*2:22 — A Ghost Story* is set to return to London’s West End for a strictly limited 10-week. The play will open at the Gielgud Theatre on 25 May.

The play premiered at the Noël Coward Theatre in 2020, and featured Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser, and Jake Wood. A number of famous faces have gone on to star in the production, including Giovanna Fletcher, Tom Felton, Laura Whitmore, Cheryl, and Sophia Bush, among others. This run at the Gielgud marks the play's seventh West End season. ...

'2:22 — A Ghost Story' to return to the West End

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A number of famous faces have starred in *2:22 — A Ghost Story*, including Giovanna Fletcher, Tom Felton, Laura Whitmore, Cheryl, and Sophia Bush. 

A new revival of *Oliver!* will transfer to the West End this December. Lionel Bart's adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel will open at the Gielgud Theatre.

The cast will include Simon Lipkin (*Elf*) as Fagin, Shanay Holmes (*Miss Saigon*) as Nancy, Aaron Sidwell (*The Lord of the Rings*) as Bill Sikes, Billy Jenkins (*Dodger*) as the Artful Dodger, and Philip Franks (*Art*) as Mr Brownlow. 

The production will be directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, in collaboration with Cameron...

'Oliver!' to return to the West End in December

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Lionel Bart's adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel will have direction and choreography by Matthew Bourne. It opens at the Gielgud Theatre in December.

When someone says the words "Moulin Rouge", what do you think of first? We tend to think of the lascivious, nighttime behaviour mixed with the lavishness and luxuriousness of a sizzling nightclub. If you've watched the film and even been to visit the Moulin Rouge in Paris, you'll love [*Moulin Rouge! The Musical*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/23350-moulin-rouge-the-musical-tickets) at the [Piccadilly Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/piccadilly-theatre).

Baz Luhrmann's...

Everything you need to know about 'Moulin Rouge! The Musical' in London

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West End

Dom Simpson and Tanisha Spring play Christian and Satine in *Moulin Rouge! The Musical* in the West End. Read our guide to learn more about this spectacular show.

Nicholas Hytner’s immersive production of [*Guys & Dolls*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/25504-guys-and-dolls-tickets) has announced its final extension at London's Bridge Theatre. The show will now run until 4 January 2025.

The production, which opened at the theatre in March 2023, recently won the Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for Arlene Phillips with James Cousins.

*Guys & Dolls* stars Owain Arthur (*The History Boys, One Man, Two Guvnors, The Lord of the Rings*) as...

'Guys & Dolls' extends performances through January 2025

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Nicholas Hytner’s immersive production recently won the Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for Arlene Phillips's work with James Cousins.


Find out the full list of winners at the 2024 Olivier Awards with London Theatre. The ceremony took place at the Royal Albert Hall on 14 April.

Jamie Lloyd's *Sunset Boulevard* won big on the night, with seven awards including Best Actress in a Musical for Nicole Scherzinger for her turn as Norma Desmond, Best Director for Jamie Lloyd, and Best Musical Revival.

*Dear England, Operation Mincemeat*, and *Stranger Things: The First Shadow* all won two awards each.

Sarah Snook scooped Best...

2024 Olivier Awards: Full list of winners

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Hannah Waddingham hosted the 2024 Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall. Jamie Lloyd's *Sunset Boulevard* was the night's biggest winner, and took home seven awards.

[*Heathers the Musical*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/11652-heathers-the-musical) is set to return to the West End, as part of its third national tour. It will open at London's @sohoplace for a limited six-week run on 22 May.

The musical, which is based on the 1989 film of the same name, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, follows Veronica Sawyer, a high school “nobody” who dreams of becoming popular. When she’s taken in by beautiful but cruel girl group the 'Heathers', her...

'Heathers the Musical' to return to the West End

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The musical had its European premiere at The Other Palace in 2018 and returned to the venue last year, becoming the longest running show in the venue’s history. 


