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Richard II - LON [14375]

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Richard II

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Richard II - LON [14375] The Bridge Theatre

Shakespeare’s subtle, ambiguous and beautiful play finds feudal England on the cusp of modernity, as a divinely sanctioned monarch is confronted, in the figure of Henry Bolingbroke, by the hard-headed pragmatism of real authority.

Born in Oxfordshire in 1988, Jonathan Bailey is an Olivier Award-winning actor, best known for starring in *Company* and in the television series *Bridgerton*. Bailey returned to the West End in 2022 to appear in [*Cock*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/23844-cock) at the Ambassadors Theatre, alongside [Taron Egerton](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/taron-egerton) and [Phil Daniels](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/phil-daniels). 

As a young child, Bailey was interested in performing, thanks to seeing *Oliver!* at the age of five. At seven years old, he was scouted to play Child Scrooge/Tiny Tim in *A Christmas Carol* at the [Barbican](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/barbican) for the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/royal-shakespeare-company), and two years later played Gavroche in [*Les Miserables*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/300-les-miserables) at the [Palace Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/palace-theatre). As a teenager, he returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing Prince Arthur in a production of *King John*. Clearly, his child acting career set him up in good stead for what was to come. 

After finishing his A Levels, Bailey was cast in many regional productions, including *Beautiful Thing*, *Pretend You Have Big Buildings* and *The Mother Ship*. He eventually made his West End debut in *Girl With a Pearl Earring* at the [Theatre Royal Haymarket](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/theatre-royal-haymarket) in 2008. Read a review for *Girl With a Pearl Earring* starring Jonathan Bailey here. 

In 2011, Bailey was cast as Duffield in *South Downs* at the Chichester Festival Theatre, which later transferred to the [Harold Pinter Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/harold-pinter-theatre) the following year. The Terrence Rattigan play was presented as a double bill with *The Browning Version*, and you can [read a *South Downs* review here.](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/south-downs-browning-version-double-bill) A year later, Bailey starred in the world premiere of *American Psycho* at the [Almeida Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/almeida-theatre) alongside [Lucie Jones](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/lucie-jones). 

More recently, Bailey has become a West End leading man, starring in [*The Last Five Years*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/23117-the-last-five-years) at The Other Palace alongside [Samantha Barks](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/samantha-barks), as well as *Certain Young Men* at the National Theatre and *The York Realist* at the Donmar Warehouse. His Olivier Award-winning performance came in 2018, cast as Jamie in a gender-swapped revival of [*Company*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/8093-company), winning the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

On television, Bailey is best known for playing Viscount Anthony Bridgerton in the Netflix series *Bridgerton*. He has also been in shows such as *W1A*, *Crashing*, *Chewing Gum* and *Me and Mrs. Jones*. 

Bailey returned to the West End in 2022, starring in a revival of Mike Bartlett’s [*Cock*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/23844-cock) at the [Ambassadors Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/ambassadors-theatre). 

Jonathan Bailey - LON

Company [8093]

