FURTHER PERFORMANCES ADDED FOR

THE AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL HIT

Nassim Soleimanpour’s

WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT

@SOHOPLACE from 1 October – 9 November

• Due to phenomenal demand a further three weeks of performances have been added to Nassim Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit Red Rabbit @sohoplace. Must end on 9 November.
• Performed over 3,000 times around the world in more than 30 languages by some of the biggest stars of stage and screen.
• Each night, a brave performer and their audience take each other on a new adventure.
• Performers announced today include: Harriet Walter, Elizabeth McGovern, Toby Jones, Stephen Merchant, Naoko Mori, Tanya Reynolds, Adjoa Andoh, Ralf Little, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Matt Lucas, Kate Phillips, Miriam Margolyes, Paloma Faith, Stockard Channing, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sheila Atim, Rory Kinnear, Lenny Henry, Minnie Driver, Ambika Mod, Ryan Calais Cameron, Douglas Henshall, Katherine Parkinson and Denise Gough.
• Tickets on sale 9am, Friday 6 September via www.sohoplace.org

Due to phenomenal demand a further three weeks of the international hit White Rabbit Red Rabbit @sohoplace are announced today with new performers. White Rabbit Red Rabbit challenges a fearless performer to take centre stage with no preparation, no director and no idea what will greet them as they open a sealed envelope and take out the script. The show makes its West End debut in a limited season from 1 October and must end on 9 November. Nassim Soleimanpour’s unique, provocative theatrical experience is presented by Lambert Jackson and Nassim Soleimanpour Productions in association with Nica Burns.

Performers announced today include Harriet Walter, Elizabeth McGovern, Toby Jones, Stephen Merchant, Naoko Mori, Tanya Reynolds, Adjoa Andoh, Ralf Little, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Matt Lucas, Kate Phillips, Miriam Margolyes, Paloma Faith, Stockard Channing, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sheila Atim, Rory Kinnear, Lenny Henry, Minnie Driver, Ambika Mod, Ryan Calais Cameron, Douglas Henshall, Katherine Parkinson and Denise Gough.

They join the previously announced Freema Agyeman, Olly Alexander, Keith Allen, Mathew Baynton, John Bishop, Alan Davies, Daisy Edgar Jones, Joe Dempsie, Omari Douglas, Alfred Enoch, Kate Fleetwood, Richard Gadd, Jill Halfpenny, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Jason Isaacs, Pearl Mackie, Nick Mohammed, Sally Phillips, Jonathan Pryce, Michael Sheen, Callum Scott Howells, Ben Bailey Smith, Tonia Sotiropoulou and Catherine Tate.

Each night a completely new adventure awaits – depending on how the author’s words compel each actor to perform. White Rabbit Red Rabbit is a theatrical adventure embracing comedy and tragedy. An edge of your seat experience with some of the UK’s most extraordinary talents.

“I was born on Azar 19th, 1360 in Tehran. That’s Tehran, December 10th, 1981 in Christian years…”

Forbidden to leave his country, playwright Nassim Soleimanpour distilled the experience of an entire generation in a wild, utterly original play. White Rabbit Red Rabbit is as much about contemporary Iran as it is about power dynamics in the rest of the world.

Since its joint premiere in 2011 at the Edinburgh and SummerWorks festival, White Rabbit Red Rabbit has been translated into more than 30 different languages and been performed over 3,000 times by some of the biggest names in theatre and film includingWhoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Stephen Rea, Sinead Cusack, Cynthia Nixon, John Hurt, F. Murray Abraham, Dominic West and film director Ken Loach.

Instagram: sohoplace | Facebook: sohoplace | X: sohoplacelondon

BOX OFFICE INFORMATION

Box Office: www.sohoplace.org / 0330 333 5961

4 Soho Place | London | W1D 3BG

Phone lines open from 10.30am-6.00pm (Monday to Thursday and Saturday); 11.30am-7.00pm (Friday)

White Rabbit Red Rabbit has an age guidance of 14+. It is not for the faint of heart. There are many themes in the show that are designed to make the viewer feel uncomfortable and think for many days to come.

