First look at Toby Jones, Zoë Wanamaker, Pearl Mackie and Stephen Mangan in The Birthday Party

Photos have been released showing the cast of The Birthday Party on stage, ahead of the show's opening night this week.

The show's cast is led by Toby Jones, Zoë Wanamaker, Pearl Mackie and Stephen Mangan, and is set in a sleepy southern coastal town. When two shady visitors arrive at a boarding house, a birthday party is turned into a living nightmare.

The production marks the 60th anniversary of the play, which originally opened in Cambridge in 1958, transferring to London later that same year. Interestingly, when it first opened in the 1950s, it closed after eight West End performances due to an underwhelming critical reaction, though it has since been recognised as one of the greatest plays of the last century. In 1968 the piece was adapted into a film starring Robert Shaw.

This revival is directed by Ian Rickson (The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia), with design by the Quay Brothers, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker, and music by Stephen Warbeck.

The Birthday Party runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 18 January to 14 April, with previews from now.

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