Theatre News

St James Theatre announce spring 2016 season

Highlights include a revival of Charlotte Keatley’s ”My Mother Said I Never Should”

The St James spring season
The St James spring season will kick off from January

The St James Theatre have announced their 2016 spring season with highlights including the first London revival of Charlotte Keatley's My Mother Said I Never Should and the UK premiere of critically acclaimed play The Pianist of Willesden Lane.

Kicking the season off from 20 January to 27 February will be the UK premiere of The Pianist of Willesden Lane, adapted and directed by Hershey Felder. Based on the book by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen, the show is adapted from the true story of Lisa Jura, a young Jewish pianist in WWII who is separated from her family and sent to London. The production, which has achieved sold out runs across America, will have live music played on a Steinway concert grand piano.

A world premiere of new musical Miss Atomic Bomb will play from 7 March to 9 April. Co-directed and choreographed by Olivier Award winner Bill Deamer and Adam Long, the show is inspired by the real life nuclear tests and beauty pageants of the fifties.

To close the season, Tiny Fires – a new production company from Theatre 503 artistic director Paul Robinson and Tara Finney – revive Charlotte Keatley's award-winning debut play My Mother Said I Never Should. Their inaugural production will be the first London revival in over 25 years and will run from 13 April to 21 May 2016. The play explores the relationships between mothers and daughters and the choices we make which determine the course of our lives.

James Albrecht, creative director of the St James Theatre, commented: "As we embark on our fourth year at the St James, it is a joy to be fulfilling our objective to present ambitious new plays, musical theatre and revivals of ground-breaking works, from both sides of the Atlantic. In our spring season we bring you absorbing and entertaining tales inspired by true stories and notable for their leading roles for women."

Following a successful launch period, the St. James Theatre has also announced their new-writing initiative RE:act, which gives emerging theatre makers the chance to create and stage responsive pieces at the theatre, will continue in 2016. Each production in the spring season will be accompanied by a RE:act evening.