EastEnders stars Louisa Lytton and James Alexandrou to reunite for Casserole revival

Exclusive: Louisa Lytton and James Alexandrou will reunite on stage in Casserole.

The production marks the first time the former EastEnders co-stars have performed together on stage. Written by Kate Kelly Flood, Dominic Morgan and Alexandrou, the dark comedy is set around Christmas and explores grief, intimacy and differing beliefs about the afterlife.

The new production will run at Playhouse East in Haggerston from 24 November to 19 December 2026.

The one-act, 65-minute play was developed over approximately five years through improvisational workshops at Playhouse East, where actors, writers and directors collaborate to generate new work.

Casserole previously ran at the Arcola Theatre, where it received three Off West End Award nominations for Best New Play, Best Duo Performance and Best Set Design. Lytton attended the original production as an audience member and subsequently campaigned to be involved in a new staging. The 2026 production has been reworked for Playhouse East’s 84-seat venue.

Alexandrou, who co-founded Playhouse East with Avital Lvova in 2024, said: “Casserole is our attempt to prove that independent theatre can be artist-led, accessible, commercially ambitious and genuinely excellent at the same time.”

Lytton is best known for playing Ruby Allen in EastEnders, while Alexandrou played Martin Fowler in EastEnders for more than a decade after joining the soap aged 11.

The creative team comprises writers  Flood, Morgan and Alexandrou (who also directs), producer Avital Lvova for Playhouse East, set designer Adrian Makarewicz, costume designer Katie McGoldrick, lighting designer Kit Mackenzie, sound designer Rumble Post, stage managers Esme Pitman and Michael Seabrook, production manager Nathan Lee and set builder Rommel Rasheed.