Initial Cast Set For TWENTY THOUSAND STREETS UNDER THE SKY World Premiere
Matthew Iliffe directs Yanexi Enriquez, Rosalind Lailey, and Jordan Scowen in Simon Reade's adaptation.
Troupe has announced the initial casting for the world premiere of Simon Reade’s new stage adaptation of Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky by Patrick Hamilton. Matthew Iliffe directs Yanexi Enriquez (Jenny Maple), Rosalind Lailey (Ella Dawson) and Jordan Scowen (Bob). Based on Hamilton’s classic novel set in late 1920s London, the play follows the lives of three lonely Londoners and their desire for connection and mutual obsession.
Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky opens at Southwark Playhouse Borough on 16 September, with previews from 10 September, and runs until 17 October 2026.
Troupe’s Ashley Cook, said, “One of the things I enjoy most about new stage adaptations is the process between an actor taking the words from a script and creating their own version of the character for the stage. I look forward to seeing what Yanexi, Rosalind and Jordan bring to these characters from Patrick Hamilton’s classic novel and what today’s audiences will take away from this period production.”
About the Production
London, 1929. In the seedy Midnight Bell pub, barman Bob dreams of becoming a writer, while barmaid Ella dreams of being with Bob. When Bob becomes obsessed with alluring prostitute Jenny Maple, he fritters his life’s savings on trying to rescue her. But there is more to the intriguing Jenny than meets the eye…
Adapted from the classic novel by Patrick Hamilton, famed author of Gaslight, Rope and Hangover Square, Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky is an epic tale of three lonely Londoners looking for connection in the sprawling streets of the metropolis. Both darkly humorous and devastating, it is a love letter to 1920s Jazz Age London in all its grimy glory. An acclaimed television adaptation was broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, starring Sally Hawkins.
This world premiere of Simon Reade’s sharp new stage play adaptation is directed by Off West End Award winner Matthew Iliffe (Bacon) and features an ensemble cast in a stylish period production, from the producer of Noël Coward’s The Rat Trap and John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga Parts 1 and 2 (RSC/ Park Theatre).