Performance Schedule

Tuesday 1 October (8.00pm) – NICK MOHAMMED

Wednesday 2 October (8.00pm) – MATHEW BAYNTON

Thursday 3 October (8.00pm) – JILL HALFPENNY

Friday 4 October (8.00pm) – MICHAEL SHEEN

Saturday 5 October (3.00pm) – DAISY EDGAR JONES

Saturday 5 October (8.00pm) – PEARL MACKIE

Sunday 6 October (2.00pm)– BEN BAILEY SMITH

Sunday 6 October (8.00pm) – JASON ISAACS

Tuesday 8 October (8.00pm) – OLLY ALEXANDER

Wednesday 9 October (8.00pm) – KATE FLEETWOOD

Thursday 10 October (8.00pm) – ALFRED ENOCH

Friday 11 October (8.00pm) – JOHN BISHOP

Saturday 12 October (3.00pm) – TONIA SOTIROPOULOU

Saturday 12 October (8.00pm) – JONATHAN PRYCE

Sunday 13 October (2.00pm) – KEITH ALLEN

Sunday 13 October (6.00pm) – RICHARD GADD

Monday 14 October (8.00pm) – OMARI DOUGLAS

Tuesday 15 October (8.00pm) – ALAN DAVIES

Wednesday 16 October (8.00pm) – SALLY PHILLIPS

Thursday 17 October (8.00pm) – CATHERINE TATE

Friday 18 October (8.00pm) – FREEMA AGYEMAN

Saturday 19 October (2.00pm) – JULIE HESMONDHALGH

Saturday 19 October (5.00pm) – JOE DEMPSIE

Saturday 19 October (8.00pm) – CALLUM SCOTT HOWELLS

Monday 21 October (7.30pm) – HARRIET WALTER

Tuesday 22 October (7.30pm) – ELIZABETH MCGOVERN

Wednesday 23 October (7.30pm) – TOBY JONES

Thursday 24 October (7.30pm) – STEPHEN MERCHANT

Friday 25 October (7.30pm) – NAOKO MORI

Saturday 26 October (2.00pm) – TANYA REYNOLDS

Saturday 26 October (5.00pm) – ADJOA ANDOH

Saturday 26 October (8.00pm) – RALF LITTLE

Monday 28 October (7.30pm) – TRACY-ANN OBERMAN

Tuesday 29 October (7.30pm) – MATT LUCAS

Wednesday 30 October (7.30pm) – KATE PHILLIPS

Thursday 31 October (7:30pm) – MIRIAM MARGOLYES

Friday 1 November (7.30pm) – PALOMA FAITH

Saturday 2 November (2pm) – STOCKARD CHANNING

Saturday 2 November (5.00pm) – SANJEEV BHASKAR

Saturday 2 November (8.00pm) – SHEILA ATIM

Monday 4 November (7.30pm) – RORY KINNEAR

Tuesday 5 November (7.30pm) – LENNY HENRY

Wednesday 6 November (7.30pm) – MINNIE DRIVER

Thursday 7 November (7.30pm) – AMBIKA MOD

Friday 8 November (7.30pm) – RYAN CALAIS CAMERON

Saturday 9 November (2.00pm) – DOUGLAS HENSHALL

Saturday 9 November (5.00pm) – KATHERINE PARKINSON

Saturday 9 November (8.00pm) – DENISE GOUGH

Ticket prices

From £20

Fair access: 50% off across all bands

Customer Ticketing Enquiries: 0330 333 5961

Access Bookings: 0330 333 5962

Group Bookings: 0330 333 5963

Access @sohoplace

Access performances to be announced.

@sohoplace has wheelchair access on stalls and First Balcony levels and wider seats available for patrons with access needs. 

[email protected]

Ticketing @sohoplace

@sohoplace has contactless ticketing for every performance. Tickets will be issued electronically 48 hours prior to the performance.  

[email protected]

Cloakroom @sohoplace

The theatre has a large cloakroom that can be used by all patrons free of charge. Out of respect for patrons and the auditorium, we request that large bags are checked into the cloakroom.

Feedback @sohoplace

We welcome all feedback on patrons’ experience with the venue and encourage patrons to email us [email protected]

LES MISÉRABLES

AT THE SONDHEIM THEATRE

EXTENDS BOOKING UNTIL 6 SEPTEMBER 2025

Cameron Mackintosh is delighted to announce that Boublil and Schönberg’s LES MISÉRABLES at the Sondheim Theatre has extended its booking until Saturday 6 September 2025.

LES MISÉRABLES currently stars Milan van Waardenburg as Jean Valjean, Stewart Clarke as Javert, Katie Hall as Fantine, Will Callan as Marius, Amena El-Kindy as Éponine, Lulu-Mae Pears as Cosette, Luke Kempner as Thénardier, Claire Machin as Madame Thénardier and Djavan van de Fliert as Enjolras.

The company is completed by Annabelle Aquino, Hazel Baldwin, Brad Barnley, Michael Baxter, Emily Olive Boyd, Rosy Church, Ben Culleton, Matthew Dale, Matt Dempsey, Sophie-May Feek, Matt Hayden, Tom Hext, Christopher Jacobsen, Jessica Johns-Parsons, Yazmin King, Sam Kipling, Anouk van Laake, Harry Lake, Sarah Lark, Ellie Ann Lowe, Ben Oatley, Adam Pearce, Jordan Simon Pollard, Jonathan Stevens, Phoebe Williams and Ollie Wray.

Cameron Mackintosh’s production of LES MISÉRABLES is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton and adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. Orchestrations are by Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke and Stephen Brooker with original orchestrations by John Cameron. The production is directed by James Powell and Laurence Connor, designed by Matt Kinley inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo with costumes by Andreane Neofitou, Christine Rowland and Paul Wills, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, projections realised by Finn Ross & Fifty Nine Productions, musical staging by Geoffrey Garratt, and music supervision by Stephen Brooker and Alfonso Casado Trigo.

LES MISÉRABLES will enter its 40^th record-breaking year in London this October. To kick off the celebrations, the show launches its first World Tour with the highly anticipated LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR, which opens in Belfast this month, then visits Glasgow, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Manchester, Newcastle, Luxembourg, Geneva, Trieste, Milan,  Copenhagen, Oslo, Zurich,  Gothenburg, Stockholm, Malmö and Amsterdam before moving to Australia, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and beyond, with more worldwide destinations to be announced. Simultaneously, and for the first time ever, 11 leading amateur companies in the UK will present their own staging of the full show across the country in 2025.

The staged production continues to triumph around the globe with local language productions currently on or in preparation, and it continues to break box office records on tour in the US. Earlier this year, the remastered and remixed Oscar-winning movie was released again in several countries around the world.

