Back to Productions MOJO This production began performances on 26th October 2013 and closed 8th February 2014. ★★★★ A smash hit. Addictive Daily Telegraph Set against the fledgling rock 'n' roll scene of 50s Soho, this savagely funny play delves into the sleazy underworld and power games of London's most infamous district. ★★★★ Rock’n’roll brilliance from a band of stars. Electrifying The Times Mojo , winner of the Olivier award for Best New Comedy, reunites two of British theatre's great collaborators; writer Jez Butterworth and director Ian Rickson who, as well as the original production of Mojo, gave us the multi-award-winning, hit sensation Jerusalem and the critically acclaimed The River. Ian Rickson is also fresh from other successes including Old Times and Betrayal. Featuring a strong ensemble cast including Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey, The Weir), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter, Driving Lessons), Daniel Mays (Made in Dagenham, Mrs Biggs, The Winterling) and Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, The Hour, Peter and Alice). Sonia Friedman Productions , in association with Tulchin Bartner Productions , Rupert Gavin , Tanya Link Productions and JFL/GHF Productions presents “MOJO ”. This is the first major revival of the play which dazzled London when it opened at the Royal Court, prior to a sell-out West End run in 1996. ★★★★ Superlatively acted production by Ian Rickson. Stunning The Guardian CAST BRENDAN COYLE – Mickey RUPERT GRINT – Sweets DANIEL MAYS – Potts BEN WHISHAW – Baby COLIN MORGAN – Skinny TOM RHYS HARRIES – Silver Johnny CREATIVES JEZ BUTTERWORTH – Playwright IAN RICKSON – Director ULTZ – Designer CHARLES BALFOUR – Lighting Designer STEPHEN WARBECK – Music Designer SIMON BAKER – Sound Designer

Back to News & Press 1984 extends run due to unprecedented demand Sunday, 18 May 2014 Due to unprecedented demand, a 5 week extension is announced today for the Headlong, Nottingham Playhouse and Almeida Theatre production of 1984, a critically acclaimed adaptation by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan. The production will now run at the West End’s Playhouse Theatre until 23 August 2014 (previously 19th July 2013), prior to a second UK tour in the autumn, as previously announced. Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 opened in the West End on 28 April, transferring directly from the Almeida Theatre. 1984 is written and directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, set and costume designed by Chloe Lamford, with lighting designed by Natasha Chivers, sound designed by Tom Gibbons and video designed by Tim Reid. Originally produced by Headlong and Nottingham Playhouse, 1984 had its world premiere at Nottingham Playhouse in September and went on to enjoy a hugely successful UK tour and a 7-week run at the Almeida Theatre. George Orwell’s 1984, published in 1949, is one of the most influential novels in recent history, with its chilling depiction of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance and incessant public mind-control. Its ideas have become our ideas, and Orwell’s fiction is often said to be our reality. Filtering the spirit and the ambition of the novel through the lens of contemporary culture, this radical new staging explores surveillance culture, identity and how thinking you can fly might actually be the first step to flying. Up Up

Back to News & Press Final Weeks of Twelfth Night & Richard III at The Apollo Theatre Friday, 18 January 2013 Following a sold-out run at Shakespeare’s Globe, the all-male productions transferred to the West End in November. The productions use original Shakespearean practices with on-stage seating, and are lit by over 100 candles. An additional week of performances was announced in September last year and a number of Day Seats at £10 each go on sale from the Box Office, in person, from 10am on the day of each performance. Designs are by Jenny Tiramani and music is by Claire van Kampen, who along with Director Tim Carroll, were the creative team behind the Globe’s original 2002 version of Twelfth Night. David Plater designed the lighting for the transfer. The Shakespeare’s Globe productions are produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions in association with Shakespeare Road, 1001 Nights, Bob Bartner & Norman Tulchin, Rupert Gavin and Adam Blanshay. Twelfth Night The full cast for Twelfth Night is Samuel Barnett (Sebastian), Liam Brennan (Orsino), Paul Chahidi, (Maria), John Paul Connolly (Antonio), Ian Drysdale (Priest and Valentine), Peter Hamilton Dyer (Feste), Johnny Flynn (Viola), Stephen Fry (Malvolio), James Garnon (Fabian), Colin Hurley (Sir Toby Belch), Roger Lloyd Pack (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Mark