Company

Company [8093] Product Media

<a href="/show/company">Company</a>, first premiered on Broadway in 1970, was always a bold, brilliant musical: a series of brief vignettes (by George Furth) and dazzling songs (by Stephen Sondheim) about the challenges of dating and marriage and the fears of being trapped. The songs and scenes flow in and out of each other in an impressionistic haze as a man, about to celebrate his 35th birthday, confronts his deep-rooted fears about long-term relationships and the loneliness of being on his own.But in the show's third major West End outing, he is now she - Bobby has become Bobbie - and it is a perennially single woman who is wrestling with these issues.&nbsp; And by making this sly change, director Marianne Elliott and her thrilling star <a href="/actor-profile/rosalie-craig">Rosalie Craig</a> have given a deeply familiar and now nearly half a century old show a seemingly radical make-over that thrusts it into the here and now, yet with hardly any lyric changes required. (One of the few noticeable ones: instead of singing "my service will explain", it becomes "I'll text you to explain").Other character genders have changed, too: Amy, the anxious, jittery bride who is one of Bobby/Bobbie's best friends and desperately tries to cancel things on her wedding day, has become Jamie, running away from Paul.These switches are seamless to those of us who know the show intimately, yet it's also striking how newly modern and unfamiliar it makes it all seem, too. It's like seeing an old friend again after a long absence who has lost a ton of weight:&nbsp; they're still recognisably the same person, but yet also a different person from which layers have been taken away. We watch the show through fresh eyes - and ears. Yet the triumph is still Sondheim and Furth's, as well as the brilliance of their original director Hal Prince, to distil an emotional anorexic's palpable anxieties into a show that dares to tell its story so impressionistically yet tangibly, without the anchor of a plot beyond a surprise birthday party that bookends the show - and which our avoidant hero(ine) fails to show up for.<a href="/actor-profile/rosalie-craig">Rosalie Craig</a>, radiant in a ravishing red party dress, may be playing a tentative, emotionally disconnected character, but she pulls off the astonishing feat of making us connect with her. The character may be defined by her absence from her own life, but Craig brings a pulsing presence to her, one that fully explains the draw she has on her variously coupled friends Joanne and Larry, Harry and Sarah, David and Jenny, and Paul and Jamie, and how they wish she would allow her emotional armour to be taken off (and replaced with amour instead).Craig also brings an absolutely ferocious attack but also gorgeous musicality to such songs as "Marry Me a Little" and "Being Alive" that respectively end each act, as she comes to realise that she desperately craves making new choices.She is surrounded by a luxuriously cast group of supporting actors that includes the West End return of Broadway superstar <a href="/actor-profile/patti-lupone">Patti LuPone</a> as the brittle, pugnacious Joanne, who (following in the seemingly inimitable footsteps of the late, great Elaine Stritch) turns "The Ladies Who Lunch" into her own extraordinary anthem of defiance and resilience. LuPone has always been a great actor with a wild, unpredictable vocal attack; but the absolute revelation here is the clarity of her diction, which has frequently previously been less than sure.Also utterly thrilling: Jonathan Bailey's Jamie who spits out the fast and furious "Getting Married Today" at astonishing speed; Gavin Spokes, Richard Henders and Ben Lewis as the trio of husbands whose yearning "Sorry-Grateful" is the epitome of the show's themes of the contradictory impulses of marriage; and the brilliantly surprising (and eye-poppingly buff) Richard Fleeshman as the airline steward Andy that Bobbie dates.&nbsp;Elliott's production is also given a striking modern sheen in regular collaborator designer Bunny Christie's lightbox-framed moving boxes in which the action is set, with New York apartment bedrooms, balconies and street terrace exteriors summoned in an instant. A small, tight band under expert musical supervisor Joel Fram is visible throughout on a platform above the stage.There have been other wonderful productions of <a href="/show/company">Company</a>, including an indelible Donmar Warehouse revival in 1995 by Sam Mendes that starred Adrian Lester as Bobby, but this version is both a departure into new territory and a stunning reaffirmation of its brilliance.<hr /><a href="/show/company">Company</a>&nbsp;is at the Gielgud Theatre until 30th March 2019.<a href="/show/company">Company&nbsp;tickets</a> are available now.&nbsp;<div class="block block-block contextual-links-region " id="block-block-9"><div class="block-inner clearfix"><div class="block-title"><h2>WHAT THE OTHER CRITICS SAID</h2></div></div></div>"Company was the first musical I saw on Broadway and has always had a special place in my affections. It is gratifying to see it not just being revived but also intelligently reimagined." Michael Billington, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/oct/17/company-review-sex-switch-sondheim-gielgud-theatre-london" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>&nbsp;(four stars)"Elliott's production brilliantly underscores the existential nature of Sondheim's lyrics and George Furth's book. On Bunny Christie's striking set, Bobbie's adventures unfold in a series of glowing frames drifting through the inky dark." Andrzej Lukowski, <a href="https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/company-review" target="_blank">Time Out</a>&nbsp;(five stars)"This is a take on Company that savours Sondheim's subtleties. In short, it's glorious." Henry Hitchings, <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/theatre/company-review-theatre-marianne-elliott-sondheim-a3964531.html">Evening Standard</a> (five stars)"Elliott's production is fabulous - gorgeously sung, zippily performed and really, properly funny. I can't remember ever laughing more at a musical, in fact." Alice Jones, <a href="https://inews.co.uk/culture/company-gielgud-theatre-london-review-patti-lupone/">iNews</a> (five stars)&nbsp;

Review - Stephen Sondheim's Company is 'stunning' at the Gielgud Theatre

The Gielgud Theatre opened on 27 Dec. 1906, and was built for Seymour Hicks. The Gielgud was built as a pair with the [Sondheim Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/sondheim-theatre).