Boublil and Schönberg’s magnificent iconic score of LES MISÉRABLES includes the classic songs, I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own, Stars, Bring Him Home, Do You Hear the People Sing?, One Day More, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, Master Of The House and many more. Several of its songs have become real life anthems of revolution wherever in the world people are fighting for their freedom. Seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and in 22 languages, LES MISÉRABLES is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals.

www.storyhousepr.co.uk

LES MISÉRABLES

Sondheim Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6BA

Currently booking until 6 September 2025

Prices: Tickets from £25 – No booking fee applies

Box Office: 0344 482 5151

Website: www.lesmis.com

Social Media:

www.facebook.com/lesmisofficial/

www.twitter.com/lesmisofficial

www.instagram.com/lesmizofficial

www.tiktok.com/@lesmisofficial

#LesMiz

THE ACCLAIMED, WEST END PRODUCTION

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

RETURNS TO THE LOWRY, SALFORD FOR CHRISTMAS 2025

AS PART OF A MAJOR NEW TOUR MARKING THE 75^TH ANNIVERSARY OF

C.S. LEWIS’ ICONIC NOVEL

THE LOWRY, SALFORD

3^rd December 2025 – 11^th Jan 2026

The celebrated production of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was loved by audiences and critics alike during its recent West End run, will come to The Lowry (Salford) for Christmas 2025 as part of a major new tour of the UK & Ireland.

C.S. Lewis’ book was first published in October 1950.  Since then, over 85 million copies in 60 languages have been sold. It is one of the top ten best-selling books of all time. The stage adaptation of Lewis’ iconic book enjoyed a hugely successful, critically-acclaimed London run in 2022/3.

Producer Chris Harper said: ‘We are proud to be marking the 75^th anniversary of the publication of CS Lewis’ novel with this enchanting production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – a production that wowed audiences when it played at the Lowry in 2021. It’s the perfect show for Christmas – and we are delighted to bring it back to Salford next year.’

The Lowry’s Steve Cowton, said: ‘We are so excited to be welcoming back this fabulous production, which is a brilliant piece of imaginative story-telling theatre – with a real heart – and the perfect family production for Christmas. The show’s previous visit in 2021 was impacted by the pandemic so we are delighted to be able to welcome it, and audiences back, for what we know will be a hugely successful run in 2025.’

Step through the wardrobe into the enchanted kingdom of Narnia. Join Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter as they wave goodbye to wartime Britain and embark on the most magical of adventures in a frozen, faraway land where they meet Mr Tumnus the faun, talking beavers, Aslan (the noble king of Narnia) and the coldest, most evil White Witch.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is directed by Michael Fentiman based on the original production by Sally Cookson.  The  Set and Costume Designer is Tom Paris, Composers are Barnaby Race and Benji Bower, the Choreographer is  Shannelle ‘Tali’ Fergus, the Lighting Designer is Jack Knowles, the Sound Designer is Tom Marshall, the Puppetry Director is Toby Olié, the Puppetry Designer is Max Humphries, the Aerial Director is Gwen Hales,  the Illusionist is Chris Fisher, the Casting Director is  Will Burton CDG and the Wigs, Hair and Make-Up Designer is Susanna Peretz.   Casting will be announced in due course.

Tickets will go on sale to the General Public on Friday 13th September 2024 at 10am. Lowry Members will have the chance to buy tickets from Monday 9^th September – for more information on memberships please visit here

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is produced by Chris Harper Productions and Catherine Schreiber and was first produced at the Leeds Playhouse.  

Awkward Productions’ viral sensation Gwyneth
Goes Skiing heads on UK & Ireland Tour
September – December 2024

Awkward Productions are taking their viral sensation Gwyneth Goes Skiing on a UK & Ireland tour this autumn. Gwyneth Goes Skiing will return to the slopes after two sold-out and critically acclaimed runs in London, as well as a sold-out run across the globe in Park City, Utah, where the real trial happened. There, the show was enjoyed by both Gwyneth and Terry’s legal teams, as well as witnesses and jurors from the trial itself – with one describing the show as “99.9% accurate” and another as “more entertaining than the actual trial”. This ever-evolving show from the harbingers of queer chaos is a story of justice, betrayal and optometry, recounting the biggest case to rock the legal world since law was invented. The show makes the audience the jury, asking them to decide who’s guilty and who’s gooped.

Gwyneth Goes Skiing stars Linus Karp as the Goop-founding, Door-Sliding, Shakespeare InLoving, consciously-uncoupling Hollywood superstar Gwyneth Paltrow, and Joseph Martin as her nemesis, Terry Sanderson, a retired Optometrist from Utah. The show follows Awkward Productions’ multiple award-winning, Edinburgh Fringe sell-out hit Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story

In an exciting development for Gwyneth Goes Skiing, Emmy and Golden Globe winner and Broadway legend Darren Criss will provide the singing voice of Terry Sanderson. Criss is best known for playing the role of Blaine Anderson in Glee (alongside the real Gwyneth Paltrow!), as well as his lead role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Criss has also starred on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Alongside Criss, Edinburgh Comedy Award Winning comedian, actress and singer Cat Cohen will lend her voice as Gwyneth Paltrow on the vocal track with absolute bops including I Wish You Well and See You In Court.

