New photography captures Benjamin O’Mahony as Dmitri Shostakovich in the world premiere of Holy Fool, a tense new drama about art, defiance and survival under Stalin’s regime.
Production images have been released for the world premiere of Holy Fool, offering the first proper look at the new play inspired by the extraordinary true story of Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich, now playing at Park Theatre until 10 October 2026.
Written by Rosalind Adler and Lea Sellers and directed by Kate Fahy, the production stars Benjamin O’Mahony as Shostakovich, alongside Jenna Augen as Nina, Phoebe Pryce as Katya and Fergus O’Donnell as Izaak. At the height of Stalin’s reign of terror, the celebrated composer walks a perilous tightrope, appeasing a brutal regime while quietly resisting it through music that conceals as much as it reveals.
Outwardly compliant, inwardly defiant, Shostakovich composes in code, and one wrong note could cost him everything.
Director Kate Fahy called it “a play for today,” pointing to artists and intellectuals sanctioned in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine: “They walk the same tightrope that Shostakovich walked, trying to get their message out subversively without losing their life or that of their loved ones.”
Producer Oliver King agreed the story “feels astonishingly relevant today,” describing Holy Fool as ultimately “about the courage it takes to keep telling the truth when the consequences become unbearable.“
Alongside the run, the acclaimed Carducci Quartet presents Shostakovich in Seven Parts, a 45-minute concert journey through the composer’s fifteen string quartets, with performances on Saturday 12 and Friday 25 September at 6pm in Park200.
View live availability for Holy Fool here
Plan your visit to Holy Fool
- Theatre: Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP
- Booking dates: 27 August – 10 October 2026 (press night 3 September)
- Performance schedule: Monday–Saturday 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday 3pm
- Age guidance: 11+
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