Ivo Van Hove's new musical [*Opening Night*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/36785-opening-night), which is based on John Cassavetes’s 1977 film and stars Sheridan Smith, is set to end its run two months early.

The show opened on 6 March and was due to run until 27 July, but the producers have announced it will now close on 18 May. 

Producers Wessex Grove said: “It is an honour to produce this beautiful new musical in the West End, and everyone at Wessex Grove is proud to have delivered...

Sheridan Smith's 'Opening Night' to finish West End run early 

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The show, conceived and directed by Ivo Van Hove, opened on 6 March and was due to run until 27 July, but producers have announced it will now close on 18 May. 

The full cast has been revealed for the revival of Jerry Herman’s *Jerry Girls* at London's Menier Chocolate Factory. The show opens on 18 May for a limited six-week run.

The musical revue, which celebrates the life and legacy of legendary award-winning Broadway composer Jerry Herman, will star Olivier Award winner Cassidy Janson *(Bare, & Juliet, Beautiful — The Carole King Musical, Wicked The Mousetrap, Avenue Q*), Lyn Paul (*Calendar Girls – The Musical, Blood Brothers, Cabaret, Footloose*),...

Full cast announced for 'Jerry's Girls' at the Menier Chocolate Factory

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Olivier Award winner Cassidy Janson will star in the musical revue, which celebrates the life and legacy of legendary award-winning Broadway composer Jerry Herman.

The full cast has been revealed for Bartlett Sher's production of the Cole Porter classic musical comedy [*Kiss Me, Kate*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/10471-kiss-me%2C-kate). The show opens at the Barbican in London on 4 June for a strictly limited 15-week run.

Joining the previously announced Adrian Dunbar (*Line of Duty*) as Fred Graham/Petruchio and Stephanie J Block (*Into the Woods, Wicked, Sunset Boulevard*) as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine, will be Josie Benson as Hattie, Jack...

Full cast announced for 'Kiss Me, Kate' at the Barbican

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The Cole Porter classic musical will play a limited 15-week run at London's Barbican Centre, and stars Adrian Dunbar and Stephanie J. Block as the leads.

It’s important to remember that in such a busy season in which plenty of plays and musicals were entirely overlooked and huge names were shut out of creative and acting categories alike, it really is a privilege for this year’s shortlist just to have been nominated. That being said, I still have plenty of thoughts.

## Best New Play
• *Dear England* at National Theatre & Prince Edward Theatre  
• [*The Hills of California*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/36247-the-hills-of-california) at...

The Olivier Awards 2024: who should and who will win?

The West End’s most important night is just around the corner. Mickey-Jo Theatre takes a look at the nominees in some of the main categories, and gives us his predictions.

Images have been released for <a href="/show/betrayal">Betrayal</a> starring <a href="/actor-profile/tom-hiddleston">Tom Hiddleston</a>, currently playing at the <a href="/theatres/harold-pinter-theatre">Harold Pinter Theatre</a>.<a href="/show/betrayal">Betrayal</a> follows Emma and Jerry during their seven-year extramarital affair, with the play told in reverse chronology. Told over nine scenes, audiences meet the pair as well as their marital partners in a play covering love, relationships and commitment.Hiddleston plays Robert in <a href="/show/betrayal">Betrayal</a>, joined by Zawe Ashton as Emma and Charlie Cox as Jerry.Written by Harold Pinter,&nbsp;<a href="/show/betrayal">Betrayal</a> was first produced by the National Theatre in 1978. This revival of Betrayal is directed by Jamie Lloyd, who has recently directed a star-studded cast including Danny Dyer, David Suchet and Russell Tovey in the Pinter at the Pinter season that took place from September 2018 to February 2019.<a href="/show/betrayal">Betrayal tickets</a> are available now.