Cat Cohen’s live comedy performances combine stand-up with cabaret-style songs. The comedian, actress, and singer’s first Netflix comedy special, The Twist…? She’s Gorgeous, was released in 2022. As an actress, she has appeared on comedy series such as High Maintenance, Broad City, Search Party, and What We Do in the Shadows.

Drag legend, television personality, make-up mogul and singer-songwriter Trixie Mattel makes a special on-screen appearance as Gwyneth Paltrow’s mother, Blythe Danner. In 2015, the world fell in love with Trixie on the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and in 2018, she went on to win RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.

Gwyneth Goes Skiing recounts the collision in 2016 on the slopes of Deer Valley and the court case seven years later that enthralled the world. Gwyneth Goes Skiing features a whole lot of fiction, a sprinkling of verbatim lines from court transcripts and delightfully catchy original music by Leland (RuPaul’s Drag Race; Cher’s Christmas; Troye Sivan’s Something To Give Each Other). Audiences are advised that Gwyneth Goes Skiing is BYOJE (bring your own jade eggs).

Praise for Awkward Productions’ work:

Absurd, camp, chaotic, and hilarious – Attitude Magazine, ★★★★★

Perfectly imagined and brought to life on stage with vision and heaps of silliness – The National, ★★★★★

VIVIENNE ACHEAMPONG JOINS THE COMPANY OF

ROB DRUMMOND’S PIN AND NEEDLES

Vivienne Acheampong today joins the company for the world première of Rob Drummond’s Pins and Needles at Kiln Theatre directed by Amit Sharma – his inaugural production as Artistic Director at Kiln. Acheampong joins Richard Cant, Gavi Singh Chera and Brian Vernel.

The production opens on 25 September, with previews from 19 September, and runs until 26 October.

Sharlene Whyte has withdrawn from the production due to personal reasons.

The world première of

PINS AND NEEDLES

by Rob Drummond

19 September – 26 October 2024

Director Amit Sharma; Designer Frankie Bradshaw; Lighting Designer Rory Beaton;

Sound Designer Jasmin Kent Rodgman; Casting Director Amy Ball CDG;

Kiln-Mackintosh Resident Assistant Director Imy Wyatt Corner; Linbury Associate Designer Finlay Jenner

Caution: Contains truth, lies and misinformation. You decide. 

Rob is putting science and scepticism to the test in his new play. For research, he speaks to Mary, a mother trying to make the best decisions for her family, Toby, an angry son who distrusts institutions, and Edward Jenner, the father of modern vaccinations. The more he listens, the more he struggles to keep his own subjectivity off the table, which begs the question – how do you know who to trust?

Rob Drummond, whose plays are ‘utterly unpredictable’ (The Stage), explores the politics around vaccines, and the human stories behind them. 

Vivienne Acheampong plays Mary. Her theatre credits include Is God Is (Royal Court), Nassim (Bush Theatre), City of Glass (Lyric Hammersmith/HOME Manchester), Monster Raving Loony (Soho Theatre), Rainbow Class (Assembly Hall, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Elegies for Angela, Punks & Raging Queens (Criterion Theatre), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Gielgud Theatre) and Julius Caesar (Donmar Warehouse/St Ann’s Warehouse). Her television credits include The Sandman, Everything Now, Ellie & Natasia, The One, The Emily Atack Show, The Other One, Famalam, Death in Paradise, Turn Up Charlie, We the Jury and The Aliens; and for film, Jackdaw and The Witches.

Richard Cant returns to Kiln Theatre to play Edward Jenner – he previously appeared in Handbagged and Wife. His other theatre work includes Chariots of Fire, Talent (Sheffield Theatres), What It Means (The Lot at Wilton’s Music Hall), The Vortex (Chichester Festival Theatre), Orlando (MGC at the Garrick Theatre), The Normal Heart, Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear (National Theatre), After Edward, Edward the Second (Shakespeare’s Globe), Maydays, Henry VI – Rebellion and Wars of the Roses (RSC), Saint Joan (Donmar Warehouse), My Night with Reg (Donmar Warehouse/Apollo Theatre), Medea (Almeida Theatre), The Trial (Young Vic), War Horse (New London Theatre), and Salome (Headlong). His television credits include Doctor Who, Mapp & Lucia, The Crown, It’s a Sin, Silent Witness, Taboo, Outlander, Bleak House and The Way We Live Now; and for film, Take Care, My Policeman, Mary Queen of Scots, and Stan and Ollie.

Gavi Singh Chera plays Rob. His theatre credits include Our Generation (National Theatre/ Chichester Festival Theatre), Behind The Beautiful Forevers (National Theatre), Pygmalion (Headlong), The Cherry Orchard (Yard Theatre / HOME Theatre), Duck and 1922: The Waste Land (Jermyn Street Theatre); as well as numerous West End productions whilst a member of the National Youth Theatre REP Company, including Wuthering Heights, Consensual and The Merchant of Venice. His television credits include Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, The Undeclared War, The Lazarus Project, and Vera; and for film, Blitz, and Kavita and Teresa, and short film, Temple – for which he was nominated for Best Actor in the British Short Film Awards.

