Photos: ORPHANS By Lyle Kessler At Jermyn Street Theatre

Jermyn Street Theatre has released first look photos of Orphans by Lyle Kessler from January 5 through January 24, 2026. 

Set in Philadelphia in 1983, Orphans centers on two brothers living in isolation. Phillip, 28, has not left their apartment in years, surviving on canned food, encyclopedias, and his own theories about the dangers of the outside world. His older brother Treat controls their lives through rigid routines, stealing whatever they need to survive. When Treat brings home a drunken stranger named Harold—flush with cash—the fragile balance of their existence is disrupted, setting in motion events that permanently alter all three men.

The cast will feature Forbes Masson as Harold, Chris Walley as Treat, and Fred Woodley Evans as Phillip.

Masson returns to Jermyn Street Theatre following previous appearances in Laughing Boy and Farm Hall, and his stage work also includes productions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Almeida Theatre, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, and Chichester Festival Theatre. His screen credits include The Crown and Shetland.

Walley’s theatre work includes Juno and the Paycock at the Gielgud Theatre and The Lieutenant of Inishmore at the Noel Coward Theatre, for which he received the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His screen credits include The Young Offenders and 1917.

Woodley Evans returns to Jermyn Street Theatre following his debut in Outlying Islands. He is currently appearing as John Darling in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Wendy & Peter Pan at the Barbican Centre and will appear in an upcoming season of Bridgerton. He graduated from RADA in 2024.

The production will be directed by Al Miller, with set and costume design by Sarah Beaton, lighting design by Simeon Miller, and composition and sound design by Donato Wharton.

Written by Kessler, whose other plays include Burning Bright, Robbers, and The Watering Place, Orphans examines control, dependency, and survival under extreme emotional pressure. The play was previously adapted for the screen by Kessler himself and continues to be regarded as one of his most tightly constructed works.

Orphans will play at Jermyn Street Theatre from January 5–24, 2026, with performances taking place at the theatre’s London venue.

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