Jonathan Bailey – aka [Anthony Bridgerton](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/discover-the-bridgerton-casts-theatre-history-jonathan-bailey) – is swapping the ton’s marriage mart for the stage as he makes his much-anticipated return to theatre. The actor will play the title role in Shakespeare’s history play *[Richard II](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/14375-richard-ii)* at London’s Bridge Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner, in an exciting new production in spring...

Learn more about Jonathan Bailey before seeing him in 'Richard II'

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The acclaimed actor and *Bridgerton* star is back on stage in Nicholas Hytner's new Bridge Theatre production of Shakespeare's *Richard II* in 2025.

The sun is finally out (some of the time!), and that means the summer theatre season is in full swing, in the West End and beyond. If you’re looking to catch some of London’s great shows during your holiday — or staycation — then you’re in luck: this is a particularly good year for hot, hot, hot summer productions.

Of course, there are the annual outdoor theatre experiences at [Shakespeare’s Globe](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/shakespeares-globe-theatre) and [Regent’s Park Open Air...

Book tickets for shows to see in the West End this summer

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See uplifting, feel-good West End shows in London all summer long, including *Kiss Me, Kate*, *Hello, Dolly!* and *The Wizard of Oz*.

Tracy-Ann Oberman is set to reprise her role as Shylock in [*The Merchant of Venice 1936*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/41659-merchant-of-venice-1936) at the [Trafalgar Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/venues/trafalgar-theatre) in the West End this December for a limited season.

Oberman (*EastEnders, Doctor Who, Friday Night Dinner*) became the first British actress to play Shylock when the production toured the UK in 2023, before opening at the Criterion Theatre in February...

Tracy-Ann Oberman to reprise role in 'The Merchant of Venice 1936' in the West End

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*EastEnders* and *Doctor Who* actor Tracy-Ann Oberman became the first British actress to play Shylock when *The Merchant of Venice 1936* toured the UK last year.

James Graham’s new play *Punch* will transfer to London's Young Vic next March, fresh off its run at Nottingham Playhouse. 

The show, which tells the shocking true story about the fatal consequences of a single punch on a night out, is based on the book *Right from Wrong* by Jacob Dunne.

Julie Hesmondhalgh (*Mr Bates vs The Post Office*) and Tony Hirst (*Hollyoaks*) will reprise their roles as Joan and David, while David Shields (*Black Mirror*) will return as Jacob.

The cast is completed by...

James Graham’s 'Punch' to transfer to Young Vic in London

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Julie Hesmondhalgh and Tony Hirst will reprise their roles as Joan and David in James Graham's play about a single punch that has fatal consequences.

New casting has been announced for Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin's [*Matilda the Musical*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/305-matilda-the-musical-tickets), which is now in its 13th year in the West End. The new cast will join from 10 September.

Angelica Scott will join Anna Deikalo, Ava Posniak, and Sophia Saravanan in the title role of Matilda. Also joining in principal roles are Tiffany Graves as Mrs Wormwood, Neil McDermott as Mr Wormwood, and Eve Norris as Miss Honey. Kieran Hill will...

'Matilda the Musical' announces new casting

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Angelica Scott will join Anna Deikalo, Ava Posniak, and Sophia Saravanan as Matilda, in Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin's musical about an extraordinary little girl.

Dearest gentle reader, it gives me great pleasure to impart to you the news that Jonathan Bailey, better known to *Bridgerton* fans as the 9th Viscount Bridgerton – or Anthony to his family – is taking to the stage in 2025 in a new production of *[Richard II](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/14375-richard-ii)* at London’s [Bridge Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/venues/the-bridge-theatre).

Bailey will play the title role in Nicholas Hytner’s Shakespeare production, which runs from...

Discover the 'Bridgerton' cast's theatre history

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As Jonathan Bailey, star of the hit Netflix romance series, prepares to play Richard II, learn all about Bridgerton cast's success on stage.

New casting has been announced for [*Back to the Future: The Musical*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/22396-back-to-the-future-the-musical-tickets) at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End. The musical has also extended performances through 27 July 2025.

Vasco Emauz will make his West End debut as teenager Marty McFly. He is joined by Orlando Gibbs (*Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play*) as George McFly, C.J. Borger (*Kristin Chenoweth: An Evening With Friends In Honor Of Todd Haimes*) as...

New cast announced for 'Back to the Future: The Musical' in the West End

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Vasco Emauz makes his West End debut as Marty McFly in Bob Gale, Alan Silvestri, and Glen Ballard's musical about a time-travelling teenager and an eccentric scientist.

*SIX* fans rejoice! Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s sophomore musical *Why Am I So Single?* starts previews in August, opening in September. While the pop-infused *SIX* revolutionised the historical musical with its diva-inspired girl group take on the six wives of Henry VIII, this new show is set in the present day and deals with a force even more fearsome and cut-throat than the aforementioned murderous monarch… modern-day dating. 

