Bridge Theatre

New shows announced at the Bridge Theatre, featuring Simon Russell Beale and Roger Allam

Sophie Thomas
Sophie Thomas

Four new shows at the Bridge Theatre have been announced, with productions scheduled to April 2021. The upcoming shows will feature performances by Olivier Award-winning actors including Simon Russell Beale and Roger Allam, Marianne Elliott directing a new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning Paula Vogel and an adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy novel.

Roger Allam and Colin Morgan will star in a revival of Caryl Churchill's A Number, directed by Polly Findlay. Allam and Morgan play a father and son as they learn that a previous genetic experiment has resulted in the son living as one of a number of identical copies worldwide. A Number will begin previews from 14th February, ahead of an official press night on 19th February and run to 14th March 2020.

Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust - La Belle Sauvage is adapted for the stage by Bryony Lavery, directed by Nicholas Hytner, who previously directed the stage adaptation of His Dark Materials at the National Theatre. Set twelve years before the fictional tales in the His Dark Materials trilogy, two young people find themselves at the centre of a manhunt. As they are hunted, they look after a child named Lyra, who holds the key to future civilisation. The Book of Dust - La Belle Sauvage will begin previews on 11th July, with opening night on 23rd July and will run to 10th October 2020.

Based on Horace McCoy's novel of the same name, Marianne Elliott and Steven Hoggett direct Paula Vogel's latest play. Titled They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, the Bridge Theatre will be transformed into a 1930s dance hall, as competitors strive to win dance marathons that lasted months, with audience members able to join the dance via a ballot. They Shoot Horses, Don't They? begins previews on 31st October, with a press night on 17th November and runs to 30th January 2021.

Simon Russell Beale will star as the titular role a new adaptation of Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman by Lucinda Coxon, directed by Nicholas Hytner. Once a leading entrepreneur, Borkman's life is turned upside down when he is convicted for fraud. Wanting to stage a comeback, he is faced with his past, especially when his wife tries to restore the family name. John Gabriel Borkman begins previews on 11th February 2021, with a press night on 18th February 2021 and a final performance on 17th April 2021.

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