking in the Air.
Sharing the role of The Boy in this enchanting new production, directed and choreographed by Olivier Award-winner Will Tuckett, are Felix Anderson, Jake Durant, Tristan Marwa and Tate Masuku.
They are joined by an ensemble of dancers – Teague Applegate, Andrew Ashton, Serafina Sofia Barbieri, Ross Black, Natasha Chu, Eleanor Copping, Kynda Ng, Alice O’Brien, Andrii Osadchyi, Suzy Osadchyi, Ben Randall, Aaron Smyth.
Also announced today is that Tahra Zafar, who has over 30 years of experience of live events in theatre, film and TV will be designing the Snowman costume. Her most recent iconic design is that of Paddington Bear in Paddington The Musical at The Savoy Theatre, for which she won an Olivier Award. Her many other credits include Antman III, Star Wars VII, In the Night Garden (her first collaboration with Will Tuckett), The Monster in Lady Gaga’s Monster Tour and she was responsible for 23,000 costumes for the London 2012 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, including that of the late Queen Elizabeth’s II’s sky-diving double.
Also joining the Olivier Award-winning director and choreographer, Will Tuckett (West Side Story (RSC/The Sage Gateshead), Into the Woods (Royal Opera House), and The Nutcracker (National Ballet of Japan)) to create this new version of the stage show are the already announced multi award-winning production designer Anna Fleischle (Punch, 2:22 A Ghost Story, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Hangmen) video designer Nina Dunn for PixelLux (Enoch Arden (New National Theatre, Tokyo), Othello (West End), 9 to 5 The Musical (West End, UK Tour, Australia, Korea)), Tony Award-winning illusions designer Chris Fisher (Stranger Things: The First Shadow (Broadway and West End), Back to the Future (Broadway, Tokyo, West End), The Hunger Games on Stage (Troubadour Canary Wharf) and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (West End and Worldwide))and puppet designer Daisy Beattie (The BFG (RSC), Spirited Away (Tokyo), The Enormous Crocodile (Roald Dahl Story Company).
The creative team is completed by lighting designer Matt Daw, sound designer Kelsh Buckman-Drage, flying directors Floyd Hughes and Adam Bailey (for Flying by Foy), Amy Beadel CDG (For Grindrod Burton Casting), Emma Brunton (Associate Puppetry Director), Keziah Ferguson (Associate Production Designer) and Paul James Rooney (Assistant Director and Choreographer).
The original Rep production first opened to Birmingham audiences in 1993 and has charmed audiences young and old for 32 years, becoming The Rep’s longest-running production. The Snowmanhas embarked on UK tours, melting the hearts of families across the country, and broken records as the West End’s longest running festive show, with its 29-year seasonal residency at Sadler’s Wells’ Peacock Theatre.
Now, more than three decades after its original staging, Raymond Briggs’cherished story returns in a fresh new production that will bring the timeless tale to life once again for new generations.
Will Tuckett said: “It is incredibly exciting to be starting work on this re-imagining of Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman with an absolutely first-class cast. With the brilliant Tahra Zafar joining the incredible team of creatives, we have everyone we need to shape this magical world into what will be a truly spectacular new staging. I cannot wait to share this world premiere with audiences of all ages.”
Birmingham Rep’s Artistic Director Joe Murphy added: “The Snowman has a very special place in the history of The Rep. For over 30 years this beloved production has enchanted thousands, possibly millions, of theatre-goers, for many of whom it will have been their introduction into the captivating world of theatre. With all the magic and joy of the original, and of course the unforgettable score by Howard Blake, this freshly-minted production looks set to thrill the next generation. I can’t wait for audiences to see what Will Tuckett and his exceptional team have created, and it’s a privilege and honour that it will premiere here in Birmingham at The Rep.”
Artistic Director and Co-Chief Executive of Sadler’s Wells, Sir Alistair Spalding CBE said: “The Snowman at the Peacock Theatre is always such a beloved part of our programming. For us, and our audiences, it heralds the start of the festive season. The fact that it has been the longest-running Christmas show in the West End speaks volumes to the timelessness of Raymond Briggs’wonderful story. We can’t wait to see the magic this brilliant new cast and creative team will bring to the production.”
To book for the Birmingham Rep run, visit birmingham-rep.co.uk or call the Box Office on 0121 236 4455 (Monday to Friday from 12pm to 6pm. Saturdays 12pm to 6pm, or 4pm if there is no evening performance scheduled). For tickets at the Peacock Theatre, please visit sadlerswells.com
ROYO, Fiery Angel, Gavin Kalin Productions and Curve are delighted to announce that a brand-new production of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, the musical adaptation, based on the much-loved story by Roald Dahl, will open at the London Coliseum for a strictly limited run from 4 June 2027 until 18 September 2027 starring double Olivier Award-winning, Grammy nominated, multi-platinum recording artist Michael Ball OBE*. The musical will feature the much-loved songs Pure Imagination, The Candy Man and I’ve Got a Golden Ticket from the classic 1971 film WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. They join the musical’s original score by Marc Shaiman, with lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and book by David Greig. Based on the novel by Roald Dahl and the Warner Bros. film. The production will be directed by Curve Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster.
Tickets are on sale Tuesday 29 September. Sign up at charliethemusical.com for access to an exclusive priority booking window.
Join Charlie Bucket on the adventure of a lifetime when he finds a golden ticket and discovers a world of wonder behind closed doors. Step through the factory gates into a spectacular world where chocolate rivers flow, Oompa-Loompas sing, inventions defy imagination and every room holds a delicious surprise. Alongside Grandpa Joe, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde and Mike Teavee, Charlie discovers that nothing is quite as it seems inside Wonka’s extraordinary factory.
Michael Ball OBE is one of Britain’s best-loved entertainers, a double Olivier Award-winning musical theatre star, Grammy-nominated recording artist and acclaimed radio and television presenter. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, he has become one of the UK’s leading figures in musical theatre, earning critical acclaim on both the West End and Broadway.
His theatre credits include Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (London Coliseum/English National Opera and Original West End Cast), Javert in Les Misérables – The Staged Concert (Gielgud Theatre and UK & Australia Arena Tour), Anatoly in Chess (London Coliseum/English National Opera), Mack in Mack and Mabel (Chichester Festival Theatre and UK Tour), the title role in Sweeney Todd (Adelphi Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre), for which he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, The Woman in White (Palace Theatre and Broadway), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium), The Phantom of the Opera, Passion and restaging of Aspects of Love (West End & Broadway), and creating the role of Marius in the original West End production of Les Misérables. He also won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Edna Turnblad in the original West End production of Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre).
