Back to News & Press Public bookings open for Bend it Like Beckham Friday, 7 November 2014 Tickets go on sale today (7 November) for the world premiere of the new British stage musical Bend It Like Beckham . Directed by Gurinder Chadha, 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 by Nigel 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 and Deepak Nayar Productions. 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 include The 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 The Dreaming. 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. Up Up

Back to Productions THE CHILDREN'S HOUR This production began performances on 22nd January and closed on 30th April 2011. ★★★★ A powerful night in the West End. Keira Knightley wins her theatrical spurs. She displays confidence throughout to dramatic heights that are shattering in their intensity and deeply affecting. Elisabeth Moss is subtle and strong. Ian Rickson’s enthralling production. Compelling. The Daily Telegraph When a schoolgirl's whisper spreads, it triggers a chain of events with extraordinary consequences. Karen Wright ( Keira Knightley ) and Martha Dobie ( Elisabeth Moss ) run a girls’ boarding school in 1930s New England, where they become entangled in a devastating story of deceit, shame and courage. The stars deliver in Ian Rickson’s assured and beautiful production. A blazingly hot ticket. Evening Standard Banned in London and several cities across America, The Children's Hour received its world premiere on Broadway in 1934. Generations on, its potent exploration of a culture of fear remains startlingly relevant. Sonia Friedman Productions & Scott Landis , Bob Bartner/Norman Tulchin , Max Cooper , Scott M Delman , Roy Furman , Jon B Platt in association with Rupert Gavin presents “THE CHILDREN’S HOUR ”. Excellent performances, the acting throughout is a pleasure. Elisabeth Moss is outstanding The Guardian CAST LISA BACKWELL – Evelyn Munn ISABELLA BRAZIER-JONES – Helen Burton ELLEN BURSTYN – Amelia Tilford POPPY CARTER – Janet MARAMA CORLETT – Lois Fisher NANCY CRANE – Agatha AMY DAWSON – Rosalie Wells ISABEL ELLISON – Catherine BRYONY HANNAH – Mary Tilford CAROL KANE – Lily Mortar KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – Karen Wright TOBIAS MENZIES – Dr Joseph Cardin ELISABETH MOSS – Martha Dobie NATHAN NOLAN – Grocery Boy EVE PONSONBY – Peggy Rodgers CREATIVES LILLIAN HELLMAN – Playwright IAN RICKSON – Director MARK THOMPSON – Designer NEIL AUSTIN – Lighting Designer STEPHEN WARBECK – Music PAUL GROOTHUIS – Sound Designer

Back to News & Press Mark Rylance to star on Broadway in Twelfth Night and Richard III Sunday, 9 June 2013 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 . The critically heralded all-male Shakespeare’s Globe productions of Twelfth Night and Richard III , which delighted audiences and broke all box office records in London’s West End earlier this year, will open Sunday, November 10 at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street), with previews beginning October 15. The productions, directed by Tim Carroll , designed by Jenny Tiramani and with music by Claire van Kampen , will play a limited engagement for 16 weeks. Tickets are on sale now through www.telecharge.com . For a schedule of performances and more information, please visit www.ShakespeareBroadway.com . The producers are pleased to announce that at every performance, 250 seats will be set aside to be sold for $25. These seats will include the entire balcony, as well as selected seats in the orchestra, mezzanine, boxes and Globe-style on-stage seating, bookable in advance. Over 20,000 $25 tickets will be made available throughout the run. Twelfth Night and Richard III are both presented with an extraordinary all-male company playing both male and female roles, as the plays were originally staged in Shakespeare’s day. The productions are filled with music, played live by seven musicians on traditional Elizabethan instruments in a gallery above the stage, and are lit