HOLY FOOL to Make World Premiere With Benjamin O'Mahony as Shostakovich
Park Theatre will present the Rosalind Adler and Lea Sellers play, directed by Kate Fahy, with Jenna Augen and Phoebe Pryce.
The full cast has been announced for the world premiere of Holy Fool, a new play by Rosalind Adler and Lea Sellers inspired by the true story of Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich and his battle to preserve his artistic voice under Stalin's brutal regime.
Directed by KATE FAHY, the production runs at Park Theatre, London, from Thursday 27 August to Saturday 10 October 2026, with a national press night on Thursday 3 September.
Benjamin O'Mahony (Stu Hale in the BAFTA nominated Kajaki; Hollyoaks; Ripper Street) stars as Dmitri “Mitya” Shostakovich. He is joined by Jenna Augen (Kyoto - RSC and West End; Leopoldstadt - West End and Broadway) as 'Nina', Phoebe Pryce (The Merchant of Venice - Shakespeare's Globe; The Importance of Being Earnest - Royal Exchange), as 'Katya' and Fergus O'Donnell (RSC, Shakespeare's Globe, I May Destroy You) as 'Izaak'.
One of the twentieth century's greatest composers. One wrong note could cost him everything. At the height of Stalin's reign of terror, celebrated composer Dmitri Shostakovich walks a perilous tightrope. One wrong note could topple him; one perfectly judged crescendo might save his life. Under the constant threat of torture and death, he must appease a brutal despot – while quietly resisting him. Outwardly compliant, inwardly defiant, Shostakovich composes in code: music that conceals as much as it reveals.
Inspired by remarkable real events, Holy Fool is a tense, darkly witty and moving portrait of an artist who fought oppression not with weapons, but with music. Exploring the impossible choices faced by those living under authoritarian rule, the play asks urgent contemporary questions about censorship, propaganda, compromise and the enduring power of art to challenge tyranny.
Producer Oliver King said: "Shostakovich's story feels astonishingly relevant today. Across the world, artists, journalists and writers continue to face censorship, political pressure and persecution. Holy Fool isn't simply a play about history; it's about the courage it takes to keep telling the truth when the consequences become unbearable.
Rosalind Adler and Lea Sellers have created an intensely theatrical, witty and profoundly moving play, and we're thrilled that KATE FAHY is bringing it to life with such an exceptional cast at Park Theatre."
Director KATE FAHY said: “This is a play for today. We know that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, artists and intellectuals have been sanctioned for their criticism of the war. They walk the same tightrope that Shostakovich walked, trying to get their message out subversively without losing their life or that of their loved ones.
Holy Fool is a funny and humane play which examines one man's challenge, when to express his authentic self and when to comply with a brutal regime in order to stay alive and put food on the table. And keep writing his sublime music so we can marvel at it nearly a hundred years later.”
About the Production
Drawing on one of the most remarkable artistic lives of the twentieth century, Holy Fool combines sharp humour, psychological suspense and the electrifying music of Dmitri Shostakovich to tell the story of a composer whose greatest acts of defiance were hidden in plain sight.
The production reunites acclaimed director KATE FAHY with a creative team including Will Fricker (Design) alongside lighting designer Oliver Fenwick and sound designer Julian Starr.
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