David Hare’s critically acclaimed The Moderate Soprano, first seen at the Hampstead Theatre in 2015, will make its West End premiere at the Duke of York’s Theatre in 2018.
The production, directed by Jeremy Herrin (who helmed the earlier run), will begin previews April 5 prior to an official opening April 12 for a run through June 30.
Olivier Award winners Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll will reprise the roles of Glyndebourne founder John Christie and soprano Audrey Mildmay, respectively. Further casting will be announced at a later time.
The production will feature new set and costume designs by Tony winner Bob Crowley.
Hare’s play is the story of an intense love affair and the unrelenting search for artistic excellence in the face of searing scrutiny, sacrifice, and the impending Second World War.
The playwright said in a statement, “Few people know the extraordinary story of how an eccentric English schoolmaster bumped accidentally into three refugees from Hitler’s Germany, and formed one of the world’s great opera houses in the 1930s in the middle of the English countryside. But even fewer know that Glyndebourne’s true founder was John Christie’s adored wife, Audrey Mildmay, whom he called ‘the moderate soprano.’”
The Moderate Soprano is produced in the West End by Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis, and Nick Salmon for Playful Productions, Caro Newling for Neal Street Productions, Karl Sydow and Greg Ripley-Duggan for Hampstead Theatre, in association with Raymond Gubbay and Bob Bartner.
