Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ Death of England trilogy will be staged in a landmark production at the West End’s @sohoplace theatre in London this summer.
Following acclaimed seasons at the National Theatre, Dyer and Williams’ acclaimed series of state-of-the-nation plays will be performed together for the very first time, starring Thomas Coombes, Paapa Essiedu, Erin Doherty and Sharon Duncan-Brewster, and directed by Deputy Artistic Director of the National Theatre, Clint Dyer.
Each play, three out of the original four, offers a standalone experience reflecting on what it means to be British in 2024. The plays are also interconnected to be seen as a cohesive whole, offering a theatrical journey through contemporary British identity and society.
The trilogy of three plays will run at @sohoplace theatre from 15 July to 28 September 2024.
Death of England: Michael start from 15 July, Death of England: Delroy from 23 July, and Death of England: Closing Time from 22 August 2024. All plays will then be in rep until 28 September 2024.
Joining Clint Dyer in the creative team is Co-Set and Costume Designer Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey, Co-Set and Costume Designer ULTZ, Lighting Designer Jackie Shemesh, Co-Sound Designer Benjamin Grant, Co-Sound Designer Pete Malkin and Associate Director Anastasia Osei-Kuffour.
Death of England: Michael
The first play, Death of England: Michael, is a monologue about the grief and grievances of a working-class white man following the unexpected death of his father.
Death of England: Michael stars Thomas Coombes, recently seen in the Netflix hit Baby Reindeer, in the role of Michael, taking over from Rafe Spall who starred in the original National Theatre production.
Death of England: Delroy
Paapa Essiedu stars in the second play, Death of England: Delroy, which centres on a Black working-class man searching for truth and confronting his relationship with Great Britain.
Essiedu is an award-winning actor known for his performances in the RSC’s Hamlet and Jamie Lloyd’s acclaimed revival of The Effect at the National Theatre, which subsequently transferred to New York. On screen, he has appeared in The Capture, HBO’s I May Destroy You, Gangs of London, and Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express.
Death of England: Closing Time
The trilogy concludes with Death of England: Closing Time, a thought-provoking drama that explores family dynamics, race, colonialism, and cancel culture.
The play stars Sharon Duncan-Brewster, who revisits her acclaimed performance as Denise from the original National Theatre production, and Erin Doherty as Carly.
Erin Doherty is best known for her role as Princess Anne in The Crown; Sharon Duncan-Brewster’s credits include Streetcar Named Desire, Dune and Top Boy.
Death of England @sohoplace theatre
The three Death of England plays will be running at new Nimax venue @sohoplace theatre this summer, from 15 July to 28 September 2024.
The plays are produced by Bill Kenwright Ltd, in association with Nica Burns.
Writer and director Clint Dyer said in a statement: “I’m honoured and excited to get this opportunity @sohoplace. The chance to deepen the symbolism of Death of England by placing the three updated plays together, whilst breathing new life into it with such an amazing cast, is nothing but thrilling for me and the team.”
Writer Roy Williams said: “I am made up beyond words that this is happening @sohoplace. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to update the plays a little and to work with an almost entirely new cast. I have nothing but love and admiration for each actor embarking on this with us! At its heart, the Death of England plays are a state of the nation family saga and the Fletcher/Tomlin family still have much to say about England as it is now and the troubling times we are living in.”
Jenny Seagrove, Chairperson of Bill Kenwright Ltd said: “We are thrilled to be once again partnering with long-standing friends and colleagues Clint Dyer and Nica Burns, to present an incredible cast in this exciting series of plays that hold a mirror up to society in 2024. Twenty years ago Bill transferred Clint Dyer’s production of The Big Life into the Apollo Theatre as the first British Black Musical to be presented in the West End and Bill collaborated with Nica on countless West End productions. I couldn’t think of two better partners to be working with on this wonderful project, as Bill Kenwright Ltd moves into a new chapter, building on the legacy of Bill’s incredible 50+ year career.”
Nica Burns said: “Our intimate auditorium is a perfect setting for the audience and actors to connect with this fantastic, ambitious piece of theatre performed by a brilliantly talented company. Plays for today in a theatre for today.”
Coming up next at @sohoplace is Heathers The Musical, which runs from 22 May to 6 July 2024.
More about tickets to Death of England: The Plays at @sohoplace theatre London
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