The house was renamed the Globe Theatre in 1909 by its new manager, Charles Frohman from America. It was known as the Globe Theatre for the next 85 years until a 1994 name change to avoid confusion with [Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/shakespeares-globe-theatre) on the South Bank. It was then that the theatre received its current name, the Gielgud.

Hit shows at the Gielgud Theatre include Simon Stephens' [*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time), Jez Butterworth's *The Ferryman* and a gender-swapped revival of Stephen Sondheim's *Company*.  Delfont Mackintosh Theatres own the Gielgud Theatre.

## Gielgud Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels – Stalls, Dress Circle and Grand Circle.

The Stalls offers very good sightlines with each row being offset from the one in front. The overhang of the Dress Circle becomes apparent from Row R onwards.

The Dress Circle doesn’t have a strong rake. The stage is not obstructed by the overhang of the Upper Circle.

The Upper Circle seats offer good legroom. The seats curve inwards towards the stage.

## Where is *To Kill a Mockingbird* in the West End? 

*To Kill a Mockingbird* is at the Gielgud Theatre. The Gielgud Theatre is located on Shaftesbury Avenue, and is one of six theatres on the West End road.

Gielgud Theatre - LON

Gielgud Theatre

The Gielgud Theatre - LON is a central West End venue offering a roster of plays, musicals, and performances, accessible via numerous transport options.

Ages 8+. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by and sat next to a ticketholder who is at least 18 years old. Children under the age of 3 will not be admitted.

Les Misérables - LON [300]

Les Misérables

Les Misérables [300] - LON Product Media

Another fantastic chapter in West End history has been gloriously (re)written, with not one but two spectacular reinventions -&nbsp;first of a theatre itself, in which the Queen's on Shaftesbury Avenue has been reincarnated as the <a href="/theatres/sondheim-theatre">Sondheim Theatre</a> and completely refurbished by its owner Cameron Mackintosh to restore it from a threadbare functionality to which it had previously been brought back 61 years ago from wartime bomb damage to a glowing and welcoming new warmth. Meanwhile, its current tenant -&nbsp;already the West End's longest-running musical -&nbsp;has itself been entirely overhauled, with Mackintosh taking the opportunity of its temporary 20-week closure for the theatre's refurbishment to replace the original landmark RSC production with a touring version that was first created for a UK tour as part of the show's 25th-anniversary celebrations in 2010. It was briefly seen in London that year at the Barbican - the show's original London home - running contemporaneously with the West End edition, and is even now on a new European and UK tour, currently playing in Zurich before it returns to continue across the regions in March. The first thing to say about it is that it still owes a lot to the original Trevor Nunn and John Caird production -&nbsp;the famous revolve of John Napier's original design may have gone, for instance, but now the actors merely mime the identical movement (originally the work of Kate Flatt, with musical staging now credited to Geoffrey Garratt, long an associate on the original production) as they advance across the stage in the ever-rousing Act One finale of "One Day More" as the iconic red flag is waved above them. Fans of the original will check off numerous such instances, including the indelible image of a dead Enjolras lying across the back of a cart. Crucially, too, the original costume designs of Andreane Neofitou are also retained, so visually there are plenty of references to the original production. There are also several cast veterans of the previous incarnation, including principals Bradley Jaden who was Javert in the final cast of the original and reprises that role now; Jon Robyns, previously Marius and Enjolras, who now graduates to the role of Jean Valjean; and <a href="/actor-profile/carrie-hope-fletcher">Carrie Hope Fletcher</a>, previously Eponine and now playing Fantine (and all three in spectacular voice); amongst others in the ensemble who also include fellow West End returnees Ciaran Bowling, Sarah Lark and Luke McCall. The show remains an ensemble effort, as it was when it was first created by Nunn and Caird. That establishes a welcome sense of continuity from past to present versions, but it is also given a fresh 21st-century inventiveness with Matt Kinley's sets being complemented by stunning painterly projections, inspired by Victor Hugo's own paintings, that have been niftily realised by Fifty-Nine Productions and Finn Ross, all of which are lavishly lit by Paule Constable. Mick Potter's sound is also thrilling, wrapping the theatre is swathes of sumptuous melody, richly played by the pit orchestra under the direction of Steve Moss. As both a producer and theatre owner, Cameron Mackintosh has always been about attention to detail; the reopening of this theatre and show gives him an opportunity to prove his meticulous care in both. But I also love fresh new details, whether it be the reintroduction of rear dress circle boxes that are newly named in honour of Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, or new cast members like West End regular Josefina Gabrielle, who - cast entirely against her usual sophisticated type as Madame Thenardier -&nbsp;is virtually unrecognisable and truly hilarious. The show remains a thrilling triumph. Here's to the next 35 years, as it looks set to become <a href="/show/the-mousetrap">The Mousetrap</a> of musical theatre; but unlike that murder mystery, there's hardly any mystery to why it's such an enduring success.<a href="/show/les-miserables">Les Miserables</a>&nbsp;is at the <a href="/theatres/sondheim-theatre">Sondheim Theatre</a>.<a href="/show/les-miserables">Les Miserables&nbsp;tickets</a> are available now.