Alongside his stage career, Michael has enjoyed huge success as a recording artist, including a series of chart-topping albums with Alfie Boe, selling more than 1.6 million albums in the UK. He also presents his own BBC Radio 2 show and has fronted television programmes for the BBC, ITV and Channel 5.
A Sunday Times bestselling author, Michael has published two novels and a memoir, with his debut novel The Empire currently in development for television. In 2026, he released Glow, his 23rd solo album and his first collection of entirely original, self-written songs, marking a significant new chapter in his career. The album will also form the centrepiece of Michael’s upcoming theatre tour, Glow, bringing this new chapter to audiences live on stage.
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY will originate at Curve, Leicester, and will be directed by Nikolai Foster (Bank of Dave, Curve; Legally Blonde, UK & Ireland Tour; Kinky Boots, London Coliseum and UK & international tours) with choreography by Ebony Molina (Avenue Q, Shaftesbury Theatre; Just for One Day, Old Vic), set design by Leslie Travers (Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Donmar Warehouse; Road, Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester), costume design by Katrina Lindsey (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre and Broadway for which she won an Olivier Award for Best Costume Design, The Motive and the Cue, Noel Coward Theatre/National Theatre), lighting design by Ben Cracknell (Kinky Boots, London Coliseum; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, London Palladium), sound design by Adam Fisher (Sunset Boulevard, Adelphi Theatre & Broadway; Into the Woods, The Bridge Theatre), video design by George Reeve (Maybe Happy Ending, Broadway for which he won the Tony Award for Best Set Design; Hercules, Theatre Royal Drury Lane), wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates (High Society, Barbican; Paddington The Musical, Savoy Theatre), illusion design by Chris Fisher (Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Phoenix Theatre; Back To The Future: The Musical, Adelphi Theatre/North American Tour/Tokyo/ Sydney/Royal Caribbean Cruises), puppet design by Rachael Canning (The Wizard of Oz, Curve, London Palladium and UK tour), prop supervision by Marcus Hall Props (13 Going On 30, World Premiere), musical supervision by Stephen Brooker (Sunset Boulevard, Curve and National tour), orchestration adaptations by George Dyer (Kinky Boots, Curve, UK, Ireland and Europe tours and London Coliseum), musical direction by Isaac McCullough (Mary Poppins, UK and International tour), casting by Olivia Laydon (The Sound of Music, Curve) for Jill Green Casting, associate direction by Jordan Isaac (Kinky Boots, Curve, UK, Ireland, Europe tours and London Coliseum), associate sound design by Ollie Durrant (Kinky Boots, London Coliseum) and associate choreography by Dale White (Bank of David The Musical, Curve and Lowry).
This brand-new production of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is produced by ROYO, Fiery Angel, Gavin Kalin Productions and Curve.
There will be additional performances on Monday 7 June 7pm, Sunday 20 June 5pm, Sunday 25 July 3pm, Sunday 1 August 3pm.
There will be no matinee performances on Tuesday 8 June, Tuesday 15 June, Tuesday 20 July and Tuesday 27 July.
Access performances:
Captioned – Wednesday 23 June 7pm
Signed – Wednesday 14 July 7pm
Audio Described – Tuesday 7 September 7pm
Tickets from: £20
Box Office: 020 7845 9300
*Michael Ball will only be performing at The London Coliseum. At certain performances the role of Willy Wonka will be played by the alternate, to be announced in due course. Please check the website for dates.
Tamsin Greig to star in Cranford by Lin Coghlan and Shaun McKenna based on the original novel by Elizabeth Gaskell
Initial casting for King Lear and Richard II
Noël Coward’s The Vortex will be led by Olivia Williams, directed by Jonathan Munby
The world premiere of Sapling by the 2025 winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, Georgina Duncan
Claire Skinner to star in Penelope Skinner’s new play Infamous Anne
A brand-new programme of live music, in collaboration with St Mary Magdalene church
OT’s flagship project Primary Shakespeare returns, along with Shakespeare: Up Close
Ahead of their upcoming productions of asmall and quiet light with Priyanga Burford and Murder in the Cathedral with David Suchet, the Orange Tree Theatre (OT) today announce full programming for its 2026/2027 season. This Christmas, multi-award-winning actress Tamsin Greig will lead the company in Cranford by Lin Coghlan and Shaun McKenna, based on the original novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, co-created and directed by Josh Roche. The production will reunite Coghlan, McKenna and Roche following their critically acclaimed adaptation of The Forsyte Saga (Park Theatre, RSC). Cranford will open on 13 November, with previews from 3 November 2026, and runs until 16 January 2027.
Joining the previously announced Roger Allam and Freddie Fox in King Lear and Richard II will be Arthur Hughes and Amber James who will perform the Shakespeares in repertory. Directed by OT’s Artistic Director, Tom Littler, the productions will open on 3 March, with previews from 15 February, and runs until 10 April 2027.
Noël Coward’s The Vortex will be led by Olivia Williams, marking her OT debut, and be directed by Jonathan Munby, bringing this striking psychodrama to the OT stage. The play will open on Friday 23 April, with previews from 17 April, and runs until 29 May 2027. The 2025 winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, Georgina Duncan’s play Sapling will have its world premiere directed by Claire O’Reilly. This is a co-production with Sheffield Theatres, Paines Plough, and the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, opening on 9 June, with previews from 5 June, and runs until 3 July 2027 before transferring to Sheffield.
Next, the world premiere of acclaimed playwright Penelope Skinner’s Infamous Anne will see Claire Skinner make her OT debut in the titular role of Anne. This new comedy will be directed by Charlotte Gwinner. The production opens on 16 July, with previews from 10 July, and runs until 7 August 2027.
Also announced today, a brand-new collaboration with St Mary Magdalene church to present OT Music, bringing world-leading musicians to the heart of Richmond. The season, curated by Seb Gillot, will welcome internationally acclaimed artists to perform in a programme of solo and chamber recitals. OT Music is programmed up until June 2027, alongside the return of the OT’s Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts presented by Dorothea Vogel, former violist of the Allegri Quartet. Highlights include British pianist Harry Baker’s exploration of Impressions, from Debussy to Coltrane, OT favourite Jane Asher in Constanze, a musical exploration of Mozart’s beloved wife written by Tim Coates, Schubert’s two great song cycles, Die schöne Müllerin and Mark Padmore in Winterreise, as well as performances from soprano Dame Emma Kirkby, the London Conchord Ensemble, and celebrated pianist David Owen Norris.
