- Venue Old Vic, London
- Performance dates Booking to 1 June 2024
- Running time 1 hour 50 minutes (no interval)
- Age guidelines 14+
★★★★★ “Astonishing” – TimeOut
Direct from an acclaimed run at the Theatre Royal Bath, Sophie Treadwell’s true-crime drama Machinal comes to The Old Vic in London directed by Olivier Award-winner Richard Jones.
Rosie Sheehy (Oleanna, Romeo and Julie) reprises her critically acclaimed role in Richard Jones’ “outstanding production” (Daily Mail).
Based on the true crime story of Ruth Snyder in 1928 that shook a nation, Sophie Treadwell’s seminal Machinal is a pulse-pounding journey of someone pushed to breaking point by the relentless machinery of life, expectation and convention.
Machinal will play The Old Vic theatre from 11 April to 1 June 2024.
‘How can that be? A great sin – a mortal sin – for which I must die and go to hell – but it made me free! One moment I was free!’
From the outside, Helen Jones and her husband had a ‘happy marriage’. Until she murdered him….
Based on the true crime story of Ruth Snyder in 1928 that shook a nation, Ruth was sentenced to death for murder, and her final moments in the electric chair were published on front pages across the American media. The case went on to inspire Billy Wilder’s classic film noir movie Double Indemnity, and The Postman Always Rings Twice, William March’s The Bad Seeds and Guns ’n’ Roses Use Your Illusion albums.
Videos & Photos
Performance Information
Check booking calendar for full details
- Evenings
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Matinees
- Wednesday
- Saturday
- Group Bookings For groups of 10+ enquire here
Stars and Creatives
Who is in the cast of Machinal?
Rosie Sheehy as Young Woman; Daniel Abelson as Man at Bar, Defence Lawyer, Doctor, Office Clerk; Sam Alexander as Prosecution Lawyer, Older Man at Bar; Christian Alifoe as Ensemble; Steven Beard as Doctor, Judge, Priest, Bartender, Office Clerk; Daniel Bowerbank as Filing Clerk, Younger Man at Bar, Court Bailiff, Prisoner; Imogen Daines as Woman at Bar, Jailer, Reporter; Buffy Davis as Mother; Steven Dykes as Ensemble; Tim Frances as Husband; Carla Harrison-Hodge as Telephone Girl, Reporter; Emilio Iannucci as Adding Clerk, 2nd Man at Bar, Barber, Doctor, Court Photographer; Jane MacFarlane as Ensemble; Caroline Moroney as Ensemble; Pierro Niel-Mee as Young Man; Wendy Nottingham as Stenographer, Nurse, Jailer.
Who are the creative team of Machinal?
Written by Sophie Treadwell.
Directed by Richard Jones. Set by Hyemi Shin, Movement by Sarah Fahie, Costumes by Nicky Gillibrand, Lighting by Adam Silverman, Sound by Benjamin Grant, and Casting by Ginny Schiller CDG
A Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath production in association with The Old Vic.
Important Notes
Access performances:
Audio Described: Fri 17 May, 7.30pm (Touch Tour, 5.30pm); Captioned: Mon 20 May, 7.30pm; Relaxed (also audio described, captioned and BSL interpreted): Sat 18 May, 2.30pm; British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted: Fri 24 May, 7.30pm
Venue Information
Old Vic , Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8NB
Nearest Tube or Train: Waterloo (Jubilee line, Northern line, Bakerloo line)
Nearest Buses: 1, 68, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 501
Google
AppleCritics' reviews of Machinal
★★★★★ "Sophie Treadwell’s impressionist masterpiece is turned into a pulverising rapture in Richard Jones’s astonishing production" - TimeOut (The Old Vic)
★★★★★ "Richard Jones’s supercharged staging of Sophie Treadwell’s 1920s masterpiece hits like a fist"- The Observer (The Old Vic)
★★★★★ "Rosie Sheehy is phenomenal" - The Stage (The Old Vic)
★★★★★ "Riveting Rosie Sheehy drives this shattering production” - The Stage (Theatre Royal Bath)
★★★★ "Truly exceptional" - Telegraph (The Old Vic)
★★★★ "Astonishingly modern" - Financial Times (The Old Vic)
★★★★ "A star-making performance by Rosie Sheehy" - Sunday Times (The Old Vic)
★★★★ "Sophie Treadwell’s 1928 expressionist masterpiece" - The Times (Theatre Royal Bath)
★★★★ "Cleverly inventive, chillingly modern" (Theatre Royal Bath)
Frequently Asked Questions
News about Machinal
Machinal Reviews Round-up
Machinal to play The Old Vic directed by Richard Jones & starring Rosie Sheehy
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