Death of England: Michael
★★★★
‘The most exhilarating and hair-raising drama. This is truly a play for today’
The Guardian
A family in mourning. A man in crisis.
After the death of his dad, Michael is powerless and angry. In a state of heartbreak, he confronts the difficult truths about his father’s legacy and the country that shaped him. At the funeral, unannounced and unprepared, Michael decides it is time to speak.
Thomas Coombes stars in this scorching and fearless play which asks explosive and enduring questions about identity, race and class in Britain.
DEATH OF ENGLAND: THE PLAYS
Following acclaimed seasons at the National Theatre, Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ extraordinary series of three state of the nation plays, DEATH OF ENGLAND, will be performed together for the very first time for a strictly limited season @sohoplace.
These three interconnected plays are, by turns, exhilarating, profoundly moving, funny but furious, and deeply theatrical. Watch one as a standalone experience or discover the connections between two or three of the plays as Michael, Delroy, Denise and Carly navigate the joys and challenges of what it means to be British in 2024.
Starring Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You, Gangs of London), Thomas Coombes (Baby Reindeer), Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Dune) and directed by Clint Dyer, the “uniquely brilliant” (Evening Standard) DEATH OF ENGLAND is set to be the theatrical event of the year.
★★★★‘The exhilaration of Death of England is that you never know where it’s going’
Evening Standard
★★★★‘A powerhouse performance by Thomas Coombes’
WhatsOnStage
‘The most exciting stage acting in Britain’
The Times
Thomas Coombes
Michael
Theatre includes: A Kind of People (Royal Court), Blue Orange (Birmingham Rep), King Lear (Royal Exchange), Misfits (Queens Theatre), The Merchant Of Venice (The Globe), Barbarians for which Thomas won the Best Male Performance at the 2013 Offies – Off West End Theatre Awards (Tooting Arts Club), The Father (Trafalgar Studios), Single Spies (The Rose Theatre Kingston), Plastic (Old Red Lion), Finding Alice (Lyric Hammersmith/Tricycle), Shooting Clouds (Union Theatre), The Winslow Boy (Palace Theatre Westcliff).
Television includes: Baby Reindeer, The Acolyte (Star Wars), Miss Austen, Moonflower Murders, Slow Horses, Rain Dogs, Save Me, Save Me Too, Small Axe, Grace, Eastenders, Whitehouse Farm, London Kills, Endeavour, Hatton Garden, Knightfall, Prime Suspect 1973, Silent Witness, Cuffs, Jekyll and Hyde, The Scandalous Lady W, Wallander, Count Arthur Strong, Man Down, Atlantis, Suspects, The Honourable Woman, Him & Her: The Wedding, Life Of Crime, The Genius Of Turner.
Film includes: Luther: The Fallen Sun, Boiling Point, Living, Cottontail, Summerland.
Cary Crankson
Understudy Michael
Cary Crankson, a London-born actor, has built an extensive career across film, television, and theatre. He earned the ‘Best Lead Performance in a Play’ award at the 2020 OFFIES (Off West End Awards) for his portrayal of Jamie in Simon Stephen’s Country Music at the Omnibus Theatre, Clapham. Cary also previously understudied the role of Michael in Death of England at the National Theatre.
In addition, his notable stage credits include Chris Keller in All My Sons at Nottingham Playhouse Theatre, Tony in Abigail’s Party at Leicester Curve, Mugsy in Dealers Choice at Royal and Derngate, Kenny in The Saints at Nuffield Theatre, Ted in Wasted at The Roundhouse, Iago in Othello at The Rose, Alex in Seawall at Salisbury Playhouse, Jonathan in Flight Path at The Bush, and Dario in Silverland at Arcola Theatre/ 59E59 New York.
Cary’s screen work includes roles such as Mr. Barrowclough in Scrapper (BBC Films), Alan in Silent Night (Break ‘Em Films), Adult Angus in The Peripheral (Amazon Prime), Gary Lewis in Doctors (BBC), Richard Vincent and James Maguire in The Bill (Talkback Thames), and Trevor Jackman in Doctors (BBC1).
By Clint Dyer and Roy Williams
Author
Clint Dyer
Director
Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey
Co-Set and Costume Designer
ULTZ
Co-Set and Costume Designer
Jackie Shemesh
Lighting Designer
Benjamin Grant
Co-Sound Designer
Pete Malkin
Co-Sound Designer
Chris Davey
Associate Lighting Designer
Anastasia Osei-Kuffour
Associate Director
@sohoplace
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