Artistic Director of the Orange Tree Theatre, Tom Littler, said today: “The Orange Tree is a home for great writing illuminated by great acting. And what a feast of writing this is: Georgina Duncan’s new play, Sapling, winner of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Playwriting; Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan adapting Elizabeth Gaskell; the world premiere of Penelope Skinner’s new comedy; Noël Coward’s scorching breakout; and of course, two masterpieces from William Shakespeare.
There’s no better theatre to watch a world-class performance up close. I just can’t wait to see Tamsin Greig in Cranford, Claire Skinner in Infamous Anne, and Olivia Williams in The Vortex. And I’m looking forward to building a true rep company around the previously announced Roger Allam and Freddie Fox in Richard II and King Lear, with Arthur Hughes and Amber James already on board.
As the OT moves into the final phase of our front of house redevelopment project – our bar and foyer will reopen early next spring – we are striving to offer our audiences more than ever. We’re delighted to be starting a new chamber music programme packed with wonderful musicians.”
OT also announces today its upcoming programme of community work bringing Shakespeare and live theatre to young people.The OT’s flagship project, Primary Shakespeare will tour local primary schools with workshops ahead of school groups seeingTwelfth Night through May to July. Shakespeare Up Close: Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet will also return to tour secondary schools, in a co-production with Guildford Shakespeare Company in November.
OT Teatime Plays and Saturday Seminars will return, with OT Teatime Plays bringing classics, revivals and new work to the venue and Saturday Seminars next instalment taking place on Saturday 10 October, with a small and quiet light offering an insight into the world behind each production.
OT also continues to open its doors to theatre artists from all disciplines to join their free Artists’ Network which includes talks and events throughout the year with leading industry professionals.
In addition, OT maintains its commitment to making performances accessible to all with OT On Screen offering the chance to stream this year’s productions in the comfort of your own home. OT Under 30 Nights will continue to run with £20 tickets available, half price previews, plus subsidised access tickets, as well as the OT’s £1 ticket scheme for those in receipt of government support.
Finally, OT: Open to Everyone, the OT’s capital development project is currently taking place to transform the front of house and backstage areas while preserving the unique qualities of the theatre itself. There is just 6% of the £4.5 million target left to raise, for more information and to donate, please visit https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/open/
Priority bookings open for patrons and Ruby members from 3 September, Gold members from 8 September, Silver members from 9 September, and Bronze members from 10 September. To become an OT member, please visit https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/support-us/membership/.
I won’t listen to reason. Reason always means what someone else has to say.
Welcome to Cranford: a small town where gossip travels fast and traditions run deep. But in the 1840s, change is coming – whether anyone likes it or not.
Tamsin Greig leads an ensemble cast as Matty Jenkyns, who lives at the centre of a close-knit community of formidable women. Their lives are governed by a web of peculiar customs and unspoken rules. But as the outside world rushes in, the residents of Cranford must navigate troubled friendships, lost love, and the challenge of holding on to what matters most.
Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1853 novel celebrates the complexities of everyday life with humour, heart, and extraordinary insight. It stands alongside her North and South and Wives and Daughters as a masterpiece of Victorian fiction. Director Josh Roche reunites with writers Lin Coghlan and Shaun McKenna following their ‘masterpiece’ adaptation of The Forsyte Saga at Park theatre and the RSC.
Tamsin Greig plays Matty Jenkyns. Her theatre credits include The Deep Blue Sea (Theatre Royal Bath), Backstroke (Donmar Warehouse), Peggy for You, IHO, Longing (Hampstead Theatre), Talking Heads Live: Nights in the Garden of Spain (Bridge Theatre), A Kind of Alaska (Harold Pinter Theatre), Labour of Love (Noël Coward Theatre), Twelfth Night, Gethsemane (National Theatre), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse Theatre), Jumpy (Royal Court Theatre), God of Carnage (Gielgud Theatre), The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing, King John (RSC), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Gatehouse Theatre), Abigail’s Party (Exeter Northcott Theatre), Bell, Book and Candle (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch), Burning Houses, No Flies On Mr Hunter (The Chelsea Centre), Don Carlos (Hammersmith Lyric Studio), French Without Tears (Watford Palace Theatre), Great Expectations (The Duke’s Playhouse), The Return of the Native (Worcester Swan Theatre), and Venom (The Drill Hall). Her television credits include The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, Suspect, Sex Beast, The Amazing Mr Blunden, The Diary of Anne Frank, Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, Belgravia, Elementary, Diana and I, Inside No 9, The Guilty, White Heat, Episodes, Friday Night Dinner, Emma, Green Wing, Black Books, Blind Men, Blue Heaven, Cry Wolf, Dr Who, Falling Apart, Going Postal, Happiness, High Stakes, Jonathan Creek, Kinsey, Love Soup, Neverwhere, Numero Uno, People Like Us, Tech Heads, The Lenny Henry Show, The World of Pub, When I’m 64, Wycliffe; and for film, Land of Legend, My Happy Ending, Official Secrets, Romeo & Juliet, Days of the Bagnold Summer, Tamara Drewe, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Breaking the Bank, Stop The World, Captain Eager & The Mark Of Voth, Cheese Makes You Dream, Cuckoo, Glasses Break, Miranda, Pure, Ready When You Are Mr McGill, Shaun of the Dead, and The Amazing Mr Blunden.
Lin Coghlan’s theatre work includes The Forstye Saga (Park Theatre, RSC), Kingfisher Blue (Bush Theatre), Apache Tears (Clean Break – Peggy Ramsay Award), Mercy and Waking(Soho Theatre), The Miracle (National Theatre), Bretevski Street (Theatre Centre) and The Night Garden (National Theatre Studio and Northcott Theatre, Exeter). Screen work includes First Communion Day (Dennis Potter Play of the Year Award), Electric Frank (Leopard of Tomorrow Award at Toronto Film Festival), Some Dogs Bite (Audience Award at Nantes Film Festival) and Patrick’s Planet. Radio credits include The Forsytes.
Shaun McKenna’s work for theatre includes The Forstye Saga (Park Theatre, RSC), The Lord of the Rings for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical (Watermill Theatre Newbury, Theatre Royal Drury Lane and Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto – Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Musical), The Paradine Case, Wish You Were Dead, Looking Good Dead, The House on Cold Hill, The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple and Not Dead Enough (UK tours), Maddie (New York Theater Festival and Lyric Theatre), Boy on the Roof (Ted Shawn Theatre, Becket), Ladies In Lavender for which he won a BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Regional Play (Royal and Derngate, Northampton and UK tour), Last Dance (York Theatre, New York), Heidi and Heidi and Johanna (Walenstadt – Prix Walo Award nomination), La Cava (Victoria Palace Theatre and Piccadilly Theatre), Only You Can Save Mankind (Pleasance Edinburgh), Ruling Passions, How Green Was My Valley and To Serve Them All My Days (Royal and Derngate, Northampton),and Fever (Old Red Lion Theatre). Screen work includes The Crooked Man, Like Father Like Son, The Cuckoo,and Great West End Theatres. Radio credits include The Forsytes, and Home Front (BBC Audio Drama Award for Outstanding Contribution to Radio Drama).
