A Very Expensive Poison Tickets
Award-winning playwright Lucy Prebble premieres her latest play at the Old Vic this summer; A Very Expensive Poison is a shadowy, shocking story of espionage and high-stakes politics based on Luke Harding’s book.
The play is based on the 2016 book by Luke Harding, which examines the assassination of Russian former KGB whistle-blower Alexander Litvinenko. The Evening Standard called the book “one of the best political thrillers (...) in years”.
In the heart of London, an assassination rocks the world. At the centre of a conflict of global politics and international espionage, one man meets his end. This stranger-than-fiction exposé takes us from Moscow to Mayfair, delving into the scandalous true story of Litvinenko and those who sought his demise.
Tom Brooke is set to play Litvinenko, having recently starred in Berberian Sound Studio at the Donmar Warehouse. He will be joined by MyAnna Buring (Ripper Street, Twilight) as Litvinenko's wife Marina.
Lucy Prebble is the writer behind the acclaimed plays The Sugar Syndrome, ENRON and The Effect. The latter won her the 2012 Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. John Crowley (Brooklyn, The Goldfinch) directs.
This jaw-dropping and profound stage adaptation promises a deep new perspective on a landmark moment in history. Catch the latest piece from the talented playwright Lucy Prebble at the Old Vic from 19 August 2019. The official opening night falls on 5 September.
Sorry this show closed 05 October 2019, we recommend these similar productions.
A Very Expensive Poison Reviews
User Reviews
This show was so much better then I anticipated! Telling the true story of how the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinyenko came to be poisoned in London, this tells the story through his wife's eyes and how her fight for justice still carries on. Read more
A very emotive play and some important messages to be told. There were a couple of more flamboyant sequences near the end that I didn't quite follow the context of, but the idea of bringing this tragic event to the stage was well delivered by all inv Read more
Clever, surreal, very impressive and somewhat glib. Not every aspect works but the elements that do work very well. Reece Shearsmith is brilliant. The morphing set was one of the most impressive I have seen this year. A long show, but not a chore to Read more