London Premiere Run of THE TAILOR OF INVERNESS Comes to the Finborough Theatre in May
Performances run 14 May t 8 June.
The London premiere run of Matthew Zajac's internationally acclaimed The Tailor of Inverness opens at the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre for a four-week limited season on Tuesday 14 May (press nights: Thursday 16 May and Friday 17 May at 7.30pm) and runs until 8 June.
This is a long overdue opportunity for London audiences to see an unforgettable and critically-acclaimed story of displacement and survival in war-torn Europe. A powerful allegory for all victims of war, it is a true story of journeys, of how a boy who grew up on a farm in Galicia (then in Eastern Poland, now in Western Ukraine) came to be a tailor in Inverness…
Mateusz Zajac's life spanned most of the 20th century. Taken prisoner by the Soviets in 1939 and forced to work, he was freed in an amnesty after the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union and joined the thousands of Poles fighting with the British Army in North Africa and Italy. He was then resettled in Britain in 1948, joining his brother in Glasgow.
That is the story he told….but was the tailor really who he said he was?
Combining storytelling, songs, poetry and physicality with a rich soundscape of live fiddle music and effects, Matthew Zajac's stunning play about his Polish father has entranced over 40,000 people worldwide, playing in a huge variety of venues in twelve countries, from sold-out runs in prestigious theatres in cities like New York, Adelaide, Malmo, Edinburgh, Brussels, Dublin and Berlin, cities in Ukraine and Poland such as Kyiv, Lublin and Lviv and tiny village halls in the Scottish Highlands. Its many awards include a Scotsman Fringe First, The Stage Best Solo Performer Award and Best Actor at the CATS (Critics Awards for Theatre In Scotland) Awards.
The Tailor of Inverness is part of the Finborough's Theatre's #VoicesFromUkraine, a programming strand set up in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Written and performed by Matthew Zajac
Directed by Ben Harrison
Design by Ali Maclaurin
Lighting by Kai Fischer
Music by Jonny Hardie and Gavin Marwick
Sound by Timothy Brinkhurst
Presented by Dogstar Theatre Company in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre
Performed by Matthew Zajac and violinists Jonny Hardie or Amy Geddes
|
Fascinating Aida Scarborough Spa Theatre (2/20-2/20) |
|
|
Count Arthur Strong - And Its Goodnight From Me! The Alexandra (5/23-5/23) |
|
Totally 90s Festival Oaklands College (8/01-8/02) |
|
L.A. GUNS at O2 Academy Islington - London O2 Academy Islington (10/30-10/30) |
|
G4 Christmas 2026 - Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral (11/18-11/18) |
|
Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert - The Film With Live Orchestra Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (12/02-12/02) |
|
KHEMMIS at The Underworld - London The Underworld (10/15-10/15) |
|
The Little Mermaid Greenwich Theatre (8/07-8/23) |
|
Fawlty Towers Revisited Weekend 15/08/2026 Mercure Sheffield Kenwood Hall and Spa (8/15-8/16) |
|
Chelmsford Comedy Club Live – Mike Gunn, Kevin Daniel, Jack Hester and Special Guest The Lion Inn (8/27-8/27) |