Musical 'Private Jones' to have European premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant

The show, created by Marshall Pailet, will feature hearing, hard-of-hearing, and deaf performers, and begins performances on 14 December.

Summary

• New musical Private Jones is coming to Southwark Playhouse Elephant
• The show is set during the First World War and centres on a man who has lost his hearing
• The production will feature hard-of-hearing and deaf performers

New First World War-set musical Private Jones, created by Marshall Pailet, will have its European Premiere this Christmas at Southwark Playhouse Elephant. The show will run from 14 December 2026 to 30 January 2027.

Private Jones centres on Gomer Jones, who is trying to figure out where he belongs, but is isolated by the recent loss of his hearing. But when he joins a company of misfit young men during the First World War, he becomes an unlikely hero. This stirring coming-of-age story combines grit with heart.

The production weaves in sign language, live captioning, and a Foley soundscape alongside its original score, and will feature a cast of hearing, hard-of-hearing, and deaf performers.

Private Jones is written and directed by Marshall Pailet (Marcel and the Train, Who's Your Baghdaddy). It features choreography by Misha Shields (Who's Your Baghdaddy); artistic sign language direction by Alexandria Wailes (CODA film); music direction by Máth Roberts (Merrily We Roll Along); set design by Anna Kelsey (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button); lighting design by Tim Deiling (Ride The Cyclone); sound design by Yvonne Gilbert (The Code); and video design by Ben Glover (Little Shop of Horrors).

Marshall Pailet said: “Private Jones is a full-hearted, heart-pounding, and hopefully pretty funny story about valuing life inside a world where lives are stripped for value. It has been the joy of my life to collaborate with so many talented and passionate artists in its creation, especially Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Welsh-speaking artists, in the attempt to create a storytelling that feels authentic in its use of language and representation of culture, and one that is fully accessible to all audiences. Every time I spend time with it, it fills my heart, breaks it a little bit, then puts it back together stronger.”

Private Jones was first presented at Goodspeed Musicals in Chester, Connecticut, in 2023, and had its world premiere production in 2024 at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virgina. It won four Helen Hayes Awards including Outstanding New Musical. It has since been reworked with consultation and input from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, where it was workshopped in 2025.

Casting is to be announced.

Check back for Private Jones tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Private Jones artwork (Courtesy of the production)