Rylance (Olivia), Jethro Skinner (Captain and Officer) and Ben Thompson (Curio). In the household of Olivia, two campaigns are being quietly waged – one by the lovelorn Duke Orsino against the heart of the indifferent Olivia; the other by an alliance of servants and hangers-on against the high-handedness of her steward, the pompous Malvolio. When Orsino engages the cross-dressed Viola to plead with Olivia on his behalf, a bittersweet chain of events follows. Filled with a cast of unforgettable characters, Twelfth Night combines cruelty with high comedy and the pangs of unrequited love with some of the subtlest poetry and most exquisite songs Shakespeare ever wrote. Richard III The full cast for Richard III is Samuel Barnett (Queen Elizabeth), Liam Brennan (Clarence and the Lord Mayor), Paul Chahidi (Hastings and Tyrrell), John Paul Connolly (First Murderer and Ratcliff), Ian Drysdale (Scrivener/Rivers/Blunt), Peter Hamilton Dyer (Brakenbury and Catesby), Johnny Flynn (Lady Anne and Grey), James Garnon (Richmond and Duchess of York), Colin Hurley (King Edward IV and Stanley) and Roger Lloyd Pack (Duke of Buckingham), Mark Rylance (Richard III), Jethro Skinner (Second Murderer and Messenger) and Ben Thompson (Dorset and Bishop of Ely). Richard Duke of Gloucester is determined that he should wear the crown of England. He has already despatched one king and that king’s son; now all that stand in his way are two credulous brothers and two helpless nephews – the Princes in the Tower. And woe betide those – the women he wrongs, the henchmen he betrays – who dare to raise a voice against him. Monstrous, but theatrically electric, Richard is Shakespeare’s most charismatic, self-delighting villain, revelling at every moment in his homicidal, hypocritical journey to absolute power. Up Up

Back to News & Press Theatre stands on the brink of ruin Wednesday, 20 May 2020 British theatre is on the brink of total collapse. All the performing arts – theatre, dance, opera, comedy, theatre in education, Christmas pantomime, community shows – are facing the real possibility of complete obliteration. I know it sounds melodramatic. It beggars belief – but it is a statement of fact. Without an urgent government rescue package, 70 per cent of our performing arts companies will be out of business before the end of this year. More than 1,000 theatres around the country will be insolvent and might shut down for good. The loss is inconceivable. What we take for granted has taken generations to create. It would be irrecoverable. We need our government to step up and step in – sharpish. There is no time to waste. Imagine the next six months. One by one, our arts and cultural organisations will have to spend their reserves until there is nothing left. They will have no alternative but to enter administration: the Young Vic in November, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Old Vic shortly after. Southampton has already lost its producing theatre, the Nuffield. Others could soon follow: Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, Sheffield. Unless there is intervention, we’ll watch the Royal Shakespeare Company close down, the Royal Opera House and Sadler’s Wells, even the National Theatre itself: all will be gone by December. All West End theatres will be mothballed. Dark. We cannot let this happen. Theatre is my life – my company has shut down and suspended over 18 productions globally in the past 10 weeks – but I know very well that theatre is not alone in the struggle against this historic crisis. It is not a special case, but the problem it is facing is a unique case and painfully simple. Since shutting their doors in mid-March, theatre companies have had virtually no income at all. The business of commercial and subsidised theatres is built on box-office revenue. Everything else is extra. We’ve no other means of earning money. Theatre can’t offer takeaways. It can’t shift its business online, welcome though the streaming of our shows has been. Arts and cultural organisations have lost 95 per cent of their income. Theatre has been hit hardest of all. The three-month shutdown has meant £330 million of income lost. As of now, we’re staring at a closure lasting six to nine months. It could even be a year or more. Costs carry on regardless, of course, even reduced to the bare minimums. Basic overheads alone are patently unsustainable without income. It costs £30,000 a week to keep a West End playhouse closed. The National is losing millions every month. Many theatres missed out on insurance claims. All have watched advance ticket sales fall away. Reserves are already running dangerously low. Only the Government’s brilliant job-retention scheme has kept our industry afloat this far – and the