Learn about Rowan Atkinson's stage work ahead of 'Rowan Live'

The beloved comedian is making an exciting return to the stage with his new sketch show at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2027.

Summary

• Rowan Atkinson is returning to the stage with Rowan Live
• The new sketch show plays at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2027
• Atkinson is beloved for screen hits like Blackadder and Mr Bean
• He has also made stage appearances in the likes of Oliver! and Quartermaine's Terms

Mr Bean is coming to the West End! Comedian Rowan Atkinson will bring his new sketch show Rowan Live to London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2027, running from 8 February - 13 March. The production features many of Atkinson’s most beloved sketches and characters, including from Mr Bean, Blackadder, and Not the Nine O’Clock News.

The show also features new material that Atkinson has created with his long-term collaborators Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, and Howard Goodall. It’s 40 years since Atkinson last performed a sketch show in the West End, making this a very special treat for audiences.

Ahead of planning your trip to Rowan Live, get to know Atkinson’s work on stage and screen.

Check back for Rowan Live tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Rowan Atkinson on screen

Atkinson rose to fame on the pioneering satirical TV sketch show Not the Nine O’Clock News, making his first appearance in 1979 and also writing for the programme. He then premiered one of his iconic characters in the historical sitcom Blackadder, and followed that up with another classic: the bumbling, clownish Mr Bean. He also led the police sitcom The Thin Blue Line.

His movie work includes playing a nervous priest in Four Weddings and a Funeral, voicing Zazu in Disney’s The Lion King, bringing Mr Bean to the big screen, playing a hapless spy in the Johnny English movies, a chocoholic monk in Wonka, and contending with various farcical obstacles in Man vs Bee and Man vs Baby.

Rowan Atkinson on stage

The Secret Policeman’s Ball

After cutting his teeth in student revues at Oxford University, Atkinson appeared in this 1979 Amnesty International fundraising gala at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End alongside members of Monty Python, such as John Cleese and Michael Palin, and other comedians like Billy Connolly.

Rowan Atkinson in Revue

This 1980 West End showcase for Atkinson, co-created with writer Richard Curtis, began in Edinburgh and came to the Globe Theatre (now the Gielgud Theatre) in London. It featured a mix of sketches, characters, and comic monologues, demonstrating his varied gifts for absurdism, wry satire, and physical comedy. He won the Olivier Award for Comedy Performance of the Year.

The Nerd

In 1984, Atkinson appeared in his first West End play. Written by Larry Shue, The Nerd saw him play an infuriated architect, Willum, who winds up stuck with a socially disastrous houseguest when he welcomes in the man who once saved his life. The cast of this well-received show also featured a 10-year-old Christian Bale.

Rowan Atkinson: The New Revue / Rowan Atkinson at the Atkinson

The comedian was back in the West End in 1986 with his latest revue show, using Have I Got News For You host Angus Deayton as his comic foil, and playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre before embarking on an international tour. He then took the show to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway.

The Sneeze

Atkinson returned to comedy-drama with this successful adaptation by Michael Frayn of seven Chekhov short plays and pieces. He played multiple characters during the 1988 run at the Aldwych Theatre in the West End, alongside cast members such as Timothy West and Cheryl Campbell.

We Are Most Amused

Atkinson appeared in this special comedy gala at the New Wimbledon Theatre in 2008 to celebrate the Prince of Wales’s 60th birthday and raise money for his charity, The Prince’s Trust. He was one of several leading comedians on the bill for this glitzy variety show. Atkinson then made an encore appearance in another We Are Most Amused gala in 2012 at the Royal Albert Hall, premiering a brand-new Blackadder sketch.

Oliver!

Atkinson’s musical theatre debut in 2009 was a major West End event. He played the villainous Fagin in Lionel Bart’s musical in a big revival at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, directed by Rupert Goold and Matthew Bourne. The cast also included Burn Gorman, Rob Madge, Jodie Prenger, and Julian Glover.

The production was generally well received, with critics praising Atkinson for his comic yet sinister portrayal. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and the production was also nominated for Best Revival of a Musical.

Quartermaine’s Terms

Atkinson’s last stage appearance was in Simon Grey’s tragicomic play, in which he took the titular role, an isolated, socially awkward teacher at a 1960s Cambridge school. The 2013 production, directed by Richard Eyre and also featuring Conleth Hill and Will Keen, played in Brighton and Bath before coming to the Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End.

Critics were extremely impressed by Atkinson’s surprisingly restrained, tender and melancholy performance, praising his ability to convey deep loneliness even while largely confined to an armchair.

Rowan Live

After a long absence, Atkinson is making his keenly anticipated return to the stage with this West End sketch show. Expect all your favourites, from satirical Not the Nine O’Clock News material to Mr Bean slapstick and Blackadder plotting and exasperation.

There will also be exciting new material, co-created by Atkinson, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, and Howard Goodall for this Gillian Lynne Theatre production. It promises to be an unmissable theatre event in 2027.

Inset photo credit: Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean, in Quartermaine's Terms (Photos courtesy of the TV show, by Alastair Muir)