(AGENPARL) – Tue 06 May 2025 CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE WEST END TRANSFER
OF THE SMASH-HIT PRODUCTION
TILL THE STARS COME DOWN
AT THE THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET THIS SUMMER FOR A
STRICTLY LIMITED RUN
The National Theatre today announces casting for the West End transfer of the smash-hit
production, Till the Stars Come Down. Co-produced with Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Fiery
Angel, Short Street Productions and Access Entertainment, this ‘excellent family drama’
(★★★★★ Daily Telegraph) will be staged at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 1 July until 27
September 2025. Audience members will be given the opportunity to sit up close and immerse
themselves in this ‘wedding of the year’ (★★★★★ The Guardian) with on-stage seating available
throughout the run. Tickets are available from £20.
Joining the cast are Dorothy Atkinson (Ludwig, BBC; Saltburn, Warner Bros) as Aunty Carol,
Adrian Bower (Gangs of London, Sky; Teachers, BBC) as John, Julian Kostov (The White
Lotus, HBO; Shadow and Bone, Netflix) as Marek, Aisling Loftus (Girls and Boys, Nottingham
Playhouse; Sherwood, BBC) as Maggie and Ruby Thompson (Three Sisters, Shakespeare’s
Globe; Aftersun, Mubi) as Leanne.
Reprising their roles are Lucy Black (Top Girls, National Theatre; The Durrells, ITV) as Hazel,
Sinéad Matthews (The Antipodes, National Theatre, Hullraisers, Channel 4) as Sylvia, Philip
Whitchurch (Boys from the Blackstuff, Royal Court Liverpool/National Theatre; Peterloo,
Entertainment One) as Uncle Pete and Alan Williams (Faith, Hope and Charity, National
Theatre; Chernobyl, Sky) as Tony. Further casting to be announced.
Till the Stars Come Down is a passionate, heartbreaking and hilarious portrayal of a largerthan-life family. Written by former National Theatre writer-in-residence, Beth Steel, this
critically acclaimed production ‘fizzes with sharp comic observation’ (★★★★ Financial Times)
and is ‘laugh out loud funny’ (★★★★★ WhatsOnStage). Other credits include The House of
Shades (Almeida Theatre), Wonderland (Hampstead Theatre) and Ditch (HighTide Festival
and Old Vic Tunnels). She has also previously won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for
Most Promising Playwright (2014).
Till the Stars Come Down is a ‘beautifully observed and bruisingly hilarious’ production by
Bijan Sheibani (★★★★Time Out). This Olivier Award-winning director was previously Artistic
Director of the Actors Touring Company and is a former associate director of the National
Theatre. Other credits include Barber Shop Chronicles, A Taste of Honey (National Theatre)
and The Arrival (Bush Theatre).
It’s Sylvia and Marek’s wedding and you’re all invited. Over the course of a hot summer’s
day, a family gathers to welcome a newcomer into their midst. But as the vodka flows and
dances are shared, passions boil over and the limits of love are tested. What happens
when the happiest day of your life opens the door to a new and uncertain future?
Sheibani is joined by set and costume designer, Samal Blak; lighting designer, Paule
Constable; choreographer and movement director, Aline David; sound designer, Gareth Fry;
revival director, Elin Schofield; original casting director, Alastair Coomer CDG; casting
director, Juliet Horsley CDG; dialect coach, Charmian Hoare; intimacy director, Asha
Jennings-Grant, fight director, Kev McCurdy and resident director, Alex Pritchett.
Till the Stars Come Down was originally commissioned by the National Theatre and
developed with the theatre’s New Work department whilst Steel was writer-in-residence
(2019-2021). It had its world premiere on 31 January 2024 in the Dorfman Theatre and was
Steel’s debut play at the National Theatre running until 16 March. Following a sold-out run, Till
the Stars Come Down was nominated for ‘Best New Play’ at the 2024 Olivier Awards.
Till the Stars Come Down in the West End is supported by American Express, the National
Theatre’s Official Payment Partner.