![Betrayal1-LT-2019](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/2gVvQMaUXEN4lnBodVRigb/96a568a72fbb7a151951446bfcb4d4bb/Betrayal1-LT-2019.jpg)

![Betrayal2-LT-2019](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/59mbNQDefedapvFYK5blxI/3a459fed966734790487b2a49c8902f5/Betrayal2-LT-2019.jpg)

![Betrayal3-LT-2019](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/4jTWMIzv2NYg54wQzWtMG5/286e2db7f58c6881c08d734bc8c38a10/Betrayal3-LT-2019.jpg)

Production images released for Betrayal at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Betrayal

Betrayal [13758]

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Betrayal - Hero

Betrayal [13758] Product Media

[Poster] Betrayal 13758

One of Harold Pinter's best-known plays, Betrayal returns to the West End starring <a href="/actor-profile/tom-hiddleston">Tom Hiddleston</a>&nbsp;at the <a href="/theatres/harold-pinter-theatre">Harold Pinter Theatre</a>. The plot of the play covers the seven-year extramarital affair between two characters, Emma and Jerry, who would meet in secret at a flat. Pinter has said before that Betrayal is the one play of his that most resembles his own life.Tom Hiddleston is known for playing Loki in Marvel films such as Thor, The Avengers, and Infinity War, as well as starring in the BBC television series The Night Manager. In the early stages of his career, he won an Olivier Award for best newcomer in a play when he played Cassius in Othello at the <a href="/theatres/donmar-warehouse">Donmar Warehouse</a>. His other stage credits include&nbsp;The Children's Monologues at the Old Vic, the titular role in Coriolanus at the Donmar, as well as a production of Hamlet at RADA in 2017 directed by Kenneth Branagh, for with tickets were allocated by ballot.&nbsp;Betrayal ran at the <a href="/theatres/harold-pinter-theatre">Harold Pinter Theatre</a> until 8th&nbsp;June 2019, after its official opening night performance on 13th March 2019.The play is unique due to its reverse chronology; Betrayal begins two years after the affair has ended, and the piece ends before the affair has begun. This was innovative storytelling at the time by a playwright who was becoming an icon within British theatre.Betrayal was first produced at the National Theatre in 1978, directed by Peter Hall and starring Penelope Wilton, Michael Gambon and Daniel Massey. It has also been seen at the Almeida Theatre in 1991, with a cast including Bill Nighy, Martin Shaw and Cheryl Campbell directed by Trevor Nunn.The play was last seen in the West End at the Comedy Theatre (later renamed the <a href="/theatres/harold-pinter-theatre">Harold Pinter Theatre</a> in the playwright's honour) in 2011, where Ian Rickson's production starred Kristin Scott Thomas, Douglas Henshall and Ben Miles.<a href="http://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/betrayal">Betrayal tickets</a> are now on sale for the Broadway production.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Betrayal - LT

Betrayal Tickets | Harold Pinter Play | Londontheatre.co.uk

Marvel star Tom Hiddleston leads the cast of “Betrayal,” Harold Pinter’s richly complex drama cataloguing the demise of a scandalous relationship in reverse chronological order. If throwing shade and spilling tea are your thing, this 1978 play is the masterclass. Considered to be one of Pinter’s most renowned works, “Betrayal” is characterised by the playwright’s classic clipped dialogue, replete with withering silences,  veiled insults, and passive deception. Hiddleston plays Robert, whose wife Emma has been carrying on an affair with the also-married Jerry for several years. When Emma finally confesses her wrongdoing to Robert, she also effectively betrays Jerry in the process given that Robert is his close friend. The innovative structure of the play zooms in on the moments when romance loses to deceit, emphasizing our human capacity to simultaneously love and corrupt one another.

“Betrayal” will bookend the yearlong lineup for the “Pinter at the Pinter,” season as produced by the Jamie Lloyd Company, rounding out an anthology of performances of the playwright’s beloved works to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his death.
## What to watch for
“Betrayal” is famously based on true events, revealing Pinter’s seven-year affair with BBC television presenter Dame Joan Bakewell. In its 1978 staging, the playwright knowingly aired dirty laundry Bakewell never wanted exposed — leading her to announce her rebuttal in the form of her own play, “Keeping in Touch,” in 2017.