almost exclusively by the glow of 100 on-stage candles, adding to the intimate and authentic atmosphere. Entering the theatre, audiences will also witness the pre-show ritual of actors dressing and preparing their make-up on stage, adding to the unique and immersive theatrical experience. “These productions show how laugh-out-loud funny, thrillingly theatrical and immediate Shakespeare plays can be,” the producers commented. “To see Mark Rylance, who is one of the world’s greatest, most accomplished and acclaimed stage actors, and the remarkable Shakespeare’s Globe company in these two uniquely staged extraordinary productions is an unforgettable experience. It is important to us that the opportunity is accessible to all audiences, across the house, so we are thrilled to be able to offer 250 seats at $25 for every performance, bookable in advance, throughout the engagement.” Twelfth Night and Richard III offer the first opportunity for Broadway audiences to see Mark Rylance performing Shakespeare, for which he has earned such accolades as “our greatest living actor” (The Independent ) and “the most exciting stage actor of his generation” (The Times ). From his early performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company to his 10 years as the first Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe (1995-2005), UK critics and audiences have celebrated Rylance for his fresh, hilarious and inventive performances in Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, Two Gentlemen of Verona and As You Like It , among others. Much loved playwright, screenwriter, actor, writer, poet, journalist, comedian, television personality and national treasure Stephen Fry will make his Broadway acting debut as Malvolio in Twelfth Night . Tony Award®-nominee and Drama Desk Award-winner Samuel Barnett (The History Boys ) will appear as Viola in Twelfth Night and Queen Elizabeth in Richard III . Full casting for both productions will be announced in coming weeks. The plays, which will mark the Broadway debut for London’s world-famous Shakespeare’s Globe, will be staged in repertory, with six performances of Twelfth Night and two performances of Richard III a week (post opening), with the opportunity to see the two productions in one day on Wednesdays and Saturdays. 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, reveling at every moment in his homicidal, hypocritical journey to absolute power. SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE Founded by the pioneering American actor and director Sam Wanamaker, Shakespeare’s Globe is a vibrant organization and reconstructed open-air theatre on the banks of the River Thames dedicated to the exploration of Shakespearean, Elizabethan, Jacobean, and contemporary theatre. Through an ambitious and lively theatre season, a dynamic and varied education program and a rich and interesting exhibition, the Globe has become a significant part of the national and international theatre landscape. Under the Globe’s first artistic director, Mark Rylance, and now its second, Dominic Dromgoole, the theatre has worked its way through Shakespeare’s canon, providing a huge wealth of insight into each play when it is produced afresh within the architecture for which Shakespeare originally wrote. The Globe has always been an international story, having been built by an American; welcoming international audiences into its oak embrace throughout its life and taking its work back out into the world including many theatre tours and workshops in the US. In January 2014, Shakespeare’s Globe will present the first season of plays in its newly constructed Sam Wanamaker Playhouse – a Jacobean archetype of an early indoor theatre, completely unique amongst London venues and enabling Shakespeare’s Globe to present theatre productions all year round. Up Up