Brian Vernel plays Robert. His theatre credits include Mary (Hamstead Theatre), Stories, Certain Young Men – Queer Theatre (National Theatre), Instructions for Correct Assembly (Royal Court), The Seagull (Lyric Hammersmith), Barbarians, Future Conditional (Young Vic), Takin’ Over the Asylum (Royal Lyceum/Citizen’s Theatre), The Static, Blackout (Corby Cube) and Four Parts Broken (National Theatre Of Scotland/Traverse Theatre/Oran Mor). His television credits include Shardlake, Slow Horses, Gangs of London S1 & S2, Collateral, The Tunnel, Dr Who, The Missing 2, The Last Kingdom, The Casual Vacancy, Grantchester, Prey and The Field of Blood. For film his credits include Kill, Dunkirk, Papillon, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Winter Song, Offender and Let Us Prey.

Rob Drummond is an award-winning playwright and performer who has worked with the most prestigious theatres in the UK; and an associate artist at the Traverse Theatre. His plays include Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Perth Theatre, Macrobert Arts Centre and Eden Court Theatre), Milkshake, The Mack, Eulogy (Òran Mór, Traverse Theatre), Flesh (National Theatre Connections), Our Fathers (Traverse Theatre, Tron Theatre, Scottish tour), Pleading, Top Table, Rolls in Their Pockets (Òran Mór – A Play, A Pie and A Pint), The Majority (National Theatre), Grain in the Blood (Traverse Theatre, Tron Theatre), The Broons (Scottish tour), In Fidelity (HighTide, Traverse Theatre), Uncanny Valley (Edinburgh International Science Festival, Borderline Theatre – CATS Award, Best Production for Children and Young People), Dear Scotland (National Theatre of Scotland), Bullet Catch (Brits Off Broadway 59East59, international tour, Traverse Theatre – Herald Angel Award and Total Theatre Award), Riot of Spring (The Arches Theatre, Glasgow), Quiz Show (Traverse Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland – CATS Award for Best New Play), Rod Drummond: Wrestling (The Arches – Vital Spark Award), Mr Write (NTS, Tron Theatre – CATS Award, Best Production for Children and Young People), Hunter (NTS and Frantic Assembly), Allotment (Govan Shopping Centre), and Sixteen (Arches Theatre Festival). For television his work includes McDonald and Dodds.

Amit Sharma is an international award-winning director of theatre and television. Before joining the Kiln Theatre as Associate Director, he was previously Deputy Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep, Associate Artistic Director at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, and Associate Director at Graeae Theatre Company where his journey into theatre began. Sharma directed the critically acclaimed and sell-out run of Retrograde at the Kiln; and has also directed two productions at the National Theatre – The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Graeae Theatre Company/Theatre Royal Plymouth co-production) and The Boy With Two Hearts (also Wales Millennium Centre). He also co-directed Prometheus Awakes, one of the largest outdoor productions featuring Deaf and disabled artists as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad (Graeae Theatre Company/ Greenwich+Docklands International Festival/ Stockton International Riverside Festival/La Fura Dels Baus); and Aruna and The Raging Sun in Chennai, India as part of UK/INDIA Year of Culture 2017. Sharma is a BAFTA nominated director, for his two films which were part of the Criptales season on BBC and BBC AMERICA. He also co-directed the award-winning BBC and NETFLIX television drama Then Barbara Met Alan (Best Single Drama, 2023 Broadcast Awards). He began his training at Graeae Theatre Company with Missing Piece 1. His other theatre credits include One Under (Graeae Theatre Company/Theatre Royal Plymouth), Cosmic Scallies (Graeae Theatre Company/Royal Exchange Theatre), and Iron Man (Graeae Theatre Company/international tour). His other television work includes Hamish, and Thunderbox. 

Kiln Theatre 

Listings

269 Kilburn High Road, London, UK, NW6 7JR

Box Office: 020 7328 1000

www.KilnTheatre.com

PEANUT BUTTER & BLUEBERRIES

8 August – 31 August 2024

Alcohol-free                        12 and 22 August, 7pm                                

performances

Tickets                                £15 – £35

Access performances:

Audio Described               29 August, 7pm, preceded by a Touch Tour

Captioned                           22 August, 7pm

Relaxed                               28 August, 2.30pm

PINS AND NEEDLES

19 September – 26 October 2024

Tickets                                £15 – £40

Access performances:

Audio Described               24 October, 7.30pm, preceded by a Touch Tour

Captioned                           21 October, 7.30pm

Relaxed                               19 October, 2.30pm

THE PURISTS

14 November – 21 December 2024

Tickets                                £15 – £40

Access performances:

Audio Described               19 December, 7.30pm, preceded by a Touch Tour

Captioned                           9 December, 7.30pm

Relaxed                               14 December, 2.30pm

THE LONELY LONDONERS

10 January -15 February 2025

Tickets                                £15 – £40

Access performances:

Audio Described               13 February, 7.30pm, preceded by a Touch Tour

Captioned                           3 February, 7.30pm

Relaxed                               8 February, 2.30pm

SHANGHAI DOLLS

April – May 2025

Under 26 – £10 (subject to availability)

Access, Over 65, Local, Student and Group rates available, for further details, please see the website.

Subsidised tickets

We offer free tickets and exclusive discounts to those who can’t afford to come. If you fit any of the below criteria, get in touch and we can help you get a ticket.

If you are homeless, out of work or receive Housing Benefits, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance (valid ID, statements or proof universal tax credit will be required when collecting tickets).

Employees of NHS, Police Force, Fire Brigade, Armed Forces, The Coastguard, RNLI, Prison Officers or Social Care Workers (valid ID payslip and name badges will be required when collecting tickets).

