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A British Invasion: Spotlight on This Season's Shows from Across the Pond!
By: Nicole Rosky Oct. 28, 2018
The British are coming! The British are coming!
The 2017-18 theatre season was littered with shows from London: The Children, Farinelli and the King, Angels in America, Travesties, and of course, Best Play Tony winner Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
This season, Broadway will welcome another crop of British plays from such esteemed playwrights as Jez Butterworth, Richard Bean, Lee Hall and James Graham. Below, we're taking a moment to shine a spotlight on this season's British imports.
The Nap
Currently running at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Before it arrived on Broadway, The Nap made its world premiere at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in March 2016. In its British premiere, The Guardian raved, "Ingenious," The Observer cheered, "Outrageously funny," and The Daily Mail called The Nap "brilliant and terrifically inventive."
The Nap is a very funny look at the world of snooker - the British version of pool. Dylan Spokes, a fast-rising young star arrives for a championship tournament only to be confronted by the authorities warning him of the repercussions of match fixing. Before he knows it, Dylan's forced into underhanded dealings with a cast of wildly colorful characters that include his ex-convict dad, saucy mum, quick-tongued manager and a renowned gangster, to boot. It's a fast-paced comedy thriller where, in an exciting twist, the tournament unfolds live on stage.
The Ferryman
Now running at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
The Ferryman opened at The Royal Court in May 2017 to huge critical acclaim and was the fastest-selling play in the theater's history. The sold-out show transferred to the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End, where it ended its thrice-extended, year-long run on May 19, 2018. The production has won three Olivier Awards, including Best New Play, Best Actress and Best Director; three 2017 Evening Standard Awards, including Best Play and Best Director; three 2018 Whatsonstage Awards, including Best New Play and Best Director; and was named the Best New Play at the 2018 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards.
The Ferryman is set in rural Northern Ireland in 1981. The Carney farmhouse is a hive of activity with preparations for the annual harvest. A day of hard work on the land and a traditional night of feasting and celebrations lie ahead. But this year they will be interrupted by a visitor.
Network
Begins previews on November 10 at the Belasco Theatre
NETWORK made its world premiere in a critically acclaimed production at The National Theatre from November 13, 2017 through March 24, 2018. The play was nominated for four 2018 Olivier Awards, including Best New Play, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design, and Best Actor, Bryan Cranston, who won for his performance as Howard Beale.
Howard Beale, news anchor-man, isn't pulling in the viewers. In his final broadcast he unravels live on screen. But when ratings soar, the network seizes on their newfound populist prophet, and Howard becomes the biggest thing on TV. Network depicts a media landscape where opinion trumps fact. Hilarious and hair-raising by turns, the iconic film by Paddy Chayefsky won four Academy Awards in 1976.
Ink
Begins previews on April 2 at the Samuel J Friedman Theatre
Ink opened at the Almeida Theatre in June 2017, and transferred to the West End the following September. It earned unanimous raves from London's top theatre critics, and four 2018 Olivier Award nominations, including Best New Play, Best Set Design, Best Director and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Bertie Carvel, who won for his performance as Rupert Murdoch.
It's 1969 London. The brash young Rupert Murdoch purchases a struggling paper, The Sun, and sets out to make it a must-read smash which will destroy - and ultimately horrify - the competition. He brings on rogue editor Larry Lamb who in turn recruits an unlikely team of underdog reporters. Together, they will go to any lengths for success and the race for the most Ink is on!
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