Back to Productions THE MYSTERY OF CHARLES DICKENS This production began performances on 6th September and closed on 14th October 2000. In a life beset by ecstasy and tragedy, by public acclaim and private despair, a great man is elevated and debased by his wild and restless imagination. As his remarkable life unfurls on stage, prepare to encounter some of Victorian England's most intriguing characters. Fresh from a sell-out national UK Tour, THE MYSTERY OF CHARLES DICKENS transfers to the West End for a strictly limited season at the Comedy Theatre. Simon Callow 's performance has been acclaimed nationwide as tremendous, from his poignant portrayal of the young Dickens to the charismatic snapshots of some of the legendary characters including Mr Micawber, Mrs Gamp, Pickwick, Scrooge, Bill Sykes and Nancy, Vincent Crummles, Mister Jingle, Fagin and Miss Haversham - an astounding tour de force. This extraordinary new play marks the theatrical debut of best-selling novelist and definitive Dickens biographer Peter Ackroyd . He has created a sensational insight into the life and times of Charles Dickens , leading us through his turbulent and fascinating life story. Starring the multi-award-winning Simon Callow and directed by Patrick Garland (Chimes at Midnight - Chichester Festival Theatre, Talking Heads for the BBC), Dickens reunites the creative team behind the critically acclaimed The Importance of Being Oscar. Funny and utterly compelling, THE MYSTERY OF CHARLES DICKENS combines a brilliant performance with outstanding writing, to create an unforgettable theatrical experience. CAST SIMON CALLOW CREATIVES PETER ACKROYD – Playwright PATRICK GARLAND – Director CHRISTOPHER WOODS – Designer NICK RICHINGS – Lighting Designer

Back to Productions FANGIRLS This production began performances on 13th July and closed on 24th August 2024 as part of the Lyric Hammersmith's 2024 season. ★★★★★ Combining the acid wit of ‘Six’, the rebel streak of ‘Matilda‘ and the gooey heart of ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’, Yve Blake’s new musical will inspire outsized feelings and ardent devotion The Independent FANGIRLS , written and composed by Yve Blake and directed by Paige Rattray , will close the season in a six-week run from 13 July – 24 August . The multi-award-winning Australian pop musical phenomenon makes its UK premiere in a brand-new production co-produced with Sonia Friedman Productions. Edna is in love with Harry. But she’s a 14-year-old misfit and he’s a singer in the biggest boyband in the world. FANGIRLS is the embodiment of the rush of first love; an effervescent, adrenaline-fuelled, electrifying night out. ★★★★★ An extraordinary, heartfelt show that also embraces the ridiculous WhatsOnStage Get ready for an unmissable show that pulses with the soaring adrenaline of a first crush and feels like the best pop concert you’ve never been to… Meet Edna: she's 14, she’s a mistfit, and she's in love with Harry. There's just one problem: Harry’s in the world’s biggest boy band, has 38 million fans, and doesn't know she exists. When Harry’s band announces a tour stop in Edna's hometown of Sydney, Australia, she knows this is her destiny – her one chance to meet him. But how on EARTH will she get Harry's attention?! And exactly how far is she prepared to go in the name of love? If you think this is just a story about loving a boy band... think again. FANGIRLS is a thrilling and subversive musical comedy about the danger of underestimating teenage girls. After multiple sell-out runs across Australia, including the Sydney Opera House, this brand new production of the multi-award-winning, pop musical phenomenon FANGIRLS is about to take the UK by storm. ★★★★★ Fangirls has everything that you could want from modern musical theatre Broadway World CAST MIRACLE CHANCE (SHE/HER) – Brianna JASMINE ELCOCK (SHE/HER) – Edna MAC GILL (HE/SHE/THEY) – Greta / Ensemble (Swing / Dance Captain) THOMAS GRANE (HE/HIM) – Harry MAX JAMES HODGE (HE/HIM) – Pat / Ensemble (cover Salty / Harry) TERIWUE JARRETT (HE/HIM) – Salty DEBBIE KURUP (SHE/HER) – Caroline MARY MALONE (SHE/HER) – Jules GRACIE MCGONICAL (SHE/HER) – Lily EVE NAOMI DE LEON ALLEN (THEY/THEM) – Dom / Ensemble (cover Jules / Brianna) LENA PATTIE JONES (SHE/HER) – Ash / Ensemble (cover Edna / Lily) NICKY WONG RUSH (HE/THEY) – Odette / Ensemble (Assistant Dance Captain) CREATIVES YVE BLAKE – Book, Music and Lyrics PAIGE RATTRAY – Director DAVID FLEISCHER – Production Designer EBONY WILLIAMS – Choreographer ASH J WOODWARD – Video Designer JESSICA HUNG HAN YUN – Lighting Designer TONY GAYLE – Sound Designer ZARA STANTON – Vocal Arranger and Orchestrator DAVID MURATORE – Music Producer ALEX SARMIENTO – Associate Choreographer LAURENCE STANNARD – Associate Musical Director