For further information, please contact Clare McCormack, Head of Press and
FURTHER PRESS MATERIALS
Production images featuring the 2024 cast by Manuel Harlan are available here
Marketing Image available here
Headshots are available here and Bios are here
Official West End trailer here
In conversation with Beth Steel here
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Dates: Tuesday 1 July – Saturday 27 September 2025
Opening Night: Wednesday 9 July, 7pm
Website: TillTheStarsComeDown.com
Address:
Theatre Royal Haymarket
Haymarket
London
SW1Y 4HT
Performance Schedule: Mondays and Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesdays through to Saturdays
at 7:30pm with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2:30pm*
*schedule may differ during previews and holidays, please see website for details
Assisted Performances:
Captioned Performance: Wednesday 3 September, 7:30pm
Audio Described Performance: Wednesday 10 September, 7:30pm
Tickets from: £20
Box Office:
(lines open Monday to Friday 9:30am – 6pm, and Saturdays 10am – 6pm)
10am – 7:45pm)
Age recommendation: 14+
Running Time: 2 hrs 30mins including an interval
Social platforms: Facebook, Instagram and X: @tillthestarsldn
WITH THANKS
About American Express Experiences®: Through Amex Experiences®, Cardmembers
have access to presale tickets, as well as the best seats and exclusive offers at some of the
UK’s most sought-after entertainment events via partnerships with a range of institutions,
including the National Theatre. Amex Experiences is just one example of the powerful
backing that American Express provides its Cardmembers.
About American Express: American Express is a global services company, providing
customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build
business success.
Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on social media @AmericanExpress.
Nationaltheatre.org.uk/amex/
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the National Theatre
The National Theatre makes theatre that entertains and inspires using its creativity, expertise
and unique reach. The National Theatre shares unforgettable stories with millions of audience
members across the UK and around the world – on its own stages, on tour, in schools, on
cinema screens and streaming at home.
World-leading artists make their best work at the National Theatre with the widest possible
audience and impact. The National Theatre invests in talent and innovation on stage and off,
taking seriously its role as the nation’s theatre. Of the new productions developed each year
with a wide range of theatre companies, a third of that research and development resource is
dedicated to shows staged at theatres outside London.
Through touring our work to local theatres and schools and nationwide education and
community programmes, we are active in every local authority in the UK. A registered charity
with deeply embedded social purpose, the National Theatre works with hundreds of schools
and communities across the UK to fire imagination and inspire creativity, and to develop skills
and pathways for careers in theatre.
For more information, please visit nationaltheatre.org.uk
@NationalTheatre
@NT_PressOffice
About Eleanor Lloyd Productions
Current and upcoming productions include: Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution, in
its eighth year at London County Hall, and Mark Gatiss’ adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A
Christmas Carol, returning to Alexandra Palace in 2025.
Other productions include: Shifters (Duke of York’s); Deborah Frances-White’s debut play,
Never Have I Ever (Chichester Festival Theatre); Eddie Izzard’s Hamlet (Riverside Studios) and
Great Expectations (Garrick); Prima Facie on Broadway; the Olivier Award- nominated Vardy v
Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial (Ambassadors and tour); Best of Enemies (Noël Coward);
The Collaboration (Young Vic and Friedman Theater, Broadway); Constellations (Vaudeville –
winner of two Olivier Awards); new play Emilia (Vaudeville – winner of three Olivier Awards).
Further productions include West End transfers of Nell Gwynn, My Night with Reg and
Handbagged, West End and Broadway seasons of 1984 by Duncan Macmillan and Rob Icke,
and UK tours of Dusty, a new musical about Dusty Springfield by Jonathan Harvey.
Eleanor co-owns Tilted Sessions, a live podcast production company which is currently
producing Uncanny and Brown Girls Do It Too.