Josh Roche directs. His credits for theatre include The Forstye Saga (Park Theatre, RSC), My Name is Rachel Corrie (Young Vic – JMK Award), Home (Minerva Theatre, Chichester), Orlando (59E59 Theaters, New York), Radio (Arcola Theatre), It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure (Soho Theatre and Underbelly Edinburgh – Underbelly Untapped Award), Winky (Soho Theatre), No Particular Order (Theatre503), Pennyroyal (Finborough Theatre – BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Director), Magnificence and A Third (Finborough Theatre), I Feel Fine, Specie and Uninvited (New Diorama Theatre), Plastic (Old Red Lion Theatre and Mercury Theatre Colchester), and This Must Be The Place (VAULT Festival). Associate and Assistant Director work includes Dr Faustus and The Alchemist (RSC at Barbican Theatre), Death of a Salesman (RSC at Nöel Coward Theatre), The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare’s Globe, UK and international tours), Doctor Scroggy’s War (Shakespeare’s Globe), and Farinelli and the King (Duke of York’s Theatre).
KING LEAR & RICHARD II
By William Shakespeare
Directed By Tom Littler
Performed in Repertory
Cast includes Roger Allam, Freddie Fox, Arthur Hughes and Amber James
15 February – 10 April 2027
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!
When King Lear (Roger Allam) gives up his crown in favour of his three daughters, he triggers a civil war which tears his country apart. As the royal family disintegrates, the villainous Edmund (Freddie Fox) seizes his chance for glory. Siblings turn on siblings, children turn on fathers, and a country turns against itself in William Shakespeare’s most powerful tragedy.
Triple Olivier Award winner Roger Allam plays King Lear. One of Britain’s finest stage actors, renowned for his Shakespearean performances, Allam’s screen credits include Endeavour, The Choral, The Thick of It, and Tamara Drewe. He is joined by Freddie Fox as Edmund, Arthur Hughes (a much-praised Richard III at the RSC) as Edgar, and Amber James (Ian Charleson Award winner) as Cordelia, with more casting to be announced. This repertory company will also perform in Richard II.
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.
A kingdom on a knife-edge. King Richard (Freddie Fox) is a monarch of absolute power and divine right to rule. Easily swayed and badly advised, Richard plunges England into an ever-deepening crisis, as his uncle, the Duke of York (Roger Allam), tries to rescue the country from disaster. But Richard’s enemies – led by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke (Arthur Hughes) – are powerful, angry, and out for revenge.
Shakespeare’s most beautiful and accessible history play is a story about the mysteries of gaining, keeping, and losing power. Richard is played by Olivier Award nominee Freddie Fox, one of Britain’s most exciting young actors, known for House of the Dragon and Slow Horses. Roger Allam, one of the greatest classical actors of his generation, plays the Duke of York. Together they lead a repertory company who all also appear in King Lear.
Allam and Fox are joined by Arthur Hughes (Richard III at the RSC) as Bolingbroke, and Amber James (Ian Charleson Award winner) as Isabella, with more casting to be announced. This repertory company will also perform in King Lear.
Roger Allam returns to the Orange Tree to play King Lear / Duke of York – he previously appeared in Churchill in Moscow. His other theatre credits include How the Other Half Loves (Old Vic), Frank and Percy (Theatre Royal Windsor, Theatre Royal Bath, The Other Palace), A Number (Bridge Theatre), Rutherford and Sons, Afterlife, The Cherry Orchard, Albert Speer, Summerfolk, Money – Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor, Troilus and Cressida, The Way of the World (National Theatre), Limehouse, Privates on Parade – Olivier Award for Best Actor (Donmar Warehouse), The Moderate Soprano (Hampstead Theatre, Duke of York’s Theatre), The Tempest, Henry IV Parts I and II – Olivier Award for Best Actor,(Shakespeare’s Globe), La Cage Aux Folles (Duke of York’s Theatre), God of Carnage (Theatre Royal Bath, UK tour), The Giant, Semina (Hampstead Theatre), Boeing Boeing, What the Night is For (Comedy Theatre), Pravda (Chichester Festival Theatre), Blackbird (King’s Theatre Edinburgh, Noël Coward Theatre), Democracy (National Theatre, Wyndham’s Theatre), Art (Wyndham’s Theatre), Arcadia (Haymarket Theatre), City of Angels (Prince of Wales Theatre), Les Misérables (Barbican), The Learned Ladies, and Macbeth (RSC). His television credits include Berlin Noir, Secret Service, The Sandman, Murder in Provence, Game of Thrones, Endeavour, The Missing, The Life of Rock, Bad Education, Politician’s Husband, Parades End, The Jury, Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Ashes to Ashes, The Curse of the Steptoe, The Thick of It, A Class Apart, I Do, Spooks, The Catherine Tate Show, Meet the Robinsons, Inspector Lynley, Manchild, Foyle’s War, Walking the Dead, Chambers, A Century of Troubles: Cromwell’s War, Henry IV, Inspector Morse, Between the Lines, Landing on the Sun, and The Jury; and for film Frank and Barley, The Choral, Steve, Tetris, Say Your Prayers, The Hippopotamus, The Truth Commissioner, Mr Holmes, Girls Night Out, The Book Thief, The Angels Share, The Iron Lady, The Woman in Black, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tamara Drewe, Speed Racer, The Queen, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, V for Vendetta, A Cock and Bull Story, The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone, The Swiss Family Robinson, RKO 281, WILT, and The Lady in the Van.
Freddie Fox returns to the Orange Tree to play Edmund / King Richard – he previously appeared in She Stoops to Conquer. His other theatre credits include High Society (Barbican Theatre), Hamlet (Guildford Shakespeare Company), Travesties (Apollo Theatre), An Ideal Husband (Vaudeville Theatre), Edmond de Bergerac (Birmingham Rep), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Southwark Playhouse), Romeo and Juliet (Sheffield Theatres), The Judas Kiss (Duke of York’s Theatre), Hay Fever (Noël Coward Theatre), Cause Célèbre, A Flea in Her Ear (Old Vic), and The Last 5 Years (Barbican). His television credits includes House of the Dragon, Slow Horses, The Great, The Pursuit of Love, White House Farm, The Crown, Cucumber and Banana; The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Shadow Line, Any Human Heart, Worried About the Boy and Parade’s End; and for film, Pride, The Riot Club, The Three Musketeers, St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold, Frankenstein, Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur,and Fanny Lye Deliver’d.