Back to Productions FARINELLI AND THE KING – BROADWAY This production began performances on 5th December 2017 and closed on 25th March 2018. ★★★★★ Mark Rylance leads a pitch-perfect production The Independent King Philippe V of Spain ( Mark Rylance ), plagued by insomnia, lies awake in his chamber. The Queen, desperate for a cure, hears of Farinelli - a castrato with a voice so divine it has the power to captivate all who hear it. Philippe is astonished when Farinelli sings, and begs him to stay. But will Farinelli, one of the greatest celebrities of his time, choose a life of solitude over fame and fortune in the opera houses of Europe? ★★★★★ John Dove’s spellbinding, superbly staged production Mail on Sunday In its five-star review, The Independent hailed FARINELLI AND THE KING as a “profoundly funny and haunting meditation on the power of music in a pitch-perfect production by John Dove. Mark Rylance’s Phillipe is like the love child of Stan Laurel and Hamlet.” FARINELLI AND THE KING originally premiered to rave reviews and played a sold-out run at Shakespeare’s Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in February 2015. The production later played a sold-out engagement in the West End in Fall 2015, where it was the highest-grossing show in the history of the Duke of York’s Theatre, and received six Olivier Award nominations. FARINELLI AND THE KING returns Mark Rylance to the Belasco, where he triumphed with the double bill staging of Twelfth Night and Richard III in the 2013-2014 season. Mark Rylance won his third Tony Award for his performance as Olivia in Twelfth Night and was also Tony-nominated for his performance in the title role of Richard III . FARINELLI AND THE KING is Mark Rylance ’s first return to Broadway since he won the 2016 Academy Award for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies . ★★★★★ An evening that no theatre or music lover can afford to miss Sunday Express CAST MARK RYLANCE SAM CRANE HUSS GARBIYA COLIN HURLEY EDWARD PEEL IESTYN DAVIES – Singing voice of Farinelli CREATIVES CLAIRE VAN KAMPEN – Playwright JOHN DOVE – Director JONATHAN FENSOM – Set and Costume Designer CLAIRE CAN KEMPEN – Musical Arrangements

Back to News & Press The Birthday Party opens at the Harold Pinter Theatre to widespread critical acclaim Thursday, 25 January 2018 The Birthday Party - Ian Rickson 's 'immaculate production' (The Observer) is now running at the Harold Pinter Theatre for a strictly limited season. Having opened to widespread critical acclaim, this 'starry, meticulous, beautifully considered revival' (Independent) confirms that 'the ultimate Pinter revival has arrived' (The Times). ★★★★★ ‘A fantastic revival of a darkly comic masterpiece’ The Telegraph ★★★★★ ‘Ian Rickson’s superlative revival confirms afresh that this is a darkly comic masterpiece’ The Telegraph ★★★★ ‘An extravaganza of talent. You couldn’t wish for a better revival than this.’ The Times ★★★★ ‘Packed with illuminating detail, Ian Rickson’s starry production does rich justice to Harold Pinter’s captivating psychodrama’ The Guardian ★★★★ ‘Ian Rickson’s immaculate production of Harold Pinter’s seaside dreamscape’ The Observer ★★★★ ‘Ian Rickson has given us a beautifully judged, beautifully acted, powerful revival of Pinter’s first masterpiece. Gripping from start to finish.’ Sunday Times ★★★★ ‘A meticulous, beautifully considered, richly eloquent production - not to be missed.’ The Independent ★★★★ ‘Ian Rickson’s starry revival is a scrupulously precise production with a finely balanced blend of comedy and menace. Pinter's dialogue has rarely sounded sharper’ Evening Standard ★★★★ ‘A rip-roaring, wonderfully dark rendition of Pinter's masterpiece’ CityA.M. ★★★★ ‘Toby Jones is mesmerising’ The Times ★★★★ ‘Stephen Mangan plays Goldberg brilliantly’ The Guardian ★★★★ ‘Zoë Wanamaker is absolutely terrific’ The Times ★★★★ ‘Pearl Mackie is excellent’ Sunday Times ★★★★ ‘Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is compelling’ The Observer ★★★★ ‘Peter Wight is superb’ The Independent Up Up

