Rupert Goold’s first Old Vic season opens with Damian Lewis in Henry V, from 26 January to 27 March 2027.
Milly Alcock stars in Rebecca Frecknall’s Julie, running from 10 April to 29 May 2027.
Assassins runs from 15 June to 21 August, followed by Arinzé Kene in Kohlhaas from 27 August to 4 September 2027.
Rupert Goold’s first season as artistic director brings Shakespeare, Sondheim and a trio of major acting names to the London theatre.
The Old Vic has announced the opening productions of its 2027 season, with Damian Lewis, Milly Alcock and Arinzé Kene taking to the stage. The programme marks Rupert Goold’s first as artistic director, pairing familiar titles with contemporary adaptations and a musical that takes aim at the American dream.
The season opens with Shakespeare’s Henry V, running from 26 January to 27 March 2027. Lewis, known to television audiences for Homeland and Band of Brothers, takes the title role under Goold’s direction. Following the English king’s campaign in France, from Harfleur to Agincourt, the production explores the relationship between leadership and legend. For audiences accustomed to seeing Lewis on screen, it offers the chance to catch him tackling one of Shakespeare’s most commanding royal roles.
Next comes Julie, starring Alcock in the title role from 10 April to 29 May 2027. Adapted and directed by Rebecca Frecknall, this contemporary version of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie arrives following its premiere at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam. The action unfolds on Julie’s 21st birthday, when an encounter with her father’s employees, John and Christine, turns a kitchen into the setting for a struggle over desire, status and control. It also marks Frecknall’s first production as the Old Vic’s associate director.
Musical theatre fans can book for Assassins, which runs from 15 June to 21 August 2027. Goold directs Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Tony Award-winning musical, bringing together figures who tried to kill American presidents. Through its unsettling blend of music and satire, the show examines ambition, disillusionment and the violence woven into the nation’s history.
Completing the announced programme is Kohlhaas, featuring Kene in a solo performance from 27 August to 4 September 2027. Translated and directed by Omar Elerian, the production reunites the pair following Misty. Marco Baliani and Remo Rostagno’s adaptation draws on Heinrich von Kleist’s novella Michael Kohlhaas, following a man whose attempt to recover two wrongfully seized horses escalates into a destructive confrontation with authority.
Rupert Goold said: “I am thrilled to be presenting my first Season with a collection of plays that speaks to the Old Vic’s rich history of classical theatre, European repertoire and musical revivals. I hope my Old Vic will be able to draw on this theatre’s storied legacy of sensational acting in groundbreaking and accessible productions.”
Where: The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London. SE1 8NB.
Contact: www.oldvictheatre.com