Arthur Hughes plays Edgar / Bolingbroke. His theatre credits include Richard III,War of the Roses (RSC), La Cage Aux Folles (Park Theatre), Vassa (Almeida Theatre), Our Town (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Julius Theatre, Saint Joan (Sheffield Theatres), The Solid Life Of Sugar Water (National Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Roath Park, Cardiff), Alex in Wundergarten (The Other Room Theatre), and Tracy (White Bear Theatre). His television credits include Shardlake, The Barbara Met Alan, 4Stories, Shakespeare and Hathaway, Help, and The Innocents.
Amber James plays Cordelia / Isabella. Her previous theatre credits include As You Like It (Theatre Royal Bath), Fair Maid of the West, Cymbeline, Troilus and Cressida, Dido, Queen of Carthage (RSC), Anthony and Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus (RSC, Barbican Theatre), On the Ropes (Park Theatre), Wendy and Peter Pan (Leeds Playhouse), Snowflake (Kiln Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regents Park Open Air Theatre), Vassa (Almeida Theatre), A Streetcar Named Desire (UK tour), Much Ado About Nothing (Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch), Two Gentleman of Verona (Shakespeare’s Globe), and The Gathered Leaves (Park Theatre). Her television credits include The Game, Heartstopper, Grace, Dodger, Vera, Ransom, and Doc Martin; and for film, Reawakening and Macbeth.
THE VORTEX
By Noël Coward
Directed by Jonathan Munby
Cast includes Olivia Williams
17 April – 29 May 2027
It’s never too early for a cocktail.
Society London, 1924. Florence Lancaster (Olivia Williams) has everything: beauty, wealth, a rich husband and a young lover. But beneath the glittering surface, cracks are beginning to show.
When Florence’s son Nicky returns from Paris, he is determined to confront the truth. As Florence’s friends and family decamp for a weekend in the country, mother and son are forced into a reckoning that neither can escape.
The Vortex was the play that made Noël Coward’s name at just 24. Combining his whip-smart comedy with startling honesty, it scandalised audiences with its portrait of addiction, vanity, and emotional neglect.
Olivia Williams leads Coward’s striking breakthrough drama, directed by multi-award-winning Jonathan Munby.
Olivia Williams plays Florence Lancaster. Her previous theatre credits include Mary Seacole, Hotel In Amsterdam (Donmar Warehouse), Tartuffe, Mosquitoes, Waste, Happy Now?, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Richard III (National Theatre), Scenes From A Marriage (St James Theatre), In a Forest Dark and Deep (Garrick Theatre), The Changeling (Barbican Theatre), Peer Gynt, The Wives Excuse, The Broken Heart, Wallenstein, Misha’s Party (RSC), Summer Lightning (Harrogate Theatre), Bulldog Drummond, A Number (Nuffield Theatre), The Art of Success (Camden Studio), and A View From the Bridge, Up ‘N’ Under (Palace Theatre, Westcliffe). Her television credits include The Good Daughter, Funny Woman, Monster, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Wheel of Time, Dune: Prophecy, The Crown, Ten Percent, My Name is Leon, Unprecedented, The Nevers, Counterpart, The Halcyon, Manhattan, Salting the Battlefield, Playhouse Presents: City Hall, Case Sensitive, Dollhouse, Miss Austen Regrets, Krakatoa, Agatha Christie, Jason & The Argonauts, Friends, Emma, Van Der Valk, and Ruth Rendell; and for film, Another End, The Trouble with Jessica, Victoria and Abdul, Man Up, Altar, Maps to the Stars, Sabotage, Last Days On Mars, Seventh Son, Hyde Park On Hudson, Anna Karenina, Now is Good, Hanna, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, An Education, The Ghost, Flashbacks of a Fool, There For Me, X-Men 3, Tara Road, Valiant, To Kill A King, Heart of Me, Below, Man From Elysian Fields, Lucky Break, Born Romantic, The Body, Dead Babies, 4 Dogs Playing Poker, Sixth Sense, Rushmore, The Postman, Gaston’s War, and Wesley: A Brand From The Burning.
Noël Coward was one of the premiere entertainers of the 20th century. A prolific actor, lyricist, composer, singer, director, producer and playwright, Fallen Angels was one of four Coward productions performed on the West End at the same time in 1925 alongside On With The Dance, Hay Fever, and The Vortex. Famed for his acerbic wit as much as his fashion sense, the quartet of productions would promote him to one of the defining British voices of the 1920s. His more than fifty published works also include Cavalcade, Private Lives, Design for Living, Tonight at 8:30, Present Laughter, This Happy Breed and Blithe Spirit.
Jonathan Munby directs. His directing credits include The Price (Marylebone Theatre), The Taxidermist’s Daughter, The Country Wife (Chichester Festival Theatre), Wendy and Peter Pan (Leeds Playhouse, RSC), An Enemy of the People, The Crucible (Cocoon Theatre, Japan), Frozen (Theatre Royal Haymarket), King Lear (Duke of York’s Theatre), King Kong: Legend of a Boxer (Fugard Theatre, South Africa), The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare’s Globe, international tour), All The Angels, Antony and Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe), Othello, Julius Caesar (Chicago Shakespeare Company), A Human Being Died That Night (BAM, New York), Twelfth Night, Company (Sheffield Theatres), Thérèse Raquin (Theatre Royal Bath), Measure for Measure, The Dog in the Manger (Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington), Romeo and Juliet (Akasaka Act Theatre, Tokyo and Theatre Brava, Osaka), The Recommendation (Old Globe, San Diego), The Winter’s Tale (Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis), ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Prince of Homburg, Life is a Dream (Donmar Warehouse), A Number (Menier Chocolate Factory, Sheffield Theatres), The White Devil (Menier Chocolate Factory), The 24-Hour Plays (Old Vic), Gilgamesh (National Theatre), Henry V, Mirandolina (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester), Serious Money, and She Stoops to Conquer (Birmingham Rep). Munby is currently the Director of Performance at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
SAPLING
By Georgina Duncan
Directed by Claire O’Reilly
A co-production with Sheffield Theatres, Paines Plough, and the Women’s Prize for Playwriting
5 June – 3 July 2027
Belfast, man. Nothin’ changes, eh?