Back to Productions THE SUNSHINE BOYS – L.A. This production began performances on 24th September and closed on 3rd November 2013. Theatrical gold dust. Richard Griffiths and Danny DeVito could wring comedy out of reading the telephone directory. Sunday Telegraph Kings of comedy, Willie Clark (Danny DeVito) and Al Lewis (Richard Griffiths) aka The Sunshine Boys haven’t spoken to each other in years. When CBS call for the vaudevillian greats to be re-united for a nostalgic History of Comedy, past grudges resurface as they take centre stage once more. Ageing ailments aside, can this legendary double-act overcome their differences for one last show? Old rivalry and vintage hilarity abound in Neil Simon’s classic comedy of showbiz and friendship. Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths raise the roof in The Sunshine Boys. Glowing performances. Joyous Revival The Guardian Center Theatre Group L.A.’s Theatre Company , Ahmanson Theatre , Mark Taper Forum , Kirk Douglas Theatre , Michael Ritchie (Artistic Director), Edward L. Rada (Managing Director), Gordon Davidson (Founding Artistic Director), by special arrangement with Richard Willis , Sonia Friedman Productions , Roger Berlind Tulchin Bartner Productions , Rupert Gavin , Darren Bagert/Martin Massman presents “THE SUNSHINE BOYS ” by Neil Simon , directed by Tha Sharrock . Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths make a wonderfully ill-matched couple Metro CAST DANNY DEVITO – Willie Clark JUDD HIRSCH – Al Lewis JUSTIN BARTHA – Ben Silvermann GIBBY BRAND – Patient FRANK KOPYC – V.O. TV Director MATTHEW BOHRER – Eddie ANNIE ABRAMS – Miss MacKintosh JOHNNIE FIORI – Registered Nurse CREATIVES NIEL SIMON – Playwright THA SHARROCK – Director HILDEGARD BECHTLER – Set and Costume Designer NEIL AUSTIN – Lighting Designer ADRIAN JOHNSTON – Music CRICKET S MYERS – Sound Designer JIM CARNAHAN – Casting

Back to Productions MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING This production began performances on 15th May and closed on 3rd September 2011. Tennant and Tate sparkle in Much Ado The Guardian Two young lovers Claudio and Hero are to be married imminently but the devious scheming of a resentful Prince looks set to thwart the nuptials. Meanwhile, marriage seems inconceivable for reluctant lovers Beatrice ( Catherine Tate ) and Benedick ( David Tennant ) whose endless witty sparring threatens to keep them apart forever. Rourke’s production has a freshness and a wit that is often irresistible… A mixture of slapstick and flight that reduces the audience to a state of blissful hilarity. The Daily Telegraph Starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate . There is much to love here and nothing to fault Daily Mirror CAST In order of speaking: JONATHAN COY – Leonato LEO STAAR – Messenger CATHERINE TATE – Beatrice SARAH MACRAE – Hero ADAM JAMES – Don Pedro DAVID TENNANT – Benedick ELLIOT LEVEY – Don Jon TOM BATEMAN – Claudio ANNA FARNWORTH – Innogen LEE KNIGHT – Conrade ALEX BECKETT – Borachio JOSHUA BERG – Titus NATALIE THOMAS – Margaret KATHRYN HUNT – Ursula DEREK HOWARD – Angelo MARIO MARIN-BORQUEZ – Boy BAILEY PEPPER – Boy EUGENE LEWIS – Boy ENZO SQUILLINO JNR. – Balthasar/Sexton JOHN RAMM – Dogberry MIKE GRADY – Verges CLIVE HAYWARD – Hugh Oatcake/Friar Francis NICHOLAS LUMLEY – George Seacoal HANNAH WARREN-GREEN – Maria CREATIVES JOSIE ROURKE – Director ROB JONES – Designer PETER MUMFORD – Lighting Designer MICHAEL BRUCE – Composer EMMA LAXTON – Sound Desigmer GEORGINA LAMB – Movement ALASTAIR COOMER CDG – Casting Director ROBERT HASTIE – Associate Director

Back to News & Press Full cast announced for Ink at the Duke of York's Theatre Sunday, 3 September 2017 Directed by Rupert Goold (King Charles III ), the returning cast includes Oliver Birch , Rachel Caffrey , Bertie Carvel , Pearl Chanda , Richard Coyle , Geoffrey Freshwater , Jack Holden , Justin Salinger , Sophie Stanton , Tim Steed , Tony Turner and Rene Zagger , with Jonathan Coy joining the company to play the role of Hugh Cudlipp. They will be joined on stage by Natalie Law , Andrew McDonald , Jonny McPherson , Owen Oldroyd and Joel Samuels who form the ensemble. Ink is designed by Bunny Christie , with lighting by Neil Austin . Over 20,000 tickets for the West End run will be on sale at £20 or less. Fleet Street. 1969. The Sun rises. A young and rebellious Rupert Murdoch asks the impossible and launches The Sun’s first editor’s quest: to give the people what they want. No matter the cost. ★★★★★ ‘A play for today. The blazingly talented James Graham has penned a super, soaraway smash.’ The Daily Telegraph Ink is James Graham ’s Almeida Theatre debut. His work for theatre, television and film includes This House , which had two sell-out runs at the National Theatre, and a run at the Garrick Theatre in the West End, was broadcast to cinemas internationally by NT Live and will tour the UK early 2018; Finding Neverland (book) on Broadway; Privacy and The Vote (broadcast live on television on election night 2015) at the Donmar Warehouse; Coalition for Channel 4; Monster Raving Loony for Theatre Royal Plymouth and Soho Theatre, and The Whisky Taster at the Bush Theatre. He remains the writer in residence at the Finborough Theatre. His first feature film X+Y for BBC Films was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival and the London Film Festival before an international cinema release in Spring 2015. James has been commissioned to write a TV drama set around the events of the 2016 Referendum and a film adaptation of 1984 . Rupert Goold is the Almeida Theatre’s Artistic Director, he will direct the forthcoming production of Albion by Mike Bartlett this Autumn. His previous productions for the Almeida Theatre include Richard III , which was broadcast live to cinemas around the world in July 2016, Medea , The Merchant of Venice , King Charles III and American Psycho , which opened on Broadway in April 2016. He was Artistic Director of Headlong from 2005 until 2013 where his work included The Effect , ENRON , Earthquakes in London and Decade . Other theatre credits include Made in Dagenham in the West End; The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the Almeida; Macbeth at Chichester Festival Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway; and No Man’s Land at The Gate, Dublin and in the West End. He has twice been the recipient of the Laurence Olivier, Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard Awards for Best Director. He was Associate Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2009 to 2012 and was Artistic Director of Northampton Theatres from 2002 to 2005. On film he directed the BAFTA nominated Richard II , part of The Hollow Crown , and Macbeth for the BBC, feature True Story , starring James Franco and Jonah Hill, and an adaptation of his production of Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III for BBC Two. Rupert was awarded a CBE for services to drama in the 2017 New Year’s Honours. Up Up

