Genre Drama
First Performance 19/08/2019
Closing 05/10/2019
Running Time 3h, inc. interval

A jaw-dropping exposé of espionage comes to the stage in A Very Expensive Poison, Lucy Prebble’s reimagining of the notorious death of Alexander Litvinenko.

Based on Luke Harding’s remarkable investigation into the infamous case, tickets for this world premiere production of A Very Expensive Poison will see Litvinenko’s shocking assassination in London placed under the microscope of The Old Vic stage.

High-stakes politics and radioactive villainy combine in a time of global crises. Set to the looming threat of a new Cold War, A Very Expensive Poison sends you careering through the murky world of international espionage – everpresent, everywhere from Moscow to Mayfair.

The notorious death in question took place in November 2006, where journalist and Russian dissisdent Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in London. His subsequent death 22 days later revealed he was subject to Polonium – a rare, lethal and highly radioactive substance.

The result of years of interviews and reporting on the incident, this new play by The Old Vic’s Associate Artist Lucy Prebble is based on Luke Harding’s book of the same name, and will be directed by John Crowley. Crowley’s previous theatre credits include The Playboy Of The Western World at The Old Vic, along with The Pillowman at the National Theatre and on Broadway, and the BAFTA-winning film Brooklyn. His upcoming works include the film The Goldfinch.

Tom Brooke (The Boat That Rocked, Sherlock, The Bodyguard) stars as Alexander Litvinenko. MyAnna Buring (The Wasp, West End) will play Marina Litvinenko, with the cast also including Reece Shearsmith (The League Of Gentlemen, Psychoville) as The President and Peter Polycarpou (Oslo, West End) as Boris Bereszovsky.

Step into a world of layered subterfuge and deadly revenge with A Very Expensive Poison tickets, now available through Official London Theatre.

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