Summer and Smoke heads to the Duke of York's Theatre for West End transfer

Posted on | By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels (Updated on Feb 20, 2019)

It has just been announced that Tennessee Williams' rarely staged classic, Summer and Smoke, will be transferring to London's West End for a strictly limited season at the Duke of York's Theatre. The transfer comes after a sell-out run at the Almeida Theatre, which is highly renowned for housing plays and dramas that end up transferring to the West End stage.

Summer and Smoke is a play by multi-award winner Tennessee Williams, the same playwright who brought you Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire. The story takes place in Glorious Hill, Mississippi and follows the unmarried daughter of a pastor, Alma Winemiller (Patsy Ferran), as she develops a spiritual and sexual relationship with the untameable doctor John Buchanan Jr (Matthew Needman), who used to live next door when she was growing up. This captivating tale about romance, loneliness and self-destruction rekindles memories of fiery passion in a sweltering hot summer.

The West End production will see its full cast reprise their roles. Returning cast members include Anjana Vasan, Eric MacLennan, Forbes Masson, Matthew Needham, Nancy Crane, Patsy Ferran, Seb Carrington, and Tok Stephen. The Tennessee Williams play is directed by Rebecca Frecknall, who is currently the Associate Director at the Almeida Theatre. 

Summer and Smoke will run at the Duke of York's Theatre from 10 November 2018 until 19 January 2019 with press night on Tuesday, 20 November 2018 at 7 PM.


By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.