Back to Productions KING CHARLES III – AUSTRALIA This production began on 31st March and closed 30th April 2016. Play of the year. Bold, brilliant theatre doesn’t get much better than this The Times The Queen is dead: after a lifetime of waiting, the prince ascends the throne. A future of power. But how to rule? Attendance is compulsory. A royal entertaining drama for our time Daily Telegraph Directed by the Almeida Theatre’s artistic director Rupert Goold , this ‘bracingly provocative and outrageously entertaining new play’ (The Independent) explores the people underneath the crowns, the unwritten rules of our democracy, and the conscience of Britain’s most famous family. King Charles III is the fourth production to transfer from the Almeida Theatre to the West End with co-producer Sonia Friedman Productions , following Chimerica, Ghosts and 1984. Tim Pigott-Smith plays Charles. The cast also includes Richard Goulding , Nyasha Hatendi , Adam James , Margot Leicester , Tom Robertson , Nicholas Rowe , Tafline Steen and Lydia Wilson . Sonia Friedman Productions , Stuart Thompson Productions and The Almeida Theatre, in association with Lee Dean & Charles Diamon and Tulchin Bartner Productions , present the Almeida production of “KING CHARLES III ”. Play of the year. A crowning achievement Mail on Sunday CAST TIM PIGOTT-SMITH RICHARD GOULDING NYASHA HATENDI ADAM JAMES MARGOT LEICESTER TOM ROBERTSON NICHOLAS ROWE TAFLINE STEEN LYDIA WILSON CREATIVES RUPERT GOOLD – Director TOM SCUTT – Designer JON CLARK – Lighting PAUL ARDITTI – Sound

Back to News & Press Sonia Friedman has been ranked as the top producer in the Stage 100 2020 Thursday, 2 January 2020 On Sonia Friedman , The Stage said: By her own extraordinary standards, 2019 was a slightly subdued year for Friedman, who last topped this list in 2017. Still, even in a relatively quiet year, Friedman managed to pick up seven Olivier and six Tony awards for her shows, while continuing the global roll-out of arguably the world’s hottest theatre brand. Sonia Friedman Productions’ critically acclaimed stagings of Summer and Smoke and The Inheritance closed in January, going on to scoop best revival and best new play respectively at the Oliviers. Ivo van Hove’s All About Eve did not quite land with critics, but it did superb business, thanks in no small part to its starry cast, led by Gillian Anderson and Lily James. Trevor Nunn’s revival of Fiddler on the Roof, which SFP transferred from the Menier Chocolate Factory, ran pretty much throughout the year, joining the ever-present Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Book of Mormon in the West End, while Mormon also embarked on its first UK and European tour. But the artistic highlight of Friedman’s UK output in 2019 was Rosmersholm: this Rolls-Royce revival of a rarely staged Ibsen play was hailed by the Guardian’s Michael Billington as his number one show of the past year: “I’d rate this one of the best Ibsen productions I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Everything about this production felt right.” Rosmersholm served as a welcome reminder that high-quality, classical drama can still thrive in the West End (just about) and it was a great example of the kind of top-class commercial theatre in which Friedman specialises. Internationally, it was all go. Ink and The Ferryman both triumphed at the Tony Awards and were followed on Broadway by the transfer of The Inheritance. This epic play about three generations of gay men in New York did not quite receive the ecstatic notices it had enjoyed in the West End. It will be interesting to see how it fares at this year’s Tony Awards. Her other Broadway productions included Mean Girls and The Jungle – a decent indication of the staggering range of SFP’s output. Meanwhile, the worldwide roll-out of Harry Potter continued apace with the show opening in Melbourne and San Francisco. Hamburg and Toronto follow in 2020. Back in London, 2020 is shaping up to be an exciting year, with a new Tom Stoppard, Leopoldstadt, plus a new adaptation of Uncle Vanya, a transfer of the US production of To Kill a Mockingbird, and the Almeida’s The Doctor already all lined up for West End runs. But amid all these glittering achievements there was one dark cloud: 2019 was the year that Friedman and her colleagues said goodbye to Teddy, her beloved Bichon Frise dog – a Theatreland icon in her own right and well known as “the real boss of SFP”, who died in May. Up Up