August Wilson's masterpiece receives its first major London revival at the Young Vic. Delroy Lindo (The Cider House Rules, Malcolm X, Get Shorty) leads a stellar cast including Adjoa Andoh, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Petra Letang and Danny Sapani for David Lan's new production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone by the two time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose work includes Fences, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and The Piano Lesson.
August Wilson's spellbinding account of a people's recovery from the trauma of slavery won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play when first performed on Broadway in 1988.
Delroy Lindo was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Herald Loomis in this production. He will play the part of Bynum Walker at the Young Vic.
It's 1911. After seven long years, Herald Loomis has been released from Joe Turner's slave gang.
Now he is scouring Pittsburgh for the wife he left behind. And for the road that will lead him to freedom and his rightful place in a new world.
This is the second play in the famous ‘Pittsburgh Cycle'; Wilson's decade by decade history of black American experience in the twentieth century. It was Wilson's favourite of all his plays - ‘After I wrote it I said to myself: If I die tomorrow, I have fulfilled myself as an artist.'
Delroy Lindo worked with
Spike Lee on Malcolm X, Clockers and Crooklyn. His other films include The Devil's Advocate, Gone in 60 Seconds, Ransom, A Life Less Ordinary and Broken Arrow. He made his Broadway debut in
Athol Fugard's Master Harold and his Boys directed by the playwright, before winning great acclaim for his performance in Joe Turner's Come and Gone. He recently directed Joe Turner at Berkeley Rep Theatre.
The cast also includes Adjoa Andoh (Invictus; In the Red and Brown Water, YV; His Dark Materials, NT),
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Not Black and White, Tricycle; Death and the King's Horseman, NT; A Respectable Wedding, YV), Daniel Cerqueira (Sleeping Beauty, YV; Rome, HBO), Petra Letang (EastEnders; Funny Black Women on
The Edge, Hackney Empire), Nathaniel Martello-White (The Brothers Size, YV; Knives in Hens, Arcola), Danny Sapani (Misfits, E4;Wig Out, Royal Court; His Dark Materials, NT), Demi Oyediran and Ri
Ann Steele.
David Lan is now in his tenth year as artistic director at the Young Vic. Amongst the plays he has directed there are A Raisin in the Sun, ‘Tis Pity She's a Whore, Doctor Faustus, The Daughter-in-Law, The Skin of Our Teeth and As You Like It (at Wyndham's as part of the YV Walkabout season). He won an Olivier Award for the 2004 Young Vic season. His many plays, screenplays, adaptations and libretti have been produced by the Royal Court, the Almeida, the NT, RSC, BBC TV and Radio and Channel Four.
Joe Turner's Come and Gone will be directed by David Lan, designed by Patrick Burnier, with light by Mike Gunning, costumes by Gabrielle Dalton, sound by Gareth Fry, music by
Tim Sutton, choreography by
Thea Barnes and casting by Julia Horan.
The production runs from 27 May - 03 July. For tickets and more information, visit
www.youngvic.org or call 0207 922 2922. The performance schedule is Monday - Saturday 7:30pm
Saturday matinees (from 05 June) 2:30pm and Wednesday matinees (16, 30 June) 2:30pm. Tickets are £22.50. Previews £15. Student and senior discounts are available.
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