Everything you need to know about 'The Truth'

Learn all about Florian Zeller's celebrated comedy as it comes to the West End in a star-studded revival.

Summary

• Florian Zeller's comedy 'The Truth' is playing in West End
• The Apollo Theatre production features Stephen Mangan and Sarah Hadland
• The play centres on two couples and explores infidelity and honesty
• The award-winning Zeller's other work includes 'The Father' and 'The Son'

Florian Zeller’s brilliantly witty comedy about love, infidelity, honesty and deception is getting a belated, and much-deserved, West End run following its UK premiere a decade ago. This gem of a play features two couples, including a pair of best friends, caught in a tangled web, with each scene revealing a surprising new dimension both for the characters and the audience.

Directed by Lindsay Posner, this must-see Apollo Theatre run stars a fantastic quartet of actors: Stephen Mangan, Sarah Hadland, Ardal O’Hanlon, and Janie Dee. Learn all about The Truth ahead of your trip.

Book The Truth tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

What is The Truth about?

The Truth opens with a post-coital conversation between Michel and his lover Alice – who happens to be the wife of Michel’s best friend, Paul. The cheating pair question whether they should spill the beans to their respective spouses – is honesty always the best policy? Alice also wants more of a romantic commitment from the ever-elusive Michel, while he worries about his wife Laurence rumbling him.

As this masterfully constructed one-act play unfolds, those central questions around morality, love, power, friendship, and self-image are fascinatingly explored – in both hilariously comic, and poignantly dramatic, ways. No spoilers here: this is definitely one to fully experience live!

Who wrote The Truth?

The Truth was written by the acclaimed French playwright, novelist and screenwriter Florian Zeller. His other work includes The Father – both a Tony and Olivier Award-winning play and an Oscar-winning movie – The Mother, The Son, and The Height of the Storm. His next project is a film starring Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and Stephen Graham. Zeller’s plays are translated for English audiences by the Oscar-winning Christopher Hampton, whose work also includes Le Liaisons Dangereuses, Art, and Sunset Boulevard.

The Truth premiered in Paris in 2011, and had its UK premiere at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory in 2016, starring Alexander Hanson, Frances O’Connor, Tanya Franks, and Robert Portal. The successful production then transferred to Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End, and it was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Play.

Who are the characters in The Truth?

The characters in The Truth are:

• Michel: a charismatic, self-deceiving businessman who is married to Laurence.
• Alice: Michel’s long-time lover, and wife of Paul, Michel’s best friend.
• Paul: recently unemployed, the apparently clueless spouse and friend.
• Laurence: Michel’s elegant, enigmatic wife.

Where is The Truth playing?

The show is playing at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the heart of London’s West End. The theatre has a seating capacity of 658.

When is The Truth playing?

The Truth is booking from 9 June to 12 September 2026. Performances take place from Monday to Saturday at 8pm, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 3pm.

How long is The Truth?

The running time of the show is one hour and 30 minutes, without an interval.

Who is in the cast of The Truth?

The Truth stars an incredible quartet of actors with both comic and dramatic experience. Stephen Mangan is best known for TV shows like Green Wing, Episodes, and The Split, and stage work including The Norman Conquests, Perfect Nonsense, The Birthday Party, and Unicorn. He’s joined by Sarah Hadland, beloved by sitcom fans as Stevie in Miranda; her other work includes Moving Wallpaper, Horrible Histories, and Noises Off.

The Truth also stars Ardal O’Hanlan, whose work ranges from TV shows like Father Ted, My Hero, and Death in Paradise to stage productions such as God of Carnage, Dancing at Lughnasa, and The Weir. Completing the cast is the Olivier Award-winning Janie Dee, whose numerous stage credits include Carousel, Comic Potential, Betrayal, The Motive and the Cue, A Little Night Music, and Follies.

Who is in the creative team of The Truth?

The Truth is directed by Lindsay Posner, whose many acclaimed West End productions include Oleanna, The Birthday Party, Fiddler on the Roof, An Ideal Husband, and Abigail’s Party. The production has set and costume design by Lizzie Clachan (The Lady from the Sea, The Witches), lighting design by Richard Howell (Othello, The Real Thing), and sound design by Adam Cork (London Road, Red).

What are some fun facts about The Truth?

• The Truth is a “mirror play”: it has a partner, Zeller’s 2014 comedy The Lie. That was also staged in London (in 2017, at the Menier Chocolate Factory), and likewise features four characters, with the same names as The Truth, and a teasing, labyrinthine plot. The Menier production featured Alexander Hanson and real-life spouse Samantha Bond.

• Florian Zeller is a Harold Pinter devotee, and this play in particular is in conversation with the legendary British playwright. The playscript opens with a quote from Pinter’s similarly themed Betrayal: “As you are my best and oldest friend and, in the present instance, my host, I decided to take this opportunity to tell your wife how beautiful she was.”

• Zeller also includes a Molière quote at the beginning of his playtext, setting out the major discussion point of the play: “A lie is only a sin if it does harm. When it does good, it’s a very great virtue.” Your opinion on that might well change over the course of the evening!

• The Truth’s international success has proven that its thought-provoking ideas really are universal. It has played not just in France and the UK but also in countries such as India, Australia, Germany, and Kosovo – with some of the details adapted to reflect the new context, but the essential themes remaining.

Main photo credit: cast of The Truth (Photo courtesy of the production). Inset: The Truth at the Menier Chocolate Factory (Photos by Marc Brenner)