Review - Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre

Read our review of Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre on London Theatre.

Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre Review | London Theatre

‘A THRILLING INSPIRATION’ The Guardian

The Sondheim Theatre opened on 8 Oct. 1907. TThe Sondheim was built as a pair with the Hicks Theatre, now called the [Gielgud Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/gielgud-theatre). 

The theatre was badly damaged in September 1940 when a World War II German bomb dropped directly on the building. The façade and front of house areas were destroyed. It took 20 years before the damage was repaired and the theatre reopened. Whilst the auditorium remained untouched, the exterior and foyer were rebuilt with a modern look.

The theatre has seen performances from several notable stars, including Fred Astaire, Noel Coward, and [Kenneth Branagh](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/kenneth-branagh). 

The Sondheim Theatre is currently home to [*Les Misérables*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/les-miserables), where it's played since 2004.

## Sondheim Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has three levels - Stalls, Dress Circle and Upper Circle.

The Stalls offers good views of the stage, helped by a noticable rake in the seating from Row H onwards. 

The Dress Circle offers good legroom, but the curving of the area means that the sightlines from the outermost seats to suffer. 

The Upper Circle has a very good rake in the seating allowing for good views.

## Where is *Les Miserables* in London?

*Les Miserables* is at the Sondheim Theatre in London. The Sondheim Theatre is located on Shaftesbury Theatre. It's close to West End theatres including the Lyric Theatre and the Gielgud Theatre.

Sondheim Theatre - LON

Sondheim Theatre

Sondheim Theatre, London, formerly known as Queen's Theatre, offers high-end productions in a historic yet modern setting in the city's West End.

Pre Visit Requirements (ATG)

COCK [23844] - LON

COCK

COCK [23844] - LON Product Media

The title of Mike Bartlett’s play is clearly meant to provoke. News articles add asterisks or use euphemisms. Email marketing campaigns censor the name for fear of ending up in spam folders. It’s a little naughty. What does *COCK* really mean?

When the play premiered at the Royal Court in 2009 starring Andrew Scott and Ben Whishaw as the central couple torn apart by a new (female) lover, the title was seemingly a nod to cockfighting. When the play later premiered off Broadway in New York in 2012 (a production this critic saw) the set resembled a cockfighting ring of sorts, where audience members sat in stadium seats to observe the feuding. 

Now, we find ourselves in Merle Hensel’s futuristic spinning design of a set in director Marianne Elliott’s more modern take on Bartlett’s work about sexuality, gender expression, and identity. Conversations around those topics have evolved since 2009 and 2014, and a program note outlines a glossary of LGBTQ+ terms, many of which were not in common usage a decade ago.

However, while Bartlett has updated bits of the play since its premiere and the topic is incredibly timely especially as the spectrum of sexuality and gender continues to gladly become more accepted, there is something about the play that depends on the labels it's trying to oppose. 

Even the costumes and nominal letters outline the gendered nature of it all. The characters are M ([Taron Egerton](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/taron-egerton)), W (Jade Anouka), and F (Phil Daniels). M, the man, is dressed in a blue button-up, while W, the woman, is dressed in a red jumpsuit. The only named character, John ([Jonathan Bailey](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/jonathan-bailey)), the one in the centre deciding whether he wants a man or a woman, wears a dull grey t-shirt.