second it stops, theatres will sink. I am pleased to hear of the appointment of Neil Mendoza as Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal and hope his arrival will mark the beginning of a swift and productive dialogue between government and the arts sector. This damage is not just limited to theatre buildings. Across the country, commercial theatre productions have closed. Without assistance, many of these productions will not reopen. Even large-scale, long-running hits are at risk. Regional theatres dependent on income from tours will lose the very shows that might help them survive. We know the lockdown will not last for ever, but when it ends theatre’s problems don’t disappear. To put it bluntly, theatre is incompatible with social distancing. It just doesn’t stack up. Putting to one side the problems of staging plays (imagine keeping Romeo and Juliet two metres apart), social distancing would limit theatres to selling one seat in six. Most theatres need to sell 60 per cent of seats just to survive. The shortfall is not sustainable. If we want theatres to re-open, they will, for a time, until another solution is found, still need financial support. The economic logic of such support, long-term, is self-evident. Theatre makes this country far more than it receives in subsidy. Its value to London’s economy alone is roughly £5 billion a year. Restaurants and many kinds of retailers benefit from, some rely on, our audiences. Theatre adds £2 billion to the capital’s critical tourism sector. As we face an uncertain economic future, theatre can and must play its part in our recovery. But that’s not the true value of theatre. Imagine our cultural landscape without it. Imagine our country. The performing arts are part of the fabric of our lives. Nationwide, 40 per cent of households go to the theatre every year: family outings to pantos, school trips to Shakespeare, the free-for-all of the Edinburgh Fringe, the largest arts festival anywhere on the planet. Britain’s theatres draw annual audiences of 34 million – twice that of the Premier League. Our theatre makers are world-class and world-leading. British-born shows have spread around the world, from Broadway to Beijing. Theatre is a broad church – big-budget musicals to rural tours, large-scale community shows to cutting-edge performance art. Together they provide the key pipeline for talent, feeding Britain’s burgeoning television and film industries. Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag, and John Boyega of Star Wars; Oscar winners Sam Mendes and Danny Boyle; Marianne Elliott, Phyllida Lloyd and Stephen Daldry – multiple Olivier and Tony award winners – all cut their teeth on stage. Lose theatre and we lose a launch pad that is second to none. But theatre is also far more than the shows on its stages. Arts organisations are woven deep into our society. They play a huge and, often, central role in local communities. They are beacons of civic life, public spaces open to all, where youth groups, tea dances, spoken word sessions and education programmes can take place. Across the country, theatre companies reach out to all manner of people, from Clean Break’s work with female prisoners to Slung Low’s management of a working men’s club in Leeds. Theatres are the buildings that bring us together – and if anyone ever doubted the necessity of that, the current lockdown surely provides a rebuttal. Our stages will hold the stories that help us collectively process what this country has been through. Theatres will play a huge part in helping our society – our nation – to heal. Like never before all these organisations are vulnerable. They are inextricably interconnected: a cross-country network of artistic collaboration. Once gone, British theatre is lost for good. An ecosystem as intricate and evolved as ours, shaped over 70 years, is beyond price. It cannot be rebuilt from scratch. As of now, without support, it is in grave danger. Protecting and preserving what we have will cost far, far less than reconstructing it from the ruins. It is time to act. Up Up

