Fangirls musical and Minority Report announced in Lyric Hammersmith Theatre season

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has announced its spring/summer 2024 season.

Kicking off the season is David Haig’s adaptation of Minority Report, a sci-fi thriller based on Philip K Dick’s short story about concepts of justice and free will. Directed by Max Webster and produced in association with Nottingham Playhouse and Birmingham Rep, the production reunites Webster and Simon Friend Entertainment, the team behind the WhatsOnStage and Olivier Award-winning Life of Pi. Minority Report is set to run from 19 April to 18 May, 2024, following stints at Nottingham Playhouse (16 February to 9 March) and Birmingham Rep (22 March to 6 April).

Friend said of today’s announcement: “I’m delighted to announce the world premiere stage version of Minority Report, based on Philip K Dick’s short story, adapted by David Haig. We commissioned this project several years ago, but with its prescient central theme of personal technological surveillance, it has only become more alarmingly relevant to the world in which we live, despite the original story having been written in 1956.

“I’m also excited to reunite with director Max Webster, after the continued success of our production of Life of Pi, to create another entertaining, ambitious, and thought-provoking piece of theatre, and to partner with some of the country’s best producing theatres in Nottingham Playhouse, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and Lyric Hammersmith.”

On the creative team are Jon Bausor as the production designer, Tal Rosner as the video designer, Jessica Hung Han Yun as the lighting designer, Nicola T Chang as the composer and sound designer, Lucy Hind as the movement director, and Lotte Hines CDG as the casting director.

Following Minority Report, the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre will stage Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White. Directed by Monique Touko, who previously helmed School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, the  play explores the challenges of interracial love in 1918 South Carolina. The production runs from 31 May to 29 June 2024.

In April and May, the Lyric’s Studio will host the world premiere of The Promise, a co-production with Deafinitely Theatre and Birmingham Rep. The play, co-written by Paula Garfield and Melissa Mostyn, delves into the world of deaf family life and the impact of untreated dementia in the deaf community.

Closing the season is the UK premiere of Fangirls, a critically acclaimed musical written and composed by Yve Blake and directed by Paige Rattray. The pop musical is set to run for six weeks from 13 July to 24 August. It follows Edna, a 14-year-old misfit in love with Harry, a member of the world’s biggest boy band.

The creative team includes David Fleischer as the production designer, Ebony Williams as the choreographer, Ash J Woodward as the video designer, Jessica Hung Han Yun as the lighting designer, Tony Gayle as the sound designer, Zara Stanton as the vocal arranger and orchestrator, David Muratore as the music producer, Alex Sarmiento as the associate choreographer, and Laurence Stannard as the associate musical director.

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre continues its commitment to ticket accessibility, with up to 2,500 free tickets available to residents and workers in the Hammersmith and Fulham borough through the Free First Night program. Additionally, Young Lyric members under 25 living in West London can snag tickets to all Main House shows for just £5.

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