Eleanor Lloyd was awarded an OBE in the 2025 New Year’s Honours. She was President of the
Society of London Theatre (SOLT) from 2020-2024 and now serves as Vice President. Eleanor
sits on the Board of Theatre503 and Bretforton Grange and Theatrebarn.
elproductions.co.uk
About Fiery Angel
Headed by Edward Snape and Marilyn Eardley, Fiery Angel is an award-winning international
production company based in London’s West End.
Recent productions in the West End include: The 39 Steps, Kathy and Stella Solve A Murder!,
The Duchess [of Malfi], King Lear, Hairspray, Peppa Pig Live, Touching The Void, The Son, The
Night of the Iguana, Fleabag, Home I’m Darling, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Mary Stuart, Mel
Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company; The Winter’s Tale, All On
Her Own/Harlequinade, Red Velvet, The Painkiller, Romeo and Juliet, The Entertainer, The
Scottsboro Boys, The Ladykillers, and Ghost Stories.
Recent UK and international tours include: Pig Heart Boy, War Horse, Murder on the Orient
Express, Rob Brydon: A Night of Songs and Laughter, The 39 Steps, The Boy at the Back of the
Class, And Then There Were None, Kathy and Stella Solve A Murder!, The Smartest Giant in
Town, Peppa Pig Live, Unexpected Twist, Animal Farm, The Good Life, Love From A Stranger,
and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Fiery Angel has acted as a co-producer alongside The National Theatre on its West End
productions of Nine Night, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and The Lehman
Trilogy.
fiery-angel.com
About Short Street Productions Ltd
Mark Rubinstein, Sarah Edwards and Dave McNeilly established Short Street Productions Ltd
as an independent theatre production company in 2023, to continue the work of Mark
Rubinstein Ltd, which since 2000, has produced and general managed over 90 shows and
productions on the West End, on tour and internationally.
Current and recent projects include: Giant (Harold Pinter), The Great Gatsby (London
Coliseum), Tina – The Tina Turner Musical (Aldwych and UK and Ireland Tour), Waiting For
Godot (Theatre Royal, Haymarket), Sing Street (Lyric Hammersmith), Military Wives (York
Theatre Royal), Sinatra (Birmingham Rep), Rock Follies (Chichester Minerva), Murder on the
Orient Express (Chichester and Bath Theatre Royal), Mandela (Young Vic), Beautiful – The
Carole King Musical (Aldwych and two UK Tours), Be More Chill (The Other Palace), Sweat
(Gielgud), Stephen Sondheim’s Company (Gielgud), Roman Holiday (London and Shanghai
Reading), La Soirée (on a 10-year rolling International Tour – 2015 Olivier Award: Best
Entertainment), Billy Elliot: the Musical (UK and Ireland Tour), The Miser (Garrick), The Dresser
(Duke of York’s), Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined (Criterion), Jeeves and Wooster in
Perfect Nonsense (Duke of York’s and UK and India Tours) and Once the Musical (Phoenix and
Korea).
Mark Rubinstein was President of the Society of London Theatre from 2011to 2014 and Vice
President from 2014 to 2017.
Shortstreet.co.uk
Len Blavatnik and Danny Cohen for Access Entertainment
Access Entertainment is a division of Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries. Led by Danny Cohen, it
invests in world-class content and creative ventures across theatre, film, television, gaming, the
creator economy, and the visual arts. In addition to owning the Theatre Royal Haymarket,
Access Entertainment invests in plays and musicals in the West End and on Broadway
including Hamilton, Moulin Rouge, Leopoldstadt, Good, and Cabaret. In 2024, Access coproduced A View From The Bridge starring Dominic West, Waiting For Godot starring Ben
Whishaw and Lucian Msamati and most recently The Picture of Dorian Gray, starring Sarah
Snook, which is currently playing on Broadway and has been nominated for six Tony awards.
Access-backed theatrical productions have won 25 Olivier Awards and 40 Tony Awards. In
cinema, Access has backed films including the Oscar-winning Conclave and The Zone of
Interest. Access is also the lead investor in Lightroom, home to the immersive productions The
Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks, David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller &
further away) and Vogue: Inventing the Runway.