Menier Chocolate Factory announces autumn season and Pacific Overtures revival

The Menier Chocolate Factory in London has announced its autumn season as it prepares to reopen its doors. 

Artistic director of the Menier, David Babani said today: “After our first dark period in 18 years of production whilst the venue underwent necessary maintenance work, we are thrilled to announce our new season of work with the world première of a new play by Terry Johnson, Alex Edelman’s smash hit comedy show Just For Us, and completing the season at our home base is the UK première of Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime, directed by Dominic Dromgoole.”

Johnson’s new play, The Sex Party, runs from 4 November to 7 January and sees four couples come together for a night of intimate investigation. The show has design by Tim Shortall, lighting by Ben Ormerod and sound by John Leonard. 

After this will be Alex Edelman’s Just For Us, which follows Edelman’s decision to covertly attend a gathering of white nationalists. Regular collaborator Adam Brace directs, with the show running from 11 January to 26 February. 

The season will conclude with the UK premiere of Jordan Harrison’s 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist Marjorie Prime, which explores questions of identity and technology. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole, it runs from 9 March to 6 May. 

Babani went on: “In addition, the Menier will be co-producing work in New York and Japan, continuing the company’s long association with the works of Stephen Sondheim with productions of Merrily We Roll Along and Pacific Overtures. It’s a busy season for the company, and we look forward to sharing further plans for 2023 with you shortly.”

Merrily runs this autumn off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, as we’ve covered in detail here. 

The venue is co-producing Sondheim, Weidman and Wheeler’s 1976 musical Pacific Overtures, directed by Matthew White, with Umeda Arts Theater. It will open at the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo in spring 2023, with details of a UK transfer to be confirmed. The show is set in 19th centre Japan as the country saw aspects of western culture become more visible. 

The Sex Party goes on general sale on 3 October. 

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