Heart stopping news! Joe Locke to make his West End debut in Clarkston
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Sian McBride
Joe Locke is stepping off screen and onto the stage this autumn, following a standout run as Tobias in Broadway’s Sweeney Todd last year. Now, the Heartstopper and Agatha All Along star will lead the UK premiere of Clarkston in his West End debut. The poignant play is written by Oscar winning screenwriter, Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale).
Locke stars as Jake, a young man drifting west in search of something more, who lands in a nondescript Costco in a quiet American town. There, he crosses paths with Chris - played by The Franchise’s Ruaridh Mollica - a fellow wanderer stuck on the night shift, and the two form an unexpected bond.
Joining them is The Stage award winner, Sophie Melville. Melville is best known for her explosive performance in Iphigenia in Splott and recent work in The Way and Cowbois.
Clarkston is a modern frontier tale—less covered wagons, more existential longing. As Jake and Chris forge a connection, they confront themes of belonging, loss, and the vast, aching distance between who they are and who they might become.
The production is helmed by Jack Serio, the Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning director whose immersive Uncle Vanya in a Manhattan loft became a word-of-mouth sensation. Serio recently premiered Hunter’s Grangeville at New York’s Signature Theatre, and now brings his raw, close-up style to London.
Hunter, who's emotionally resonant writing has shaped New York’s downtown theatre scene for over a decade, describes Clarkston as “a story about love and friendship in the midst of an unknown future,” a sentiment that resonates more than ever.
Locke said “I’m thrilled to be making my West End debut in ‘Clarkston’. Samuel D. Hunter’s writing is so deeply human and honest that I immediately connected with the play when I read it. I can’t wait to bring this beautiful story to life and share it with audiences in London.”
Clarkston will play a strictly limited run in the West End this autumn. Full performance dates and venue details are still to come.