Some of the dialogue relies on tired stereotypes around gay men and hackneyed ideas around heterosexual partnerships. After all, there is no one way to make a family, so conversations between W and John centering biological children and family holidays seem outdated. 

Where the story really hits its stride is in discussions of desire, where the binary floats away and the laws of attraction are what govern the scenario. Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster’s choreography creates beautiful interludes between scenes, capturing the characters’ angst and lust in fluid movements. When John talks about why he loves W, the conversation becomes more about what makes people compatible and less about a battle of the sexes. 

Bailey is an undeniable star and oozes charisma as John; it’s easy to see why anyone would be attracted to his energy and electricity. He really shines alongside the equally captivating Jade Anouka as W, particularly in the pair's first encounter. Alongside Taron Egerton as M, the chemistry falls a little flatter, which is appropriate for a flailing relationship but at times, it’s hard to see where the love is there. Egerton earns lots of laughs with his performance, but the balance is off in the more sincere scenes. 

Unfortunately, this *COCK* isn’t as titillating as its title seems to suggest. There are glimpses of pure passion and electricity, but there are also some overdone and tired tropes. However, watching *COCK* illustrates how far we’ve come in society’s road to acceptance — and how far we still have to go. 

[*COCK* is running through 4 June at the Ambassadors Theatre. Book *COCK* tickets on London Theatre.](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/23844-cock)

*Photo credit: Jonathan Bailey and Taron Egerton (Photo by Brinkhoff/Mogenburg)*

'COCK' review — Jonathan Bailey and Taron Egerton star in Mike Bartlett’s topical yet dated play

The fact is that some of us like women and some like men and that’s fine that’s good in fact that’s good, a good thing, but it seems to me that you’ve become confused.

The Ambassadors Theatre opened in 1913. It was built as a companion to [St Martin’s Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/st-martins-theatre), with the intention of housing smaller productions in a more intimate venue. 

The inaugural play *Panthea* lasted just 15 nights. Early plays included *Deburau* starring Ivor Novello, and Eugene O'Neill's *The Emperor Jones.* [*The Mousetrap*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/the-mousetrap)* premiered at the Ambassadors Theatre on 25 Nov. 1952, and later moved to St. Martin's Theatre in 1974.

Recent shows include a decade-long run of *Stomp,* as well as star-studded plays.

## Ambassadors Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has two levels – Stalls and Dress Circle. It is an intimate theatre.

In the Stalls, the rake of the seating becomes obvious from Row E and is quite a sharp rake, but the last two rows are set lower than those in front. The overhang of the Dress Circle affects the view from Row M.

The Dress Circle is not affected by an overhang, but the legroom on this level is not ideal.

Ambassadors Theatre - LON

Ambassadors Theatre

Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr spearhead the Bridge Theatre. Having worked together at the [National Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/national-theatre) for over a decade as artistic and executive directors, Hytner and Starr formed the London Theatre Company as part of their efforts to open the largest Off-West End commercial theatre. The 900-seater auditorium is very adaptable and allows shows to be presented in end-on, thrust and promenade formats. 

Production aside, the theatre was praised for its abundance of ladies toilets and its on-site kitchen which, among other things, provides treats freshly baked on site during the interval. 

In 2017, the theatre's inaugural season included a new Richard Bean play *Young Marx*, starring [Rory Kinnear](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/rory-kinnear) and Oliver Chris, *Julius Caesar* starring Ben [Whishaw](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/ben-whishaw) and David Calder, and a new play by Nina Raine about the life of JS Bach starring [Simon Russell Beale](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/simon-russell-beale).

Notable plays at the Bridge Theatre include *The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,* as well as *My Name is Lucy Barton* and *Straight Line Crazy* — the latter two both transferring to New York.

Bridge Theatre - LON

Bridge Theatre

The Bridge Theatre is a compelling London venue known for wonderful performances, diverse repertoire, cutting-edge design, and easy accessibility.

Born in Oxfordshire in 1988, Jonathan Bailey is an Olivier Award-winning actor, best known for starring in Company and in the television series Bridgerton.

Day of week	Matinee	Evening
Monday	-	7:30 PM
Tuesday	-	7:30 PM
Wednesday	-	7:30 PM
Thursday	-	7:30 PM
Friday	-	7:30 PM
Saturday	2:30 PM	7:30 PM
Sunday	-	-

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