Northern Ireland, 1990. Gerry is a young lad on the cusp of adulthood. Car park hangouts with his pal, tagging the chippy wall, dreaming of elsewhere. Usual teenage boy stuff.
But now, ten years after his brother’s murder, the killer is released under a new identity, the memorial garden has been destroyed, and a stranger has arrived in town. Gerry’s life is about to be swept away in the storm.
Winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, Georgina Duncan’s Sapling is a warm-hearted, funny and tender coming-of-age tale. The OT’s previous collaborations with the Women’s Prize include the Evening Standard Award-winning and Olivier Award-nominated The Swell.
GeorginaDuncan won the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2025 for Sapling. As a playwright, her work has been both shortlisted and longlisted for various playwriting competitions including BOLD Theatre, Theatre Royal Haymarket, Papatango, Theatre503 International Prize and Druid Theatre. In 2024 she was commissioned to write a new play, Penalty for Improper Use, for LAMDA’s MishMash Festival. The play was then subsequently selected to have a rehearsed reading at Theatre503. Duncan debuted and performed her one woman show ASBO BOZO at Riverside Studios.
Claire O’Reilly directs. Her directing credits include Death of a Salesman, A Family Business (Staatstheater Mainz, Germany), A Christmas Carol (Gate Theatre, Dublin), Bán, Christine (Peacock Theatre), Emma (Abbey Theatre, Dublin), Amelia (Dublin Theatre Festival), Talking about the Fire (Royal Court Theatre), This Solution, Hothouse, Accents (Project Arts Centre), Marie Antoinette (Theatre Royal Bath), Before You Say Anything, Chapel Royal (Dublin Castle), Bulrusher (Lir Academy), EAST (Samuel Beckett Theatre), WONDER BOY (Bristol Old Vic), LOVE+ (Beijing Inside Out Festival), BlackCatfishMusketeer (Summerhall, Edinburgh), JERICHO (Underbelly Cowgate, Edinburgh), Everything Not Saved (Project Arts Centre), and HOME (Blanchardstown). As Associate Director, her credits include A Streetcar Named Desire (Phoenix Theatre), The Meaning of Zong, Dr. Semmelweis (Bristol Old Vic); and as Assistant Director, Uncle Vanya (Harold Pinter Theatre) and Translations (National Theatre).
INFAMOUS ANNE
By Penelope Skinner
Directed by Charlotte Gwinner
Cast includes Claire Skinner
10 July – 7 August 2027
One minute you’re driving to Willesden with carrot soup, next thing you know, you’ve run someone over.
When Anne (Claire Skinner) hits a stranger with her car, he crashes straight into her carefully guarded world. What follows is funnier, messier, and more tender than either of them was ready for. As Billy faces the fallout, Anne is forced to confront painful memories, while grappling with a new future… and perhaps even a new identity.
Infamous Anne is a sharp, warm, witty and unexpectedly moving portrait of one woman’s small, safe life gloriously blown open. One of Britain’s most acclaimed playwrights, Penelope Skinner (The Village Bike, Linda, Angry Alan) returns with a brand-new play, directed by Charlotte Gwinner (The Distance). Claire Skinner, adored by millions for her performance as Sue in Outnumbered and celebrated stage work, which won her the Critics’ Circle Awardfor Best Actress, makes her Orange Tree debut as Anne, with further casting to be announced.
Claire Skinner plays Anne. Her theatre credits include The Narcissist (Chichester Festival Theatre), A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (Trafalgar Theatre), Prism, Rabbit Hole (Hampstead Theatre), The Father (Tricycle Theatre, Wyndham’s Theatre), Blurred Lines, Mrs Affleck, The Winter’s Tale, Othello, Invisible Friends (National Theatre), Deathtrap (Noël Coward Theatre), Candida (Rose Theatre, Kingston), The Glass Menagerie (Donmar Warehouse, Harold Pinter Theatre), Look Back in Anger (Royal Exchange Theatre), Moonlight (Almeida Theatre, Harold Pinter Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (Aldwych Theatre), Measure for Measure (RSC), Talking Steps, Othello, The Revenger’s Comedies (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Peterborough), A Winter’s Tale (Liverpool Everyman, Playhouse Theatre), and Playboy of the Western World (Oldham Coliseum). Her television credits include The Lady,Outnumbered (as series regular Sue Brockman), Riot Women, Inside No. 9, Coma, McDonald and Dodds, The Chelsea Detective, Murder, They Hope, Kate and Koji, Ted Lasso, Housebound, The Pale Horse, Vanity Fair, Next of Kin, Critical, Silk, Homefront, Trinity, and Life Begins; and for film, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy, The Critic, and Boxing Day.
Penelope Skinner is an award-winning playwright. Her plays include The Village Bike, which won the George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright, Lyonesse, Meek, Angry Alan, The Ruins of Civilization, Fred’s Diner, The Sound of Heavy Rain, Greenland (co-written), Eigengrau, Midnight at the Hotel Beauregard, and Fucked. Her television writing credits include Fresh Meat and The Following Events Are Based on a Pack of Lies; and for film, How I Live Now.
Charlotte Gwinner directs. Her directing credits include The Long Song (Chichester Festival Theatre), Waiting for Godot, Crave, 4.48 Psychosis, The Distance, Benefactors (Sheffield Theatres), Sunspots (Hampstead Theatre), A View from the Bridge (Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse), Bytes (Royal Court Theatre), Our New Girl, The Knowledge (Bush Theatre), Taking Part (The Criterion Theatre), and The Uncertainty Files (UK tour).
