Simon Russell Beale, who was in previews of the Broadway production of The Lehman Trilogy when the pandemic shuttered theatres worldwide, will play composer JS Bach in the world premiere of Nina Raine’s Bach & Sons this summer at London's Bridge Theatre.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner, performances are scheduled for June 23–September 9 with an official opening June 29. The production will also feature associate direction by James Cousins, set design by Vicki Mortimer, costume design by Khadija Raza, lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Gareth Fry, and music supervision by George Fenton. Additional casting will be announced later.
The upcoming season will also include the European premiere of Suzan-Lori Parks’ White Noise, running October 5–November 13. Directed by Polly Findlay, the production will have set design by Lizzie Clachan, costumes by Natalie Pryce, lighting by Jackie Shemesh, and sound by Donato Wharton.
Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust—La Belle Sauvage, which had been announced for summer 2020, is now scheduled to open in December. Hytner directs Bryony Lavery’s new stage adaptation, which takes place 12 years before Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.
The socially distanced theatre installation Flight is also scheduled to return to the Bridge May 17–June 6. The Barbican co-presents the production from Vox Motus, which made its London debut at The Bridge last year before lockdown halted the run. Audiences are seated individually and given headphones for this intimate experience staged by Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison.
Performances of Bach & Sons will go on sale with socially distanced seating initially; when and if government guidelines allow, performances will move to full seating capacity.