The story deals with two terminally single friends who happen to...

Everything you need to know about 'Why Am I So Single?'

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The hotly anticipated new show about modern dating by *SIX* writers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss arrives at the Garrick Theatre in the West End this August.

He might not have been the lead in this year's season of Netflix’s *Bridgerton*, but all eyes were nevertheless on Jonathan Bailey as the dashing eldest son and heir Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton, back from honeymoon and blissfully in love with his new wife, Kate. The most eligible leading man of the moment, Bailey will also soon be seen as Fiyero in the hotly anticipated *Wicked* film, opposite Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

In 2025, Bailey will return to the stage with a very different...

John Gielgud to Jonathan Bailey: Stars on stage in Shakespeare's 'Richard II'

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Ahead of Jonathan Bailey's performance as Richard II at the Bridge Theatre, we look at other leading actors to have played the tragic medieval monarch.

Further casting has been revealed for James Macdonald's production of Samuel Beckett’s *Waiting for Godot* in the West End this autumm.

Joining the previously announced Lucian Msamati (*Game of Thrones, Amadeus*) as Estragon and Ben Whishaw (*James Bond, Paddington*) as Vladimir are Tom Edden (*Crazy For You, Cyrano De Bergerac*) as Lucky and Jonathan Slinger (*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Richard II, Richard III*) as Pozzo.

The creative team includes Rae Smith (set and costume design),...

Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati-led 'Waiting for Godot' announces further casting

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Samuel Beckett's play follows Vladimir and Estragon as they discuss a variety of subjects while waiting for the titular Godot, who never arrives.

Find out the full cast for *Jitney* at the Old Vic ahead of its summer engagement. Jitney begins previews at the [Old Vic](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/old-vic-theatre) on 9 June, with an opening night on 15 June and performances to 9 July. [*Jitney* tickets are on sale now.](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/24719-jitney)

The August Wilson play *Jitney* follows taxi-rank manager Jim Becker and a group of unlicensed drivers in the Pittsburgh Hill district. *Jitney* is a play in August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, a collection of plays that document life in 20th-century America. *Jitney* follows life in 1970s Pittsburgh.

The *Jitney* London cast includes Geoff Aymer as Doub, Nnabiko Ejimofor as Shealy, Leanne Henlon as Rena, Solomon Israel as Youngblood, Wil Johnson as JIm Becker, Dayo Koleosho as Philmore, Leemore Marrett Jr as Booster, Tony Marshall as Fielding and Sule Rimi as Turnbo. Lindon Alexander, Lincoln Conway, Blair Gyabaah and Yolanda Ovide are Jitney understudies.

Tinuke Craig directs *Jitney* for the co-production between Headlong and Leeds Playhouse. *Jitney* includes set and costume design by Alex Lowde, lighting design by Elliot Griggs and sound design and composition by Max Perryment.

*Jitney* is at the Old Vic. 

[*Jitney* tickets are on sale now.](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/24719-jitney)

*Photo: Jitney cast (Photo by Sharron Wallace)*

‘Jitney’, starring Sule Rimi, announces full cast

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The Leeds Playhouse 2021 production of August Wilson’s *Jitney* parks up in London. The taxi driving play will run for a limited engagement at the Old Vic. *Jitney* tickets are available on London Theatre now.

Set in 1970s Pittsburgh, the *Jitney* play follows Jim Becker, a taxi-rank manager who oversees a group of unlicensed drivers that ferry people across the Pittsburgh Hill District. These drivers aren’t your ordinary taxi employees though. They’ll head to places which few people would dare visit.

But when they’re not driving, they’re whiling the hours away in their taxi rank, a home away from home. They heal old wounds, new tensions rise to the surface, but more importantly they’re always there for one another.

*Jitney* is part of August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of plays that examine the Black experience throughout the 20th century. Each play tackles a different decade: *Jitney* focuses on the 1970s. The Pittsburgh Cycle includes *Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom*, *The Piano Lesson* and *King Hedley II*. Even though Jitney focuses on 1970s America, it was the first play to premiere in the cycle.
August Wilson's theatre legacy was celebrated in 2005, with the August Wilson Theatre named in his honour.  

Tickets to *Jitney* are available now. Book your *Jitney* tickets on London Theatre today.


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A slice of life in a taxi rank by one of America’s best playwrights. The hit Leeds Playhouse production transfers to London for a limited run. 
August Wilson’s moving picture of segregation and hope in 1970s Pittsburgh was a groundbreaking event when it premiered, and continues to speak to us now.
Learn more about tickets to *Jitney* at The Old Vic today.

Park yourselves at the Old Vic this summer and see August Wilson’s *Jitney* onstage. Book *Jitney* tickets in London on TodayTix.