Relaxed and distanced performance: Tuesday 5 January at 8pm
Audio described performance: Wednesday 6 January at 8pm
Captioned performance: Tuesday 12 January at 8pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 9 January at 11am
OT Music: CONSTANZE
St Mary Magdalene Church, TW9 1SN
Friday 27 November at 7:30pm
OT Music: SCHUBERT: DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN
St Mary Magdalene Church, TW9 1SN
Sunday 17 January at 3pm
OT Music: SCHUBERT: WINTERREISE
St Mary Magdalene Church, TW9 1SN
Saturday 13 February at 7:30pm
KING LEAR
15 February – 10 April 2027
Creative Insight Night: Tuesday 16 March
OT Under 30 Night: Friday 19 March at 7:30pm
Relaxed and distanced performance: Wednesday 24 March at 7:30pm
Audio described performance: Wednesday 7 April at 7:30pm
Captioned performance: Tuesday 30 March at 7:30pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 3 April at 11am
RICHARD II
18 February – 10 April 2027
Members’ & Patrons’ evening: Tuesday 9 March
OT Under 30 Night: Friday 12 March at 7:30pm
Relaxed and distanced performance: Monday 29 March at 7:30pm
Audio described performance: Tuesday 6 April at 7:30pm
Captioned performance: Wednesday 31 March at 7:30pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 3 April at 11am
OT Music: SOLACE OF PILGRIMS
St Mary Magdalene Church, TW9 1SN
Sunday 14 March at 3pm
THE VORTEX
17 April – 29 May 2027
Members’ & Patrons’ evening: Tuesday 27 April
OT Under 30 Night: Friday 7 May at 7:30pm
Relaxed and distanced performance: Tuesday 18 May at 7:30pm
Audio described performance: Wednesday 26 May at 7:30pm
Captioned performance: Tuesday 25 May at 7:30pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 22 May at 11am
OT Music: MORTAL WOUNDS
St Mary Magdalene Church, TW9 1SN
Friday 30 April at 7.30pm
OT Music: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF SHAKESPEARE
St Mary Magdalene Church, TW9 1SN
Sunday 30 May at 3pm
SAPLING
5 June – 3 July 2027
Members’ & Patrons’ evening: Wednesday 16 June
OT Under 30 Night: Friday 25 June at 7:30pm
Relaxed and distanced performance: Tuesday 22 June at 7:30pm
Audio described performance: Wednesday 30 June at 7:30pm
Captioned performance: Tuesday 29 June at 7:30pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 26 June at 11am
OT Music: DAVID OWEN NORRIS
St Mary Magdalene Church, TW9 1SN
Friday 25 June at 7.30pm
INFAMOUS ANNE
10 July – 7 August 2027
Members’ & Patrons’ evening: Tuesday 20 July
OT Under 30 Night: Friday 30 July at 7:30pm
Relaxed and distanced performance: Tuesday 27 July at 7:30pm
Audio described performance: Wednesday 4 August at 7:30pm
Captioned performance: Tuesday 3 August at 7:30pm
Saturday Seminar: Saturday 31 July at 11am
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 regular 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.
Sheffield Theatres is home to four theatres: the Crucible, the Sheffield landmark with a world-famous reputation; the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, an intimate, versatile space for getting closer to the action; the gleaming Lyceum, the beautiful proscenium that hosts the best of the UK’s touring shows, and the Montgomery, a theatre and arts centre with a longstanding history of championing children’s creativity.
Sheffield Theatres is the ticket to big names and local heroes, timeless treasures and new voices, and each year welcomes over 400k audience members.
With a longstanding reputation for bold new work, many multi-award-winning shows have been made in Sheffield including Life of Pi and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie which have both enjoyed West End and international transfers before returning to the theatres as part of UK tours.
Other recent transfers include the acclaimed Accidental Death of an Anarchist, and the sensational Sheffield-set new musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge which transferred to the National Theatre and the West End in 2024. Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian’s KENREX had a sell-out run in the Playhouse in autumn 2024, transferring to Southwark Playhouse Borough in February 2025, and more recently to The Other Palace for Christmas 2025-26 and then onto Broadway where it ran from April 2026 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York.
Committed to investing in the creative leaders of the future, Sheffield Theatres’ dedicated talent development hub, The Bank, supports a new cohort of emerging theatre-makers from the region every year.
In January 2025, the Montgomery Theatre and Arts Centre joined the Sheffield Theatres family of venues. A leading arts centre for children, families and community groups in Yorkshire, the Montgomery is also home to many of Sheffield Theatres participatory strands for children and young people.
PAINES PLOUGH
Paines Plough is a theatre company, led by Joint Artistic Directors Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner. As a touring company dedicated to new writing, we discover, develop and empower writers, sharing their explosive new stories with audiences all over the UK and beyond.
Founded in 1974, we have worked with over 500 playwrights including Sarah Kane, Abi Morgan, Dennis Kelly, Miriam Battye, James Graham, Nathan Bryon, Kae Tempest, Vinay Patel, Mike Bartlett, Chloë Moss and Anna Jordan.
Our plays are nationally discovered and locally heard. Each year, we tour our shows to over 30,000 people and recently worked with 400 writers through our nationwide, multi-year writer development programme, Tour The Writer.
In 2019, alongside Ellie Keel, we co-founded the Women’s Prize for Playwriting to redress the imbalance of stories being told on our national stages. So far, we have co-produced and toured three of the winners: Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me by Amy Trigg, You Bury Me by Ahlam, and Consumed by Karis Kelly.
THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR PLAYWRITING The Women’s Prize for Playwriting is the leading award for female and non-binary playwrights in the UK and Ireland, championing extraordinary new voices and working to transform the landscape of contemporary theatre.
Founded by Ellie Keel and Paines Plough in 2019 to address the persistent gender imbalance on major stages in the UK and Ireland, the Prize exists to discover bold, ambitious and beautifully crafted plays – and to ensure that this work is brought to life in brilliant productions that audiences enjoy and remember.
In just six years, the Prize has established itself as a significant force in British and Irish theatre. Its 2025 competition attracted a record 1275 submissions. The Prize has supported hundreds of writers through its submission, longlisting and development processes, while its winners have gone on to major productions, national tours, international festival presentations and publication. The Prize’s talent development programme, Future Light, is offered free-of-charge to all longlisted writers, and includes writing courses with leading playwrights and tutors, industry networking events, and a bespoke dramaturgical report and meeting on each longlisted script.
The Prize’s impact is designed to extend far beyond the award itself. The winning writer receives a £20,000 prize alongside a pathway towards professional production and publication, with the winning play optioned for production by the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, Paines Plough and Sheffield Theatres, and publication by Concord Theatricals.
Previous winners include Amy Trigg, Ahlam, Karis Kelly, Sarah Grochala and Georgina Duncan. Their winning plays have gone on to reach major stages and festivals including Kiln Theatre, Orange Tree Theatre, the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, Bristol Old Vic, the Edinburgh International Festival and Sheffield Theatres.
The Prize is also distinguished by the calibre of its judging panels. The current Chair of Judges is Indhu Rubasingham, Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre. Rubasingham has been involved with the Women’s Prize for Playwriting since its inaugural year and has chaired both the 2023 and 2025 Prizes. Other judges include actresses Monica Dolan, Romola Garai, Nicola Walker and Jodie Whittaker; Editor-in-Chief of the Guardian, Katharine Viner; writers Lucy Kirkwood and Winsome Pinnock; and the National Theatre’s Head of New Play Development, Nina Steiger.
By championing stories that challenge conventions, expand whose voices are heard and redefine what audiences can expect from new plays, the Prize is helping to build a more equitable, ambitious and representative future for theatre.
