A Taste of Honey to receive a West End transfer this Christmas!
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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
(Updated on Oct 11, 2019)
It has just been announced that A Taste of Honey, the debut play by Shelagh Delaney written when she was just 19 years old, is set to transfer to London's Trafalgar Studios this December for a 13-week run. The now-touring production put on by the National Theatre just opened at The Lowry in Salford-Greater Manchester and is also scheduled to run in Bath, Norwich, Canterbury, Edinburgh, Richmond, Leicester, Belfast, and Wolverhampton. It stars I'd Do Anything winner and musical theatre actress Jodie Prenger and marks the first West End production of A Taste of Honey in over 60 years.
Tickets for the London run are now on sale for the award-nominated show.
Production shots of A Taste of Honey by © Marc Brenner
A Taste of Honey to run at Trafalgar Studios in London's West End!
Come Christmas time, the highly-acclaimed revival of A Taste of Honey is set to delight London audiences with its gorgeous visuals and fabulous, new, jazz-inspired music. A Taste of Honey opens on 5 December 2019 at Trafalgar Studios where it will be booking until 29 February 2020.
A Taste of Honey Trafalgar Studios cast
The National Theatre production stars Jodie Prenger in the lead role as Helen. She is joined by Gemma Dobson as Jo, Durone Stokes as Jimmie, Stuart Thompson as Geof, Tom Varey as Peter, and understudies Claire Eden, Katy Clayton, and Liam Bessell.
Jodie Prenger is an English actress best known for winning the BBC series I'd Do Anything in 2008 and for winning the second season of The Biggest Loser in 2006. Since winning the competitions, Prenger has amassed a large list of stage credits, particularly in musical theatre, the likes of which include starring in the ensemble of Les Miserables (2008) at the Queen's Theatre (now renamed the Sondheim Theatre), Nancy in Oliver! (2008) at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot (2010), and One Man, Two Guvnors. She won the WhatsOnStage Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role in Oliver!.
Gemma Dobson is a highly praised, up-and-coming actress who earned a 2018 Stage Debut Award for Best Actress in a Play and a 2018 UK Theatre Award for Best Supporting Performance for her role of Sue in Rita, Sue and Bob Too at the Bristol Old Vic and Royal Court Theatre. Other stage credits of hers include Louise in Plenty at the Chichester Festival Theatre and Displaced (Workshop) at Imagine Theatre. Her TV credits include minor roles on Care and Brief Encounters and a series regular as Shelly on In the Club 2.
A Taste of Honey creative team
Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey is directed by Bijan Sheibani and his revival of the play was first produced in 2014 for the Lyttelton Theatre. A Taste of Honey boasts sound design by Ian Dickinson, original compositions inspired by soul and jazz from Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, movement direction by Aline David, lighting design by Paul Anderson, designs by Hildegard Bechtler, and voice and dialect coaching by Joel Trill. Performing in the three-piece band are music director David O'Brien on the keyboards, Alex Davis on double bass, and George Bird on the drums.
What is the play A Taste of Honey about?
Shelagh Delaney's debut play A Taste of Honey was written after she saw Terence Rattigan's Variation of a Theme. The piece explores working class life in Salford where Helen leaves her daughter Jo to be together with a car salesman while Jo runs to a sailor named Jimmie. But after Jimmie heads out to sea, Geoff moves in, becoming Jo's de facto surrogate parent. One thing leads to another and Helen is eventually sent for as their unconventional lifestyle comes crashing down.
A Taste of Honey Trafalgar Studios tickets coming soon!
You don't want to miss this heartwarming story by Shelagh Delaney, which is set to run in London's West End for the first time in nearly six decades! A Taste of Honey follows in the footsteps of another recent National Theatre production: Nine Night, which was a huge success and was recently shortlisted for the inaugural Black British Theatre Awards.
Though the subject matter of A Taste of Honey is not as sweet as it sounds, the show still could be the extra pinch of sugar the West End needs. Be sure to book your tickets for A Taste of Honey showing at Trafalgar Studios early to secure the best seats at the best prices.