The *Jitney* play explores life in 1970s Pittsburgh through events and decisions made at a taxi rank. At the start of the play, audiences meet Jim Becker, a taxi-rank manager who looks out for a group of drivers as they usher people around the city. However, his drivers go to places most taximen would avoid, notably the Pittsburgh Hill district. In the early 20th century, the Pittsburgh Hill district thrived, but over the years, many of its residents live below the poverty line. 

When the taxi drivers aren't ferrying people around the city, they spend hours at the taxi rank. So much so, their place of work is now a second home. As the drivers sit and talk, they look out for one another by healing each others problems. But in a post-Vietnam America, awkward political conversations are commonplace. Throughout *Jitney*, eight men try to work, live and ultimately survive in a newly-segregated world.

Book *Jitney* tickets in London on TodayTix.

## What to Watch For

- The *Jitney* play is one of 10 works in August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle. The Pittsburgh Cycle explore what it meant to be Black in the United States throughout the 20th century. Each play focuses on a decade — *Jitney* explores life as a Black American in 1970s Pittsburgh.
- August Wilson died in 2005, the same year his final play in the Pittsburgh Cycle, *Radio Golf*, premiered. *Radio Golf* eventually opened on Broadway in 2007. Wilson’s legacy is honoured with the renaming of a Broadway theatre: the August Wilson Theatre.
- This *Jitney* production opened at Leeds Playhouse in 2021. *Jitney* in London transfers to the Old Vic as part of the Old Vic’s 2022 season, including [*The 47th*](https://www.todaytix.com/london/shows/24720-the-47th). 
- Tinuke Craig directs *Jitney*. Craig’s previous directorial credits include *The Color Purple* at Leicester Curve.

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You’ll be mouthing the words “car service” for some while to come following the vivid [Old Vic](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/the-old-vic) revival of [*Jitney*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/24719-jitney), the 1982 play by August Wilson that arrives in London as a co-production with Leeds Playhouse and Headlong and that will continue on tour following this monthlong engagement. (This staging was first seen in Leeds last October.) 

The play’s previous London incarnation – imported from New York – won the Olivier for Best Play 20 years ago, and if this production doesn’t quite have the unmistakable stamp of authenticity provided back then by an American cast, it’s always a pleasure to welcome Wilson to a London stage. Director Tinuke Craig follows up her acclaimed regional theatre revival of the musical *The Color Purple*, confirming anew a keen eye and ear for the American repertoire. 

*Jitney* was the first of Wilson’s extraordinary sequence of plays to be written chronicling the African-American experience across the 20th century, though not the first to come to attention. By the time it was done Off Broadway at the start of this century, the Tony and Pulitzer prize-winner’s name had long been made by such masterworks as *Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom* and *Joe Turner’s Come and Gone*. Its belated 2017 Broadway premiere won a Tony. 

You can certainly find here dramatic elements that a then-embryonic playwright would go on to fine-tune elsewhere: a father-son drama that anticipates similar tensions in *Fences*, and a neurodiverse character – a regular passenger called Philmore (Dayo Koleosho) – who will be rewritten in various ways later in Wilson’s canon. 

At times, you can feel the play’s mechanics grinding a tad obviously: characters speak in the sorts of set-piece monologues Wilson would later raise to a high art, and some of the plot details feel gerrymandered. 

Chief among those is an ending engineered so that the play’s most feckless character, the 39-year-old ex-con Booster (played on press night by a far-younger understudy, Blair Gyabaah, making his professional stage debut to applause from his castmates), can mature in front of our eyes in the final moments. 

The more abundant pluses of the evening come with Wilson’s gift for capturing humankind, collectively and singly, in all its contradictions, and Craig’s matching talent for knitting an all-male (with one exception) ensemble into a harmonious whole. 

Though the opening sequence feels a tad overplayed, as if the cast are finding both their stage footing alongside their accents, the mood settles as the company eases into roles that come with opportunities amply rewarded here.

Wil Johnson, for starters, is immediately commanding as Becker, the manager of the jitney station in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, where fares are noted on a chalkboard toward the rear of Alex Lowde’s single set. (The door through which the cast enters and exits gets a workout worthy of French farce.) 

As calls for rides come in, these men attempt to make sense of various familial and amorous reckonings and obligations, not to mention the potentially imminent demolition of a locale that has been a decades-long home for the longest-serving drivers. 

A widower at odds with his scowling, seemingly affectless son, Becker is glimpsed in lowering scene changes that hint at tragedy to come: indeed, the onstage goings-on between the scenes are here integral to proceedings that find an aural echo in Max Perryment’s evocative sound design, not least a nod towards the wreckers’ ball that risks upending this particular community forever. 