Back to News & Press New British musical bend it like beckham coming to the west end Friday, 31 October 2014 Gurinder Chadha will direct the world premiere of the new British stage musical Bend It Like Beckham. With original music by Howard Goodall and lyrics by Charles Hart, Bend It Like Beckham has a new book by Paul Mayeda Berges and Gurinder Chadha; choreography and musical staging by Aletta Collins; set design by Miriam Buether; costume design by Katrina Lindsay; lighting design by Neil Austin; sound design by Richard Brooker; musical direction byNigel Lilley and orchestrations by Howard Goodall and Kuljit Bhamra. Casting for Bend It Like Beckham will be announced shortly. Playing at the Phoenix Theatre from 15 May 2015, with its opening night on 24 June 2015, Bend It Like Beckham is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions. Tickets for Bend It Like Beckham go on public sale on Friday 7 November 2014 at 10am. Initially tickets will only be available for the first few weeks of performances to 11 July 2015. During these opening weeks, honouring David Beckham’s record 115 caps for England, there will be 115 Book It Like Beckham seats at £15 each. For group bookings there will be a 5-a-side rate of £49.50 per ticket and an 11-a-side rate of £39.50. Jess needs extra time. She is facing the most important decision of her life; live up to family expectations of university, career and marriage, or follow in the footsteps of her hero David Beckham. When the talented teenage footballer is spotted playing football in Southall, a world of opportunities opens up before her. But as the day of her sister's traditional Indian wedding approaches, Jess needs to pick sides. From the first pass in the park to the final free-kick, Bend It Like Beckham is a joyous musical comedy with vibrant characters featuring a new score with a Punjabi kick. This brand new British musical is a funny, glorious and uplifting adaptation of the much-loved hit film about refusing to watch from the sidelines, bending the rules, and scoring that deciding goal. Gurinder Chadha said: “Developing Bend It Like Beckham for the stage has been the most enjoyable creative process of my career so far. It was always my intention to build on the film and to present its themes and storylines to live audiences in an exciting new dynamic way. I have been inspired by musicals ever since I was a little girl, now with Bend It like Beckham, such a familiar story to so many, I believe we are presenting a totally new kind of musical - part West End, part London Punjabi, but whole heartedly British. I am very excited for us to take our place with so many inspirational musicals past and present in my home town London.” On film, the British comedy drama Bend It Like Beckham starred Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaznay Lewis and Archie Panjabi, and was released in 2002, directed by Gurinder Chadha and written by Gurinder Chadha, Guljit Bindra and Paul Mayeda Berges. Following the international release of Bend It Like Beckham the film, produced by Deepak Nayar and Gurinder Chadha, went on to win multiple awards worldwide. Gurinder Chadha’s first feature film was the comedy drama Bhaji on the Beach which was the recipient of numerous international awards. As well as Bend It Like Beckham her film directing credits include What’s Cooking; Bride and Prejudice; Paris, je t'aime; Angus,Thongs and Perfect Snogging and most recently It's a Wonderful Afterlife, for all of which she co-wrote the screenplays. She also co-wrote screenplays for The Mistress of Spices and the forthcoming DreamWorks Animation picture Monkeys of Mumbai. On television she made her directing debut with I'm British But.... In 2006 Chadha was awarded an OBE for her services to the British film industry. Emmy, Brit and BAFTA award-winning Howard Goodall is one of the UK’s most versatile and distinguished composers having written choral music, stage musicals, film and TV scores. Goodall was the Classical Brit Composer of the Year in 2009, is Classic FM’s Composer-in-Residence and is a highly respected broadcaster and an energetic campaigner for music education. His extensive scores includeThe Vicar of Dibley; Blackadder; Mr Bean (TV series and films); Q.I.; The Gathering Storm; Into the Storm and Red Dwarf. His previous musicals include The Hired Man; Girlfriends; Days of Hope; The Kissing-Dance; The Dreaming; A Winter’s Tale and Love Story. The Howard Goodall season continues at the Union Theatre, with productions of The Dreaming, Love Story and Girlfriends included. Goodall was appointed CBE in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music education. Charles Hart is the recipient of two Ivor Novello Awards. Amongst his credits as a lyricist for musicals, he has written words for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera and Aspects of Love, and also contributed lyrics to Love Never Dies. His other musical credits include The Kissing-Dance and TheDreaming. Hart’s television work includes The Vampyr; Watching and Split Ends. Hart provided the text for Terry Gilliam’s re-staging of Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini for ENO last summer. LISTINGS INFORMATION Theatre: Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0JP Press Night: 24 June 2015 at 7pm First Booking Period: 15 May – 11 July 2015 Performances: Monday – Saturday 7.30pm, Wednesday & Saturday matinees at 2.30pm Preview schedule: Friday 15 