Geraldine James to star in World Premiere stage adaptation of 45 Years

Chichester Festival Theatre has announced that screen and stage star Geraldine James will make her long-awaited Chichester debut this summer.

Geraldine James is set to lead the world premiere of 45 Years, a new stage adaptation based on the critically acclaimed 2015 film by Andrew Haigh.

Running at the Minerva Theatre in Chichester from 12 June to 11 July 2026, the production is a centrepiece of the venue’s Festival 2026 season.

Adapted for the stage by Hannah Patterson, 45 Years promises to be an “achingly tense, intimate, and moving” exploration of a long-term marriage under sudden, extreme pressure.

The Story: A Secret Frozen in Time

The drama centres on Kate (Geraldine James) and Geoff, a couple in the final stages of planning their 45th wedding anniversary party. Their preparations are thrown into a tailspin when a letter arrives from Switzerland with news that the body of Geoff’s first love, a young woman who died decades ago, has been discovered perfectly preserved in the melting ice of the Alps.

As the week progresses and the party draws nearer, the discovery acts as a “crack in the crystal” of their marriage. The play examines the fragility of shared history, asking whether the past is truly “another country” or if the secrets we bury are destined to resurface and reshape our present.

The Creative Team

The production is helmed by director Prasanna Puwanarajah, who arrives at Chichester following his recent success with Twelfth Night at the RSC, for which he won the 2025 UK Theatre Award for Best Director.

Cast: Led by Geraldine James, whose extensive credits include The Jewel in the Crown, Silo, and Back to Life, with further casting to be announced.
Writer: Hannah Patterson (Eden, Playing With Grown Ups), adapting from Andrew Haigh’s original screenplay.
Design: James Cotterill (Set & Costume) and Guy Hoare (Lighting).

A Season of Premieres

45 Years is one of five new plays premiering in the Minerva Theatre this season, alongside John Morton’s Eclipse, Emily White’s climate-drama Atlantis, Stephanie Street’s a small and quiet light, and Nina Segal’s contemporary Greek adaptation Antigone Exits.