Jeremy O. Harris' Slave Play opened its West End premiere at the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End July 10, and the reviews are in. The production is a transfer from the play's earlier Off-Broadway and Broadway runs, with Robert O'Hara at the helm. Read what critics are saying below.
The London cast is led by Game of Thrones' Kit Harington as Jim, Olivia Washington (Breaking) as Kaneisha, Fisayo Akinade (Heartstopper) as Gary, and Aaron Heffernan (Atlanta) as Phillip. Alumni from the work's 2018 Off-Broadway and 2019 Broadway bows are back to reprise their performances as well, including James Cusati-Moyer as Dustin, Chalia La Tour as Teá, Annie McNamara as Alana, and Irene Sofia Lucio as Patricia.
Understudies Troy Alexander, Dimitri Gripari, Maite Jauregui, Prince Kundai, and Malikah Mcherrin-Cobb complete the cast. Casting is by Amy Ball, with original U.S. casting by Taylor Williams.
Read the reviews below.
LondonTheatre1 (Marian Kennedy)
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Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The work is set at the MacGregor Plantation in the Antebellum Old South, but nothing is as it seems. The Broadway bow became the then-most Tony-nominated play in Tony Awards history (a distinction now owned by 2024 Best Play Tony winner Stereophonic), receiving 12 nods, though winning none.
The entire original creative team is back alongside O'Hara, including scenic designer Clint Ramos, costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Jiyoun Chang, and composer and sound designer Lindsay Jones. Also on the creative team for the London bow are intimacy and fight director Claire Warden, U.S. choreographer Byron Easley, U.K. choreographer Jade Hackett, and voice and dialect coach Aundrea Fudge.
The London premiere is produced by Empire Street Productions, Seaview Productions, and bb2. Visit SlavePlayLondon.com for more.