From Monday 12 October 2026, the global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! at London’s Novello Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh Theatre, welcomes a new cast with Sara Poyzer and Richard Standing returning as Donna & Sam respectively. The musical will also extend booking through to 2 October 2027 with tickets on sale today.
The full 2026/2027 London cast stars Sara Poyzer (Come From Away, UK tour) as Donna, Vivien Carter (Anything Goes, Barbican) as Tanya, Laura Medforth (Muriel’s Wedding, Curve) as Rosie, Richard Standing (Faith Healer, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Sam, Daniel Crowder (Gypsy, The Mill at Sonning) as Harry, Rakesh Boury (Matilda the Musical, West End) as Bill, Ellie Gilbert-Grey (Freaky Friday the Musical, Home Manchester) as Sophie, Kyle Cox (&Juliet, UK & Ireland Tour) as Sky, Natorii Illidge (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, West End) as Ali, Foxy Valentine (MAMMA MIA!) as Lisa, Edward Turner (Grease, International Tour) as Eddie and Charlie Garton (Matilda the Musical, UK & Ireland tour) as Pepper, with Emma Odell (Sister Act, West End) playing Donna at certain performances.
Other new cast members include Margaret Atta, Dan Burstow, Will Forgave, Erin-Sophie Halliday, Nicole Ingram, Harry Jack, Imogen Malone, David Nairne, Andy Rees, Julie Repérant, Beth Shaw, and Matt Trevorrow.They join remaining cast members Matthew Barrow, Lawrence Guntert, Laura Jayne-Hardie, Deena Kapadia, Benjamin Kempton,Tom Parsons, Emily Squibb, Ria Turner.
MAMMA MIA! celebrated its 27th birthday on 6 April 2026 and is the third longest-running West End musical of all time.
Since premiering in London’s West End in 1999, the exhilarating smash-hit has become a global phenomenon, with over 70 million people having seen it worldwide. The musical returned to Broadway, at the musical’s original home, the Winter Garden Theatre, on 2 August 2025 for a highly successful limited six-month run until 1 February 2026. Originally opening in New York in 2001, the production played for a record-breaking 14 years at the Winter Garden and then at the Broadhurst Theatre, making it Broadway’s ninth longest-running show of all time. A new UK Tour began on 24 October 2025 and will run through to January 2027 before moving into Europe.
The sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island idyll, all unfolding to the magic of ABBA’s timeless pop masterpieces, has been seen in over 50 productions in 16 different languages, grossing more than £4.5 billion at the box office, and turned into two record-breaking movies – MAMMA MIA! The Movie and MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again.
MAMMA MIA! originally opened in London at the Prince Edward Theatre on 6 April 1999, before transferring to the Prince of Wales Theatre in 2004, and then to the Novello Theatre in 2012. The London production of MAMMA MIA! has been seen by over 11 million people, played over almost 11,000 performances and has broken box office records in all three of its London homes. In February 2024, it set a new record for the highest ever weekly gross in the musical’s London history and, on 28 December 2024, achieved the production’s highest ever grossing performance. As part of MAMMA MIA!’s 25th year celebrations, Judy Craymer was Executive Producer of ITV’s MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream, which searched for new young talent to join the stage musical.
Produced by Judy Craymer, MAMMA MIA! The Movie became the highest-grossing live-action musical film of all time upon its release in 2008. A second film, MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again, opened in 2018 and is the most successful live musical movie sequel of all time. Both films starred Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper, with Lily James, Andy Garcia and Cher joining them in the second film.
With music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The production is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material & arrangements by Martin Koch.
MAMMA MIA! is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East & Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal Music Group.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Novello Theatre
Aldwych
London WC2B 4LD
Ticket Prices: from £20*
*Tickets priced £50 and under will include a £2.50 booking fee and tickets over £50 will include a £3.50 booking fee, with all ticket prices including a £1.90 restoration levy.
Early Bird Pricing – anyone booking 12 weeks or more in advance of the performance they are attending (Monday to Thursday performances only) will save £20 on Band B, Band A and Premium tickets, but only through Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, either online or by calling the Novello Theatre Box Office.
Family Ticket Rate – £199 for a group of four on Band B or Band A tickets (up to a saving of £131), OR £99 for a group of four on Band D and Band C tickets (up to a saving of £121), for Monday to Thursday performances, excluding peak performances, but only through Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, either online or by calling the Novello Theatre Box Office.
Seniors Ticket Rate – people aged 60 and above can purchase tickets up to £98.50 each reduced to £37.50 (including booking fee) for valid Thursday matinees. Exclusions: 26-31 October 2026, 21 December 2026 – 2 January 2027, 15-20 February 2027, 26 March – 10 April 2027, 31 May – 5 June 2027, 28 June – 31 August 2027.
Group Rate for groups of 10+: Band A+ £95, Band A+ £105, Band A £82.50, Band A £95, Band B £67.50, Band B £77.50, Band C £55, Band C £65 (Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle) all priced at £45 each, valid on Monday to Friday performances. Exclusions apply.
Group Rate for groups of 20+: Band A+ £95, Band A+ £105, Band A £82.50, Band A £95, Band B £67.50, Band B £77.50, Band C £55, Band C £65 (Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle) all priced at £42.50 each, valid on Monday to Friday performances. Exclusions apply.
Performance Times:
Monday – Saturday 7.30pm
Matinees – Thursdays & Saturdays 3.00pm*
*Extra Tuesday 3.00pm matinees on 27 October 2026, 16 February 2027, 6 April 2027, 6 July 2027 & 17 August 2027.
Captioned performance (StageText): 3.00pm, 16 January 2027
Audio described performance (and touch tour) (VocalEyes): 3.00pm, 23 January 2027
Christmas 2026/27 Performance Schedule
Monday 21 December 3.00pm and 7.30pm
Tuesday 22 December 7.30pm
Wednesday 23 December 3.00pm and 7.30pm
Thursday 24 December NO PERFORMANCE
Friday 25 December NO PERFORMANCE
Saturday 26 December 7.30pm
Sunday 27 December 3.00pm and 7.30pm
Monday 28 December NO PERFORMANCE
Tuesday 29 December 3.00pm and 7.30pm
Wednesday 30 December 3.00pm and 7.30pm
Thursday 31 December 2.00pm
Friday 1 January 2027 3.00pm and 7.30pm
Saturday 2 January 3.00pm and 7.30pm
Sunday 3 January NO PERFORMANCE
Booking to 2 October 2027
The performance lasts 2 hours and 35 minutes (including a 15-minute interval)