Pinter wrote the screenplay for the critically acclaimed film adaptation of “Betrayal” released in 1983. The film starred Ben Kingsley in the role of Robert, Jeremy Irons as Jerry, and Patricia Hodge as Emma.

The structure of the play is often thought to be heavily influenced by the work of Marcel Proust, more specifically by his novel “In Search of Lost Time.” Pinter was tapped as the screenwriter to adapt Proust’s work for the screen in 1972, only a few years before writing “Betrayal”.

Betrayal [13758] - TodayTix

Director Jamie Lloyd has just finished a six-month season featuring seven rotating bills of all Harold Pinter's short plays, which proved to be a thrilling and frequently alarming journey into some of the playwright's lesser-known works. Now, Lloyd follows it with a blisteringly brilliant production of one of Pinter's best-known (but still brief) and most powerful and personal plays, <a href="/show/betrayal">Betrayal</a>, originally premiered at the National in 1978.I missed that first production as I was only 15 at the time and not living in London yet, but I've seen at least four West End revivals since and two in New York, with actors that have variously included Bill Nighy, Toby Stephens, Sam West, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz. But I can confidently say Lloyd's is the most acute, spellbinding, and at times most surprising, I've ever seen.It fields its own impressive trilogy of star names, all of whom have strong stage pedigrees that each include previous appearances at the Donmar Warehouse and, in the case of Charlie Cox, a prior credit starring in a Pinter double bill of The Lover and The Collection, also directed by Lloyd, at this same address a decade ago. But if this fine younger actor has gone on to American TV fame in Daredevil, the real Hollywood star power comes in the form of <a href="/actor-profile/tom-hiddleston">Tom Hiddleston</a>, now most famous for his recurring role as Loki in the Marvel franchise of Thor and The Avengers, while rising film and TV actor Zawe Ashton completes the billing. &nbsp;They respectively play two best friends - a publisher (Hiddleston) and an agent (Cox) - and the wife of the publisher (Ashton) whom the agent has a long-established affair with (it lasts some seven years). To reveal this isn't a spoiler - as Pinter's play spools backwards from the end of the affair to somewhere near its beginning, we find this out in the opening minutes of the play. But this marital betrayal isn't the only betrayal in the play; there's also another in the friendship between the two men - and secrets held onto by each of the parties. &nbsp;The simmering - or variously spiralling - tensions multiply throughout the play, as we come to know more about what is known and unknown by each character. &nbsp;But more than any other production I've ever seen, it strips the play to its bare bones, both physically and emotionally: it is stylishly staged with minimal sets and props (four bottles stage left, three movable walls, and two chairs) that are placed on a revolve and reconfigure the space constantly.So, too, are the emotions (or sometimes lack of them) among the characters, who project an intoxicating combination of sexuality, hurt and damage. As Hiddleston's publisher first discovers his wife's affair, for instance, he is positioned against a wall that's right at the front of the stage, and his tears are visible.Also for the first time in my experience, Robert and Emma's child (alluded to in the script) makes a physical appearance, and suddenly the dramatic stakes and emotions are even higher.This is a magnificent, searing account of Pinter's most autobiographically charged play (inspired by an affair he had himself when he was already married), and it brings Lloyd's classy season of Pinter at the Pinter to an end with a fine flourish.<a href="/show/betrayal">Betrayal</a> is at the <a href="/theatres/harold-pinter-theatre">Harold Pinter Theatre</a> until 1st June.<a href="/show/betrayal">Betrayal tickets</a> are available now.Photo credit Manuel Harlan&nbsp;<div class="block block-block contextual-links-region " id="block-block-9"><div class="block-inner clearfix"><div class="block-title"><h2>BETRAYAL REVIEW ROUND-UP</h2></div></div></div>"While Tom Hiddleston is the big draw and gives a fine performance, what is striking is the spartan purity of Jamie Lloyd's production. Of the many versions of the play I've seen over the past 40 years this one goes furthest in stripping the action of circumstantial detail." Michael Billington, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/mar/14/betrayal-review-a-haunting-reminder-of-deceptions-impact" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>, ★★★★☆"[Jamie Lloyd's [production] confirms Betrayal as a modern masterpiece, built to last, but reassures us that Hiddleston has got the theatrical acting chops to head up there among the greats." Dominic Cavendish, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/betrayal-review-harold-pinter-theatre-tom-hiddleston-displays/" target="_blank">The Telegraph</a>, ★★★★☆"There's an astonishing, long-held moment when Hiddleston looks at Ashton - his brow somehow a repository for years of bruised tenderness. In a silence, his eyes fill with tears, and it barely feels like acting at all. In moments such as this, Betrayal does illuminate the heart." Holly Williams, <a href="https://inews.co.uk/culture/tom-hiddleston-betrayal-review-harold-pinter-theatre/" target="_blank">iNews</a>, ★★★★☆"This sparse, elegant production closes Lloyd's revelatory and handsomely cast season of Pinter's shorter pieces in the theatre that bears the playwright's name... it's a surprising and unsparing interpretation, in which every detail counts." Henry Hitchings, <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/betrayal-review-tom-hiddleston-london-theatre-pinter-a4091281.html" target="_blank">Evening Standard</a>, ★★★★☆"All three actors are at ease with the rhythms of Pinter's language and at filling the spaces between their words with meaning, be it loss, longing or recrimination. There's an ease and chemistry between them as a company." Natasha Tripney, <a href="https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2019/betrayal-tom-hiddleston-zawe-ashton-charlie-cox-review-harold-pinter-theatre-london/" target="_blank">The Stage</a>, ★★★★☆"Betrayal is notionally Pinter's most accessible play, and is staged frequently, often with celebrity casts and safe productions. But I've never seen a production before that has made such sense of it for me, and has been so daring in the staging." Andrzej Lukowski, <a href="https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/betrayal-review" target="_blank">Time Out</a>, ★★★★★

