London News
See Who's Starring in World Premiere of Mischief's Thespians: Greece the Musical
The company behind The Play That Goes Wrong has written a musical.
April 07, 2026 By Andrew Gans
Mischief—the London theatre company that created the international hit farces The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, and more—will unveil its first musical comedy during a limited tour of the U.K. Robyn Grant is directing.
Entitled Thespians: Greece the Musical (but not that one), the production will make its world premiere May 9-23 at the Mercury Theatre Colchester, followed by runs at Theatre Royal Bath (May 26-30), Wyvern Theatre, Swindon (June 2-6), Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham (June 16-20), New Theatre, Cardiff (June 23-27), The Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford (June 30-July 4), and HOME Manchester (July 7–18).
With a book and lyrics by Jonathan Sayer and music and lyrics by Ed Zanders, the new musical is set in 534 B.C. as Greece’s smallest island is battling to avoid defeat in a nationwide prayer competition set up by a thin-skinned tyrant—where the loser is put to death. All is going dreadfully until Thespis accidentally invents acting, leading to the world’s first play.
The newly announced cast includes Allie Dart (The Comedy About Spies) as Rhapsodes/Dance Captain, Claire-Marie Hall (Operation Mincemeat) as Poly, James Spence (Unfortunate) as Thespis, Luke Latchman (Sunset Boulevard) as Atlas, Marc Pickering (Bleak Expectations) as Adonis, Matt Cavendish (The Comedy About Spies) as Bard, Mia Jerome (Romeo & Juliet) as Melampus, and Rhys Taylor (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) as The Tyrant, plus ensemble members Ashley Tucker (Christmas Carol Goes Wrong), Curtis Patrick (A Streetcar Named Desire), and Josh Patel-Foster (Oliver!).
Sayer—co-writer of The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, and The Comedy About a Bank Robbery—said in an earlier statement, “I'm absolutely delighted that Thespians will be touring the U.K. next year. I've always loved musicals, and it's been a total joy to co-write one, especially with such a skilled composer as Ed. I think the show is full of heart, great songs, plus the laughter and mayhem that you'd expect in a Mischief show! We can't wait to share it with audiences next year.”
The creative team will also include designer Jasmine Swan, choreographer Melody Sinclair-Marsh, lighting designer David Howe, sound designer Nick Lodge, musical director Ben Smith, associate director Joe Allen, casting directors Lucy Jenkins and Sooki McShane, and executive producer Henry Lewis.
HOME Manchester, Mercury Theatre Colchester, and JPT Productions present the world premiere of the Mischief production.
Visit ThespiansMusical.com.
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