May at 7.30pm, Saturday 16 May at 7.30pm Wednesday 20 May at 7.30pm, Thursday 21 May at 7.30pm Friday 22 May at 7.30pm, Saturday 23 May at 2.30pm & 7.30pm Wednesday 27 May at 7.30pm, Thursday 28 May at 2.30pm & 7.30pm Friday 29 May at 7.30pm, Saturday 30 May at 2.30pm & 7.30pm Tuesday 2 June at 7.30pm, Wednesday 3 June 2.30pm & 7.30pm Thursday 4 June at 7.30pm, Friday 5 June at 7.30pm Saturday 6 June 2.30pm & 7.30pm Then Monday – Saturday 7.30pm, Wednesday & Saturday matinees at 2.30pm Prices: Opening weeks: £15 - £49.50, plus 115 Book It Like Beckham seats at £15 each Group tickets: groups of five £49.50 per ticket & groups of eleven £39.50 per ticket A limited number of Day Seats at £15.00 each will go on sale from the Box Office, in person only, from 10am on the day of performance All ticket prices include a £1.50 restoration levy Box Office: 0843 316 1082 Website: benditlikebeckhamthemusical.co.uk Facebook: Facebook.com/benditlikebeckhamthemusical Twitter: @benditmusical #bendit YouTube: Youtube.com/benditlikebeckhamthemusical Up Up

Back to Productions SPEED-THE-PLOW This production began performances on 14th March and closed on 22nd April 2000. There are few things that look as glamorous as the American film industry. Glitz, glamour, girls: it is little wonder that every year thousands of Americans descend on southern California in search of the good life. The real Hollywood is, however, a very different proposition to the public face of the film industry that is to be seen on show at the Oscars and similar award ceremonies. The real Hollywood is a tough place. The citizens of the suburb aren't movie stars, they're producers and execs: the bullies and shysters responsible for financing films. These men and women aren't interested in art; they're interested in percentage points and profits. When the first producers decided to set up shop in Hollywood in 1912, they did so in order that they could escape to Mexico if they ran into trouble. Eighty years later, scurrilous behaviour is still rife in the City of Angels. CAST MARK STRONG – Gould PATRICK MARBER – Fox KIMBERLY WILLIAMS – Karen CREATIVES DAVID MAMET – Playwright PETER GILL – Director JOHN GUNTER – Designer ANDY PHILLIPS – Lighting Designer TERRY DAVIES & PAUL HIGGS – Music

Back to Productions TWELFTH NIGHT & RICHARD III – BROADWAY This production began performances on 15th October 2013 and closed on 15th February 2014. ★★★★★ Sensational double bill. Mark Rylance is dazzling. A glorious star performance. Sublime. Daily Telegraph Direct from a sold-out run in London’s West End, the critically beloved, Shakespeare’s Globe productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III come to Broadway for a 16-week limited engagement. Two-time Tony Award®-winner Mark Rylance (Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing ) will star on Broadway in two startlingly different performances in repertory: as the suddenly love-struck noblewoman Olivia in Twelfth Night and as the ruthless and conniving title monarch in Richard III . Twelfth Night Outrageous high comedy ensues as the pangs of unrequited love affect the unforgettable characters of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. While the lovelorn Duke Orsino plots to win the heart of the mourning Olivia (Mark Rylance ), an alliance of servants and hangers-on scheme against the high-handedness of Olivia’s steward, the pompous Malvolio (Stephen Fry ). When Orsino engages the cross-dressed Viola (Samuel Barnett ), who has disguised herself as a young man under the name Cesario, to plead with Olivia on his behalf, a bittersweet and hilarious chain of events follows. Richard III Richard Duke of Gloucester (Mark Rylance ) is determined that he should wear the crown of England. He has already dispatched one king and that king’s son; now all that stands in his way are two credulous brothers and two helpless nephews – the Princes in the Tower. And woe betide those – the women he wrongs, the henchmen he betrays – who dare to raise a voice against him. Monstrous, but theatrically electric, Richard is Shakespeare’s most charismatic, self-delighting villain, revelling at every moment in his homicidal, hypocritical journey to absolute power. Sonia Friedman Productions , Scott Landis , Roger Berlind , Glass Haf Full Productions / Just for Laughs Theatricals , 1001 Nights Productions , Tulchin Bartner Productions , Jane Bergere , Paula Marie Black , Rupert Gavin , Stephanie P. McClelland , Shakespeare's Globe Centre USA , Max Cooper , Tanya Link Production s and Shakespeare Road present Twelfth Night and Richard III . ★★★★★ A gloriously successful transfer. Superb. Remarkable. The Independent Direct from a sold-out run in London’s West End, the critically beloved, Shakespeare’s Globe productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III come to Broadway for a 16-week limited engagement. Two-time Tony Award®-winner Mark Rylance (Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing ) will star on Broadway in two startlingly different performances in repertory: as the suddenly love-struck noblewoman Olivia in Twelfth Night and as the ruthless and conniving title monarch in Richard III . Twelfth Night Outrageous high comedy ensues as the pangs of unrequited love affect the unforgettable characters of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. While the lovelorn Duke Orsino plots to win the heart of the mourning Olivia (Mark Rylance ), an alliance of servants and hangers-on scheme against the high-handedness of Olivia’s steward, the pompous Malvolio (Stephen Fry ). When Orsino engages the cross-dressed Viola (Samuel Barnett ), who has disguised herself as a young man under the name Cesario, to plead with Olivia on his behalf, a bittersweet and hilarious chain of events follows. Richard III Richard Duke of Gloucester (Mark Rylance ) is determined that he should wear the crown of England. He has already dispatched one king and that king’s son; now all that stands in his way are two credulous brothers and two helpless nephews – the Princes in the Tower. And woe betide those – the women he wrongs, the henchmen he betrays – who dare to raise a voice against him. Monstrous, but theatrically electric, Richard is Shakespeare’s most charismatic, self-delighting villain, revelling at every moment in his homicidal, hypocritical journey to absolute power. Sonia Friedman Productions , Scott Landis , Roger Berlind , Glass Haf Full Productions / Just for Laughs Theatricals , 1001 Nights Productions , Tulchin Bartner Productions , Jane Bergere , Paula Marie Black , Rupert Gavin , Stephanie P. McClelland , Shakespeare's Globe Centre USA , Max Cooper , Tanya Link Production s and Shakespeare Road present Twelfth Night and Richard III . The most astonishing Shakespearean performance I've ever seen New York Times CAST RICHARD III MARK RYLANCE – Richard III LIAM BRENNAN – Clarence/Lord Mayor PETER HAMILTON DYER – Brakenbury/Catesby PAUL CHAHIDI – Hastings/Tyrrell JOSEPH TIMMS – Lady Anne Grey TERRY MCGINTY – River/Scrivener/Blunt/Holy Man SAMUEL BARNETT – Queen Elizabeth MATT HARRINGTON – Dorset/Bishop of Ely/Guard ANGUS WRIGHT – Duke of Buckingham JETHRO SKINNER – Murderer 1/ Cardinal/Ratcliff/Halberdier/Guard COLIN HURLEY – King Edward IV/Stanley KURT EGYIAWAN – Duchess of York/Richmond MATTHEW SCHECHTER – Prince Edward HAYDN SIGNORETTI – Duke of York TWELFTH NIGHT LIAN BRENNAN – Orsino MATT HARRINGTON – Curio/Officer/Olivia's Servant KURT EGYIAWAN – Valentine/Officer SAMUEL BARNETT – Viola TERRY MCGINTY – Sea Captain/Priest COLIN HURLEY – Sir Toby Belch PAUL CHAHIDI – Maria ANGUS WRIGHT – Sir Andrew Aguecheek HAMILTON DYER – Feste Peter MARK RYLANCE – Olivia STEPHEN FRY – Malvolio PAUL CONNOLLY – Antonio John JOSEPH TIMMS – Sebastan JETHRO SKINNER – Fabian CREATIVES TIM CARROLL – Director WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE – Playwright JENNY TIRAMANI – Designer CLAIRE VAN KAMPEN – Music STAN PRESSNER – Lighting

Back to News & Press Rehearsal images released from the world premiere of Lyonesse by Penelope Skinner, directed by Ian Rickson Friday, 29 September 2023 Rehearsal images are released today for the world premiere of Lyonesse by Penelope Skinner, directed by Ian Rickson and produced by Sonia Friedman Productions. This searingly funny and passionate new play stars Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James alongside James Corrigan , Doon Mackichan and Sara Powell. It will run at Harold Pinter Theatre from 17 October – 23 December 2023 www.lyonesseonstage.com . You can see the new imagery here. £30 tickets will be available for every performance via the TodayTix Group’s Lottery Scheme. Elaine (Kristin Scott Thomas) a reclusive and talented actress, disappears in mysterious circumstances. 30 years later, she finally feels ready to tell her story – summoning Kate (Lily James), a young film executive, to her remote Cornish home to assist with her glorious comeback. But who really controls the stories we tell, and how we get to tell them? Will these women own their narrative, or will it be swept away from them at any given moment? Lyonesse is a powerful story for our times by Penelope Skinner , winner of the George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright for The Village Bike, and whose other works for stage include Angry Alan, Meek, Linda, The Ruins of Civilisation, Fred’s Diner, Eigengrau and F*cked . For screen she has created and written, along with her sister Ginny Skinner, TV thriller The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies (Sister/BBC1) currently airing on BBC1. Previously she was a writer on four seasons of Fresh Meat (Channel 4) and wrote the film How I Live Now . Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James join forces for the first time on stage for Lyonesse after appearing together in the Oscar and BAFTA winning film Darkest Hour (Working Title Films/Universal) and screen adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca (Netflix/Working Title). The play also reunites long-time collaborators Ian Rickson and Kristin Scott Thomas following their work together on The Seagull (Royal Court/ Broadway – for which Kristin Scott Thomas won an Olivier for her performance), Electra (Old Vic) and West End productions of Betrayal and Old Times (all produced by SFP). This will be Ian Rickson’s twelfth collaboration with SFP including celebrated West End productions such as Jerusalem, Rosmersholm, Uncle Vanya, The Children’s Hour and The Birthday Party . Lily James last appeared on stage in the SFP production of All About Eve (West End). Lyonesse will be designed by Georgia Lowe, with lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yun , music by Stephen Warbeck , sound by Tingying Dong and casting by Amy Ball CDG . Up Up

Back to News & Press GQ and Editorial Intelligence's 100 Most Connected Women 2014 Thursday, 10 April 2014 Having led more than 130 new productions, and with Tony and Olivier Awards to her name, Friedman has been described as a "peerless powerhouse" of the theatre. Read the full article here . Up Up

Back to Productions JUST FOR ONE DAY - THE LIVE AID MUSICAL ★★★★ "A RIP-ROARING NEW MUSICAL" The Telegraph ON 13 JULY 1985, MUSIC UNITED THE WORLD. 40 years on, discover the story of Live Aid in a whole new way — in London’s West End at JUST FOR ONE DAY – The Live Aid Musical. The show’s World Premiere production “blew the roof off the Old Vic” (Baz Bamigboye) in early 2024, where it became the theatre’s fastest-selling musical ever. This exhilarating night out “rocks in all the right ways” (WhatsOnStage), with hit songs by Bob Dylan , David Bowie , The Who , U2 , Queen , Madonna, The Police , Elton John , Paul McCartney , Diana Ross and more of the iconic artists who made history at simultaneous charitable concerts in London and Philadelphia. Live Aid was an unprecedented global music event that brought 1.5 billion people together, and they all have a story to tell about ‘the day rock ‘n’ roll changed the world’. Whether you saw it live, watched it from home or weren’t even born yet, you won’t want to miss this “rip-roaring” (The Telegraph ) and “remarkable” (Daily Mail ) new musical written by John O’Farrell (Mrs. Doubtfire , Something Rotten! ) and directed by Luke Sheppard (& Juliet , The Little Big Things ). 10% from the sale of all tickets will be donated directly to The Band Aid Charitable Trust . By permission of The Band Aid Charitable Trust. ★★★★ "ROCKS IN ALL THE RIGHT WAYS" WhatsOnStage CAST KELLY AGBOWU - Marsha JULIE ATHERTON - Margaret Thatcher JASON BATTERSBY - David JORDAN CAMBRIDGE-TAYLOR - Stevie ELOISE DAVIES - Maria CRAIGE ELS - Bob Geldof KERRY ENRIGHT - Swing (Bella) JAMES HAMEED - Khalil EVAN FOX HARRISON - Swing (Archie) FAYTH IFIL - Jemma MELISSA JACQUES - Suzanne HOPE KENNA - Young Suzanne ESME LAUDAT - Swing (Seraphina) AJ LEWIS - Kai FREDDIE LOVE - Skye TIM MAHENDRAN - Harvey Goldsmith EDDIE MANN - Bob Understudy JAYE MARSHALL - Swing (Rhianne) / Dance Captain RHIANNE-LOUISE MCCAULSKY - Amara EMILY OOI - Ellie ASHLEY SAMUELS - Jim SADIE-JEAN SHIRLEY - Swing (Willow) / Assistant Dance Captain LUKIN SIMMONDS - Swing (Vill) JAKE SMALL - John Kennedy JACK MICHAEL STACEY - Tim TAMARA TARE - Alicia GEORGE URGE - Midge Ure (No Relation) DYD WYNFORD - Swing (Malcolm) CREATIVES JOHN O'FARRELL - Writer LUKE SHEPPARD - Director MATTHEW BRIND - Musical Supervisor, Arranger & Orchestrator EBONY MOLINA - Choreography SOUTRA GILMOUR - Set Design FAY FULLERTON - Costume Design HOWARD HUDSON - Lighting Design GARETH OWEN - Sound Design ANDRZEJ GOULDING - Video & Projection Design STUART BURT CDG - Casting Director PATRICK HURLEY - Musical Director SARA ANIQAH MALIK - Associate Director NICOLE ALPHONCE - Associate Choreographer TOBY MURRAY - Resident Director ANDY GREEN - Associate Sound Designer HEATHER SCOTT - Associate Video Designer LAURA HUNT - Costume Supervisor SUZY BARRETT - Wigs Supervisor CHRIS MARCUS & JONATHAN HALL - Props Supervisor JON BATH - Executive Producer JOHN KENNEDY - Executive Producer GEORGINA RAE - Executive Producer SIMON MARLOW - Production Management JAMIE WILSON PRODUCTIONS - General Management

