Michelle Gomez Departs ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST at The Old Vic
The role of Nurse Ratched will now be played by Olivia Williams.
Michelle Gomez has departed the cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at The Old Vic, due to personal reasons. According to a statement on the theatre's social media, the role of Nurse Ratched will now be played by Olivia Williams. All performances are scheduled to go ahead as planned.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest plays at The Old Vic from 01 Apr-23 May 2026.
The cast also features Aaron Pierre as Randle P.McMurphy, Giles Terera as Dale Harding, Samson Ajewole as Aide Warren, Kazeem Tosin Amore as Aide Turkle, Arthur Boan as Chief Bromden, Adam Bond as Ensemble, Emma Cater as Ensemble, Ene Frost as Ruckly, Jaz Hutchins as Aide Williams, Shaquille Jack as Ensemble, Daisy Lewis as Candy Starr, Amy Newton as Nurse Flinn/Sandra, Jason Pennycooke as Martini, Javone Prince as Cheswick, Mo Sesay as Scanlon, Matthew Steer as Dr Spivey and Kedar Williams-Stirling as Billy Bibbit.
Inside a psychiatric facility, Chief Bromden has been silent for years — confined and maligned by a system that labels, divides and forgets. But he has a story to tell. He’s just been waiting for someone to listen.
Enter Randle P. McMurphy, a gambler and provocateur whose defiance unsettles the ward — and sparks something long dormant in Bromden and his fellow patients. Under the iron rule of Nurse Ratched, they have been stripped of their humanity. Now, McMurphy’s rebellion reminds the patients of their voices — and what it means to be free.
