Old Vic Productions and Hampstead Theatre Productions have today announced that by popular demand the critically acclaimed production of Good People will transfer to the West End to play a limited season of just ten weeks at the Noёl Coward Theatre. The play will take the place of the outgoing, The Full Monty.

Jonathan Kent’s production received universal praise when it made its UK premiere at Hampstead Theatre on March 5th. Imelda Staunton and Lloyd Owen lead the cast in this award-winning play about whether you can ever truly leave the place where you were born.

If you were born in South Boston you’ve started life on the wrong side of the tracks, so just making ends meet will need all the energy you can muster. Imelda Staunton plays sharp-tongued single mother Margie, who will do anything it takes to pay the bills after losing yet another job. Hearing that an old boyfriend who has made good is in town, she decides to corner him – old loyalties should be good for something.

Edward Hall, Hampstead Theatre’s Artistic Director said: “I am utterly delighted that Good People is having this very well-deserved West End run: it’s a truly brilliant play beautifully directed, and the cast are astonishingly good in it.  It was sold out at Hampstead before those really great reviews appeared, so it’s especially pleasing that so many people who would otherwise have been disappointed will now have a chance to catch it.”

Lindsay-Abaire’s sharp, acerbic and funny play traces the path of a woman’s life when a chance encounter with an old flame presents an opportunity to improve the quality of her existence but ends in comedic disaster. Originally premiered on Broadway, Good People won the New York Drama Desk Critic’s Circle Award for Best Play of the year. David won the Pulitzer Prize for his critically acclaimed Rabbit Hole, which also earned several Tony Award nominations, and became a film starring Nicole Kidman.

Jonathan Kent made his Hampstead Theatre debut with this production. His numerous directing credits include Sweeney Todd and later this summer Gypsy both at Chichester Festival Theatre, both starring Imelda Staunton. Most recently he directed the Olivier Award nominated production of Private Lives in Chichester and the West End. Between 1990 and 2002 he was joint Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, which he founded as a full-time producing theatre.

Multi award winner Imelda Staunton was most recently on stage in Circle Mirror Transformation (Royal Court), Sweeney Todd  (Chichester Festival) for which she won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical, A Delicate Balance (Almeida Theatre) and Entertaining Mr Sloane (Trafalgar Studios). Film includes Pride, Maleficent, The Awakening, Another Year, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows and Vera Drake. TV includes The Girl for which she was nominated for Emmy and Bafta Awards, Psychoville and Cranford Chronicles.

Lloyd Owen appeared at Hampstead Theatre in Loyalty in 2011. Other stage roles include The Bodyguard (Adelphi Theatre), Stuff Happens (National Theatre Live: 50 Years On Stage) (National Theatre), and Blood And Gifts (National Theatre). TV includes The Innocence Project, Inseparable and Viva Laughlin (UK and US series). Film includes Apollo 18 and Miss Potter.

Good People
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Jonathan Kent
Designed by Hildegard Bechtler
Lighting by Mark Henderson
Sound by Paul Groothuis

Friday 21st March 2014