Back to Productions MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG - FILM This film will be released on 5 December 2025. Broadway never saw a better triple-act than Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez. Chicago Tribune Spanning three decades, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley. Originally produced on Broadway in 1981, then becoming an inventive cult-classic ahead of its time, the musical features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated and personal songs. The 2023-2024 Broadway production, directed by Friedman, redefined the show for a new era, bringing Stephen Sondheim’s intricate score and George Furth’s book to vivid life with extraordinary depth and clarity. MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG shattered the Hudson Theatre’s house record on Broadway, solidifying its place as a landmark event in Broadway history. The critically acclaimed production won the 2024 Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical and Best Orchestrations. Additionally, in London, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG garnered the most five-star reviews in West-End history, with Friedman’s production also winning the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG is produced by Sonia Friedman, David Babani, Patrick Catullo, F. Richard Pappas, RadicalMedia’s Jon Kamen, and Dave Sirulnick. Executive Producers include Meredith Bennett, No Guarantees Productions, Scott Abrams, Jonathan Corr, Mary Maggio, Jeff Romley, Tony Yurgaitis, Andrew Cohen, Amanda Lipitz, Henry Tisch alongside Co-executive producer Stephanie P. McClelland. Karla Zambrano and Alec Sash serve as Supervising Producers. MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG is available theatrically from Fathom Entertainment in the United States and will also be distributed by Fathom in Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and the UK. Maria Friedman's inspired re-invention of Merrily We Roll Along makes Broadway - and Sondheim - feel newly and fully alive again. Ben Brantley Sony Pictures Classics and Fathom Entertainment have produced the live filmed version of the smash four-time Tony Award-winning musical, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, directed by Maria Friedman. The film will open in theaters worldwide beginning on December 5, 2025, and will be released in collaboration with Fathom Entertainment, the leading specialty distributor of content to theatrical partners worldwide. In advance of the highly anticipated immersive film, Sony Pictures Classics has debuted the official trailer HERE , giving audiences an early glimpse at the brilliant and groundbreaking vision of Friedman and showcasing the incredible performances by Tony Award winners Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez, alongside Krystal Joy Brown, Katie Rose Clark and Reg Rogers. As close to perfect as Broadway gets. USA Today CAST DANIEL RADCLIFFE – Charley Kringas JONATHAN GROFF – Franklin Shepard LINDSAY MENDEZ – Mary Flynn KRYSTAL JOY BROWN – Gussie Carnegie KATIE ROSE CLARKE – Beth Shepard REG ROGERS – Joe Josephson MAX RACKENBERG – Frank Jr. BRADY WAGNER – Frank Jr. SHERZ ALETAHA – Scotty/Mrs. Spencer/Auditionee/Understudy Mary Flynn MAYA BOYD – Mimi from Paramount/Make-Up Artist/Understudy Gussie Carnegie LEANA RAE CONCEPCION – Claudia/Newscaster/Auditionee/Understudy Beth Shepard MORGAN KIRNER – Swing/Dance Captain COREY MACH – Tyler/Understudy Franklin Shepard TALIA SIMONE ROBINSON – Meg Kincaid/Understudy Beth Shepard AMANDA ROSE – Swing JAMILA SABARES-KLEMM – Dory/Evelyn/Pianist/Understudy Mary Flynn/Understudy Gussie Carnegie BRIAN SEARS – Bunker/Newscaster/Photographer/Understudy Charley Kringas EVAN ALEXANDER SMITH – Greg From Paramount/Understudy Franklin Shepard CHRISTIAN STRANGE – RU/Reverend KORAY TARHAN – Swing/Understudy Charley Kringas VISHAL VAIDYA – Jerome/Understudy Joe Josephson NATALIE WACHEN – Kt/Understudy Gussie Carnegie JACOB KEITH WATSON – Terry/Mr. Spencer/Understudy Joe Josephson CREATIVES STEPHEN SONDHEIM – Music & Lyrics GEORGE FURTH – Book MARIA FRIEDMAN – Director GEORGE S. KAUFMAN & MOSS HART – Original Play HAROLD PRINCE – Original Direction TIM JACKSON – Choreography JONATHAN TUNICK – Orchestrations SOUTRA GILMOUR – Scenic & Costume Designer AMITH CHANDRASHAKER – Lighting Designer KAI HARADA – Sound Designer COOKIE JORDAN – Hair & Wig Designer JIM CARNAHAN, CSA & JASON THINGER, CSA – Casting CATHERINE JAYES – Music Supervisor JOEL FRAM – Music Director

Back to News & Press The Inheritance wins at the 2020 Drama League Awards Wednesday, 17 June 2020 It was announced today that The Inheritance was the recipient of the Oustanding Production of a Play prize in this year’s Drama League Awards. This year's recipients honor the 2019-2020 theatrical season, which ended early on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Up Up