If that inter-generational conflict poses one of the play’s decisive face-offs, so, too, does the showdown between the gossipy Turnbo (a springy, trigger-happy Sule Rimi) and the hotblooded Vietnam vet Youngblood (Solomon Israel), whose social engagements are entirely (and nearly ruinously) misunderstood by his senior colleague. 

An environment where money matters – whether that be a four dollar cab ride or a scant fifty cents – the jitney station hosts the anxieties, dreams, and prospects of a cross-section of people glimpsed at their own decisive turning points.

The cast to a man delivers, as does Leanne Henlon as Rena, Youngblood’s girlfriend who discovers only belatedly what her 24-year-old partner has in mind for her and their young son. I especially liked Geoff Aymer, who amidst an excitable assemblage pulls the audience towards him with his calm, sage reading of one of the play’s senior figures, Doub, a Korean War vet who maintains that the white man is sufficiently uninterested in Black men’s lives to even bother to be racist. 

As in *Ma Rainey* (which does bring several white characters onstage), you are aware of the presence of the white world beyond even as Wilson posits a theatrical landscape not defined by opposition: these people are their own, staking out common ground as part of a collection of characters, and plays, without equal in the American theatre.

I love the exchange at the top of the second act pitting Lena Horne against Sarah Vaughan, not least coming in the very week in which it was announced that the legendary Horne is having a Broadway theatre named for her. 

The gathering interplay makes a room full of invaluable theatre personages out of some sharply observed individuals. Wilson would go on to write better-crafted, more poetic plays, but even his early writing deserves attention: *Jitney* is very much worth the ride. 

[*Jitney is at The Old Vic to 9 July. Book Jitney tickets on London Theatre.*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/24719-jitney)

*Photo credit: The Jitney company (Photo courtesy of production)*

'Jitney' review — August Wilson's drama is worth the ride

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The Constituent

‘I am not your punch bag! I am a Member of Parliament!’ 

An MP with an instinct for compassion. An ex-serviceman with a life in free fall. And a parliamentary protection officer who’s having none of it.  

The Old Vic is amongst London's most revered theatre venues, situated in the heart of the bustling city. Founded in 1818, this prestigious establishment continues to attract audiences with its dynamic array of world-renowned plays, ballets, operas and pantomimes. With a seating capacity of over 1,000, the richly decorated auditorium offers an immersive and intimate experience for all spectators. The Old Vic's enchanting neoclassical exterior and swirling marble foyers take you back in time, while its state-of-the-art sound and lighting system provide a modern and truly spectacular performance environment. Its stellar shows often star internationally acclaimed actors and directors. Over its 200-year legacy, the venue has been the home for breakthrough performances and debuts of some of the greatest plays in theatre history. 

**How to get to the Old Vic Theatre:** The Old Vic is conveniently located near multiple transport links. The nearest underground station is Waterloo, served by the Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee, and Waterloo & City lines. The theatre is only a short 4-minute walk away. Bus routes 1, 68, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188 serve the area around the theatre. If you are driving, the nearest car park is the Waterloo Car Park located on York Road.

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The Old Vic, originally named the Royal Coburg Theatre, was designed in 1818 by Rudolph Cabanel. Its name was later changed to the Royal Victoria Theatre, then the Royal Victoria Hall, before it took on its nickname of 'The Old Vic' as its official name in 1925. 

The Old Vic has housed acclaimed performances with such celebrated actors as John Gielgud’s *Hamlet*, Laurence Olivier’s *Macbeth* and *Othello* in 1937, and Judi Dench’s Juliet in *Romeo and Juliet*, which was privately performed for The Queen in 1957.

In 1963, the Old Vic became the home base of the [National Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/national-theatre) of Great Britain during its formation under Laurence Olivier. The theatre continued to host the National Theatre until the move to South Bank in 1976. 

There are two entrances to the Old Vic: one on The Cut and the other on Waterloo Road, which is an accessible entrance. In 2019, 'Penny', an accessible basement cafe and bar was opened, offering drinks, sandwiches and snacks. 

## Old Vic Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels - Stalls, Dress Circle, and the Lilian Baylis Circle.

Despite the Dress Circle overhang, this doesn’t affect the view due to pillars. There is also a staggered rake that will be noticeable from row J to allow better viewing.

The Lilian Baylis Circle is high above the ground and overhangs the Dress Circle at row C meaning row E will miss the top of the stage. There are also standing seats available at the sides of this circle.

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Originally named Royal Coburg Theatre, The Old Vic was founded in 1818. It's been home to acclaimed performances and was the base of the National Theatre of Great Britain from 1963 to 1976.

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The Old Vic is a historic theatre in London known for world-class performances. It's conveniently accessible via Waterloo station and local bus routes.

‘Jitney’, starring Sule Rimi, announces full cast

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