Email [email protected]

★★★★★

‘Breathtaking Theatre’

The Guardian

NEW CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED

OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING SMASH-HIT

STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW 

ALSO ANNOUNCED, THE PRODUCTION EXTENDS UNTIL 6 APRIL 2025

★★★★★

“It’s not only a ravishingly entertaining and deceptively daring piece of theatre,

it’s also an important one.”

Sunday Times

★★★★★

“Netflix gives the West End its event of the year… The jaw-dropping coups range from the infernal, supernatural engulfing of a hulking US battle-ship to acts of levitation”

Daily Telegraph

★★★★★

“As a piece of total theatre, this is streets ahead of anything else”

Evening Standard

Following the recent announcement that Stranger Things: The First Shadow will open on Broadway in 2025, Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions today announce new casting for the critically acclaimed, Olivier Award winning, world première production currently running at Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End.

As the show approaches its first anniversary in the West End Louis Healy will take over the role of Henry Creel with Callum Maxwell as Bob Newby, Miranda Mufema as Patty Newby, Luke Mullins as Dr Brenner, Jessica Rhodes as Joyce Maldonado and George Smale as James Hopper Jr. They will join the production from 14 November with full casting to be announced.

Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin said today, ‘As we enter our second year, we are thrilled to have assembled an incredible cast with new and familiar faces to take us back to Hawkins 1959. We look forward to getting into the rehearsal room with them and exploring the characters anew’

Also announced today, the production extends until 6 April 2025.

★★★★★

‘So insanely visceral it left my jaw on the floor’
Mail on Sunday

Written by Kate Trefry and with direction by Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin, the production opened to rave reviews at the Phoenix Theatre on 14 December 2023. The show, currently breaking box office records at Phoenix Theatre where it is now booking until 6 April 2025, has won several awards including the Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment and Best Set Design, the Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Set Design and Most Promising Newcomer, and the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play.

★★★★★

‘Sinister and thrilling trip balances horror and humour to great effect. This is exhilarating live theatre…’

Financial Times

Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions present 

STRANGER THINGS:

THE FIRST SHADOW 

By Kate Trefry 

Original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne & Kate Trefry 

Based on the Netflix Series, Stranger Things,created by the Duffer Brothers 

The Duffer Brothers act as creative producers, with 21 Laps Entertainment as associate producer. 

Directed by Stephen Daldry, with co-direction by Justin Martin, leading the world class award-winning creative team, the cast includes Louis Healy (Henry Creel), Callum Maxwell (Bob Newby), Miranda Mufema (Patty Newby), Luke Mullins (Dr Brenner), Jessica Rhodes (Joyce Maldonado) and George Smale (James Hopper Jr.)

ABOUT STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW

Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.

Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end.

Louis Healy plays Henry Creel. His theatre credits include The Full Monty (UK tour, Noël Coward Theatre). His television credits include Hotel Portofino (as series regular Billy Scanlon), The Pact (as series regular Adam), Ackley Bridge , Emmerdale (as recurring character Danny), Moving On, Vera, Scott & Bailey, and Hetty Feather; and for film Sometimes Always Never.

Callum Maxwell plays Bob Newby. His theatre credits include Peter Pan (Gate Theatre), The Joyce (Glass Mask Theatre), Danti-Dan (Ireland tour), Oh, Brother (Dublin Fringe Festival, Bewleys Café Theatre, Viking Theatre), The Cloud Spotter (Bewley’s Café Theatre and tour), Philadelphia Here I Come! (Cork Opera House) and Rogue (Smock Alley Theatre). His film credits include Finnegan’s Foursome.

Miranda Mufema plays Patty Newby. Her theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet (Brighton Festival) and Macbeth (York International Shakespeare Festival).

Luke Mullins plays Dr Brenner. His theatre credits include The Tempest(Theatre Royal Bath), The Maids(HOME Manchester), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead(Old Vic). His theatre work in Australia includes Waiting for Godot (Sydney Theatre Company – Helpmann Award for Best Supporting Actor, Barbican), The Glass Managerie, Angels in America (Belvoir St Theatre), The Wars of the Roses, Gallipoli, Little Mercy, Long Day’s Journey into Night (Sydney Theatre Company), Endgame, The History Boys, Cloud 9 (Melbourne Theatre Company), Night on a Bald Mountain, Autobiography of Red (Malthouse Theatre), Season at Sarsaparilla (Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourn Theatre Company, Green Room Award), Mishima In The City: Duets of Desire(Liminal Theatre),  Mishima In The City: Duets of Desire(Liminal Theatre) andThe Eisteddfod(New York Fringe Festival). His television credits include Gold Diggers, Darby and Joan, Joe vs Carole, Life, The Spanish Princess and In Our Blood; and for film, Riot and Holding the Man.

Jessica Rhodes plays Joyce Maldonado. Her stage credits include The Tempest (Royal Shakespeare Theatre), Doubt; a Parable (Chichester Festival Theatre) and The Sugar Syndrome (Orange Tree Theatre). Her television credits include Finders Keepers; and for film Artemis Fowl.

George Smale plays James Hopper Jr. His theatre credits include AS-NT (Theatre 503), Honest Poverty (Finborough Theatre) and Princess Monoke (New Diorama Theatre). His television credits include Slow Horses and Masters of the Air.

STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW is written by Kate Trefry, directed by Stephen Daldry with co-director Justin Martin, set design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Paul Arditti, original music composition, orchestration, arrangements and supervision by D.J. Walde, illusions design & visual effects by Jamie Harrison & Chris Fisher, video design & visual effects by 59 Productions, choreography by Coral Messam, movement direction by Lynne Page, wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates, technical director is Gary Beestone for Gary Beestone Associates, props supervision by Mary Halliday, dialect by William Conacher, casting by Jessica Ronane Casting CDG and international casting consultancy by Jim Carnahan.

STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW

LISTINGS

Phoenix Theatre

Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0JP

For further ticket information, performance schedule, full creative team and cast biographies,

please visit strangerthingsonstage.com and the official social channels:

Instagram.com/STOnStage

Tiktok.com/STOnStage

Facebook.com/STOnStage

Twitter.com/STOnStage

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BELLRINGERS PREMIERES IN LONDON AT HAMPSTEAD THEATRE

Following a standout run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Daisy Hall’s debut play Bellringers makes its London premiere this autumn at Hampstead Theatre. Directed by Jessica Lazar, this Hampstead Theatre co-production plays Downstairs from 27 September to 2 November.

Daisy Hall’s comic and deeply moving debut play about love, community and being young in a world on the brink was a finalist for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2024, selected from over 1000 submissions. It was also chosen by the Evening Standard as one of ‘the best Edinburgh 2024 shows coming to London this year’.

The ‘devastatingly poignant’ (The Times) and ‘richly imagined’ (The Scotsman) story begins as lifelong friends Clement and Aspinall find themselves sheltering in a bell tower as a fierce storm approaches. The storms are getting worse, with rains so hard that fish are falling from the sky. But the age-old belief prevails – that the pealing of bells can dissipate the thunder and lightning. It’s an extremely dangerous task – one that now falls to lifelong friends Clement and Aspinall – and as the weather worsens, the young men begin to question whether they’ll make it through the night. With their faith in tradition faltering, they find the only thing in which they have unwavering belief is each other.

Reflecting on her inspiration for the play, Daisy Hall says,

“The first ideas for this play began to come together during the long hot summer of 2021. Back then Bellringers felt like such a personal exploration of the fears and hopes that characterized that time. To me this play is about the persistence of love in an imploding world and I look forward to sharing it with audiences at Hampstead Theatre.”

The production stars Luke Rollason (Extraordinary, Disney +) plays Clement and Paul Adeyefa (The Mirror and the Light, Gielgud) plays Aspinall.

Bellringers isdirected by Jessica Lazar (Sap, Edinburgh Fringe 2023) with design by Natalie Johnson, lighting design by David Doyle and sound design by Holly Khan. The casting director is Sarah Jones. This production is a Hampstead Theatre co-production with Atticist and Ellie Keel Productions (The Stage Producer of the Year 2024).

Further information and tickets are available from hampsteadtheatre.com

Hall for Cornwall, Truro, Cornwall – until 7th September 2024

Reviewed by Kerry Gilbert

3***

‘Intelligent, witty with lots of humour’

The 20th anniversary production of Alan Bennett’s modern classic, is a winner of 30 major awards and voted The Nation’s Favourite Play in 2013.

The History Boys tells the story of a group of 8 boys at Cutler’s Grammar School being prepared for their university entrance exams during the mid 1980s.

Eight unruly teenagers burst into adulthood with the best grades their school had ever seen, but their sights are set on something higher: to study at the most famous academic institutions in the world – Oxford and Cambridge. But, their teachers can’t agree how to tutor them. There’s Hector (Simon Rouse), the maverick English teacher who believes in culture for its own sake; Irwin (Bill Milner)– the shrewd supply teacher full of soundbites; Felix (Milo Twomey)– the headmaster obsessed with league tables and Mrs Lintott (Gillian Bevan) – the History teacher who thinks her colleagues are all fools.

The pupils are excellent, each creating characters which are full of questions and facing the challenges of being on the brink of adulthood. The pupils were known as Dakin (Archie Christoph-Allen), Posner (Lewis Cornay), Timms (Teddy Hinde), Scripps (Yazdan Qafouri), Rudge (Ned Costello), Akthar (Mahesh Parmar) and Crowther (Tashinga Bepete). Lewis Cornay is one to watch as Posner, with a gorgeous singing voice and total command of the audience.

The play was wonderfully acted, but there’s a hugely uncomfortable element too …. Bennett stacks the deck in favour of Hector, and the production can’t temper the play’s blasé attitude toward sexual harassment and teacher-pupil intimacy. The production is full of 80s music and choreographed sequences around the ever revolving piece of staging. The boys are responsible for all of this and the set changes were seamless.

My favourite part was when the boys performed a stomp-a-long to Adam and the Ants ‘Stand and Deliver’. The music is well sung and the depth of talent of the boys is evident.

The production provokes thought and reflection on society but most of all it engaged and entertained the audience.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK

A NEW SERIOUS COMEDY BY NATHAN ENGLANDER

DIRECTED BY PATRICK MARBER

FROM THE PRODUCER OF 2023’S THE WHITE FACTORY

JOSHUA MALINA, CAROLINE CATZ, DOROTHEA MYER-BENNETT, SIMON YADOO AND GABRIEL HOWELL WILL STAR IN THE

EUROPEAN PREMIERE AT THE MARYLEBONE THEATRE

4 OCTOBER – 23 NOVEMBER 2024

TICKETS ON SALE HERE

“Who in your life would you trust to keep you alive? And who do you know who would risk their own life for yours?”