Review - Betrayal starring Tom Hiddleston at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton in Betrayal

Recommended 16+. Includes themes of an adult and sensitive nature.

The Hills of California - LON [36247]

The Hills of California

Blackpool, 1976. The driest summer in 200 years. The beaches are packed. The hotels are heaving.

The Harold Pinter Theatre opened on 15 Oct. 1881 as a comic opera house. Its name on opening was the Royal Comedy Theatre, though its ‘Royal’ epithet was dropped in 1884.

The Comedy Theatre helped establish the New Watergate Club in 1956, a society which helped overturn the stage censorship enforced by the Lord Chamberlain’s Office. The formation of the Club meant that the plays banned by the Government could be performed at this venue as it was now being run as a private club rather than a commercial entity. Notable plays in this category include Arthur Miller’s *A View from the Bridge* and Tennessee Williams’ *Cat On A Hot Tin Roof*. The censorship was finally overturned in 1968. 

Harold Pinter's works were often performed here: *The Homecoming*, *The Caretaker*, *Moonlight*, *No-Man’s Land* and *The Hothouse* all enjoyed successful runs, and Pinter directed a production of *The Old Masters* here in 2004. After his death, it was thought fitting to bestow the honour of naming a theatre after him, and the name was officially changed on 13 Oct. 2011 to the Harold Pinter Theatre. The Ambassador Theatre Group own the Harold Pinter Theatre.

## Harold Pinter Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has four levels – Stalls, Dress Circle, Royal Circle and Balcony. The top three levels are a horseshoe shape around the stalls.

The Stalls is a single block of seats, and offers good sightlines. Some seats are impaired by supportive pillars and the overhang of the Dress Circle.

The Dress Circle doesn’t offer a great raking in the seating, but the view is not affected by the overhang of the Royal Circle. 

The Royal Circle seats curve towards the stage more noticeably than the Dress Circle.

The Balcony feels very high in this theatre.

Production images released for Betrayal at the Harold Pinter Theatre

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