Kyoto Tickets

Catch an Intense Political Thriller With Kyoto Play Tickets

On 11 December 1997, the world stands on the brink of change… but can everyone agree to embrace it? Step into the breathless, high-stakes arena of international negotiation in political thriller Kyoto at Soho Place Theatre. Following a hugely acclaimed world premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Company, this “gripping” (The Guardian) play, set during the intense final hours of the Kyoto Climate Conference, transfers to the West End for a strictly limited season.

What is the Kyoto play about?

Arguments over sentence structure, commas and clauses may not sound like exciting theatrical content, but in Kyoto, every word matters. In December 1997, it is already hours since the landmark Climate Conference should have ended, but the delegates are still locked in debate.

Time is running out for the United Nations to step into the future. While we, the audience, watch on, Don Pearlman - climate sceptic, oil lobbyist, Republican lawyer, and master strategist - takes on the role of ringmaster as he subtly tries to disrupt a sliding-door moment in history.

Five-Star Theatrical Magic: Kyoto Reviews

This sharp and darkly funny play premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre to rapturous acclaim in 2024, with theatregoers gripped by the way it turned pedantic political discourse into pulse-racing, edge-of-your-seat theatrical magic.

With “breakneck pacing and vivid performances” (The Stage), this “rich and vital” (The i) drama stands shoulder-to-shoulder with T.J. Rogers’ Tony Award-winning Peace Accords drama Oslo and James Graham’s Best of Enemies.

Cast and Creative Team

This taut political thriller is the latest play from writers Joe Robertson and Joe Murphy, the team behind Young Vic’s The Jungle. They reunite with directors Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot; An Inspector Calls) and Justin Martin (Prima Facie; Stranger Things: The First Shadow) to bring the show to London.

Tony Award nominee Stephen Kunken reprises his role as oil lobbyist Don Pearlman, following a “towering performance” (What’s On Stage) in Stratford-upon-Avon. Kunken is a character actor who has appeared in some of the biggest US television dramas of the 21st century, including The Affair, The Sopranos and The Good Wife.

Don’t Miss Tickets for Kyoto at Soho Place

Be part of a moment that changed everything with tickets to see the incredible Kyoto play in London. Climate discourse feels vibrant and challenging in this epic study of politics, complicity and power. Catch it in London for 16 weeks only; book your place in the audience now.