Full casting has been announced for What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, a new serious comedy by Nathan Englander, based on his acclaimed 2011 short story in The New Yorker, directed by Patrick Marber, open at the Marylebone Theatre 4 October to 23 November 2024.

Joining the previously announced West Wing, Scandal and The Big Bang Theory star Joshua Malina, making his London theatre debut as ‘Phil’, will be Caroline Catz (best known for her roles as ‘Louisa’ in ITV’s Doc Martin and ‘DI Helen Morton’ in DCI Banks also for ITV) as ‘Debbie’, Dorothea Myer-Bennett (Offie Award-winning actress whose extensive stage credits include Nachtland at the Young Vic and in Leopoldstadt  in the West End, both directed by Patrick Marber) as ‘Shoshana’, Simon Yadoo (recently seen in Love’s Labour’s Lost and The School for Scandal on tour for Changeling Theatre) as ‘Yerucham’ and Gabriel Howell (most recently seen in The Unfriend at Chichester and in the West End, and soon to be starring in the live action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon) as ‘Trevor’.

WHAT                                 A serious new comedy.

WE                                       Two Jewish couples; one secular, the other ultra-Orthodox.

TALK                                    The argument none of them meant to have.

ABOUT                                Identity, Politics, Parenthood and Getting High.

WHEN                                 Present day Florida.

WE                                       A college dropout who claims to be a ‘Pastafarian’.

TALK                                    Provocative, Hilarious, Painful, Honest.

ABOUT                                Gaza, Israel, the Holocaust, Nazis, Marriage, Sex.

ANNE                                  A nice Jewish girl….

FRANK                                is not in this play.

From the director of the Olivier and Tony Award-winning Leopoldstadt, and the producer of 2023’s The White Factory, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank is based on Nathan Englander’s short story collection What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank that was first published in 2012, winning the 2012 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Nathan Englander said, “I first wrote What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank as a short story for the New Yorker Magazine in 2011 and I’ve been rewriting it in different ways ever since. I think my obsession with the piece is probably because the setup is something I see as an increasingly rare occurrence in our ever more polarized and personalized-algorithm driven lives. That is, two best friends, now on opposite ends of political, religious, and economic spectrums come together to talk and laugh and cry it all out—and to see if any of the love they’ve long felt for each other can survive.

As for working with Patrick Marber, it’s been a dream. We dove into a rewrite of the play more than a year ago and have not come up for air since. It’s been some of the most intense and joyous and depressing work I’ve ever done, and beyond symbiotic tackling the piece together. As relates to the difference in our own styles of communication, I’d like to take this moment to apologize to Patrick for interrupting every single sentence he’s tried to utter (but I highly doubt I’ll stop).”

Patrick Marber said, “I’ve loved Nathan Englander’s work since I read his astounding debut short story collection, ‘For The Relief Of Unbearable Urges’. I’m very excited to be directing this UK premiere of his new play. It’s a rare thing to find a comedy that is both hilarious and deeply serious. I’m greatly looking forward to rehearsals with this exceptional cast and with the remarkable Mr Englander in attendance.”

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank will be directed by Patrick Marber, with design by Anna Fleischle, lighting design by Sally Ferguson and sound design by David Gregory. Associate direction is by Natalie Simone, with movement direction from EJ Boyle and costume supervision by Chantal Short. Casting advisor is Helena Palmer.

Blackpool Winter Gardens – until Saturday 7 September 2024

Reviewed by Debra Skelton

5*****

I am so glad that Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is back in Blackpool, and I can truly say that I was not disappointed, and neither was the rest of the audience with a standing ovation at the end. To see this musical please get down to the Winter Gardens Blackpool as it is running until Saturday 07th September 2024.

Blood Brothers is a musical about twin brothers separated at birth who grow up on opposite sides of the tracks and both never knowing the truth about their relationship until the very end. The story is set in Liverpool during the mid-eighties where working-class families struggled to make ends meet and unemployment levels were high. By presenting the way families had to live back then, this was crucial to truly understanding the life of Mrs. Johnstone and why the lives of both Mickey and Eddie differed so much. It showed the difference in schooling, their financial situations which defines their class which ultimately divides them and is a motivator for their demise.

The show covers themes from superstition to social class and the very different lives the two brothers were set to lead. Throughout the show, the Narrator (Scott Anson) remains on stage, watching and lurking in the background and keeps reminding the characters of the awful fate if the brothers ever discovered the truth. At the start of the show, we see the bodies of the two men being covered and a mother crying which forewarned the audience from the start that something forbidding is going to happen.

Vivienne Carlysle plays the role of Mrs Johnstone to perfection showing how she coped as a single mother with little money and the love and affection for her children. Her amazing voice and presence on the stage was a true pleasure to watch.

Both Sean Jones (Mickey) and Joe Sleight (Eddie) provided an entertaining performance of acting like children shooting guns, pulling their sweaters over their knees, and burying worms, to becoming adults which was truly believable.

The whole cast of this production are incredibly talented and showed their ability to be versatile by playing different characters.

The show also needs special thanks to Andy Walmsley for creating such an adaptable set, Dan Samson for the wonderful sound, Nick Richings for the lighting and Matt Malone for the marvellous music.