Finborough Theatre to Present John Osborne's A SUBJECT OF SCANDAL

In a production commissioned by the Finborough Theatre, the London premiere - and the first production in over 40 years - of John Osborne's A Subject Of Scandal And Concern will run at the Finborough Theatre, playing nine Sunday and Monday evenings and Tuesday matinees from Sunday, 22 May 2016 (Press Night: Monday, 23 May 2016 at 7.30pm)

Cheltenham, 1842. George Jacob Holyoake is a poor young teacher, making his way from Birmingham to Bristol to visit a friend who has been imprisoned for publishing a journal that criticises the establishment. When he makes a stop in Cheltenham to address a lecture, his words and his overwhelming commitment to speaking the truth will change his life forever.

Arrested and tried for blasphemy, and separated from his starving wife and child, Holyoake is faced with the choice of conforming to the establishment or staying true to his beliefs during in a time of injustice and intolerance.

Based on the true story of the last man to stand trial for blasphemy in England, A Subject Of Scandal And Concern was originally written for television in 1960 starring Richard Burton and Rachel Roberts, and directed by Tony Richardson, and was first seen onstage in Nottingham in the early 1960s. This production marks the first theatrical staging of the play in over 40 years and its long overdue London premiere.

Playwright John Osborne was born in Fulham in 1929. His best known works include Look Back in Anger (celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2016), The Entertainer, Luther, Inadmissible Evidence, West of Suez, A Sense of Detachment, Watch It Come Down, A Patriot For Me and The Hotel In Amsterdam , h is screenplay for the film Tom Jones which won him an Oscar, and his autobiographies A Better Class of Person and Almost A Gentleman . Osborne died in 1994.

Director Jimmy Walters' previous productions include A Naughty Night With Noël Coward (Old Red Lion Theatre), Julius Caesar (Saatchi Gallery and Chelsea Theatre), Improbable Fiction (Cour tyard Theatre), Hamlet (United Arab Emirates Tour and Network Theatre), I the Jury (Hen and Chickens The atre), Breaded Butler (Troubadour) and Dear Ray (Edinburgh Festival). Assistant Direction includes Young Shakespeare Company tours of Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet (Bloomsbury Theatre), Othello (Riverside Studios) and Knock Yourself Out (Courtyard Theatre).

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Lead Performer in a Musical - Top 3

1. LJ Benet - The Lost Boys, A New Musical

16.9% of votes

2. Joshua Henry - Ragtime

16.1% of votes

3. Nicholas Christopher - Chess

8.9% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats