Barber Shop Chronicles to embark on a UK tour

Inua Ellams' hit play Barber Shop Chronicles is to head out on a UK tour in 2019.

The show opened at the National Theatre in 2017 and has run at West Yorkshire Playhouse (now Leeds Playhouse), and toured Australia and New Zealand. It will be heading to America and Canada and in spring next year returns to the UK.

The show is set in barber shops in many different continents, where men put the world to rights. In a four star review for WhatsOnStage, Matt Trueman said: "This is a play that makes its points through acting, and a dynamic ensemble swap characters with relish."

Kate McGrath, director of producing company Fuel said said: "Everyone at Fuel is thrilled about this tour. We are hugely proud of this joyous and soulful production of Inua's important and life-affirming play. It's a brilliant opportunity, in particular, to develop Fuel's commitment to growing young and diverse audiences for contemporary theatre nation-wide."

The show is a co-production between Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Exchange Theatre and Contact in Manchester. It will tour to Manchester, Leicester, Scarborough, Bristol, Sheffield, Leeds, Oxford and Southampton with further venues to be announced soon. The tour kicks off in Manchester on 7 March.

The piece is directed by Bijan Sheibani, designed by Rae Smith, with lighting design by Jack Knowles, movement direction by Aline David and sound design by Gareth Fry. Full casting will be announced in due course.