Peter James' DSI Roy Grace novel Wish You Were Dead to be adapted for new stage tour

A world premiere stage adaptation of Peter James' novel Wish You Were Dead is set to embark on a UK tour next year.

Following the success of the ITV series Grace, the central character of DSI Roy Grace will tread the boards across the country in 2023. The play follows the detective superintendent and Cleo Morey as they take a well-deserved vacation. But instead of taking a break from his crime-solving exploits, Grace finds himself amidst a holiday from hell and must confront ghosts from the past.

James commented: "I have always loved live theatre, so it's been thrilling to watch how much audiences around the UK have loved the plays. Theatre and the escapism it provides us all is so important – particularly now. Inside the safe cocoon of a theatre, audiences love to be on the edge of their seats and sometimes shocked, always hoping when that final curtain falls, order will have been restored and the world will seem just a little bit of a better place. I am incredibly grateful for the support regional theatres and their audiences have shown our plays and it will be fantastic to see another one of my books being adapted for the stage – the sixth one! – and audiences enjoying it, in 2023."

The author boasts the most successful crime thriller stage franchise since Agatha Christie, following previous adaptations of Looking Good Dead (2022) The House on Cold Hill (2019), Not Dead Enough (2017), The Perfect Murder (2016) and Dead Simple (2015). All these titles were adapted for the stage by Shaun McKenna.

Jonathan O'Boyle is set to direct the new tour, which will also feature designs by Michael Holt, lighting by Jason Taylor and sound by Max Pappenheim.

Produced by Joshua Andrews, the piece will launch on 16 February 2023 at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley, before visiting Norwich, Nottingham, Newcastle, Brighton, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Richmond, Milton Keynes, Leeds, Shrewsbury, Cardiff, Salford, Dartford, Southampton, Birmingham, Sheffield, Southend, Leicester and Woking, with further dates to be announced soon.

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