One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest description

Adapted from Ken Kesey's iconic novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest features West End royalty. We have Aaron Pierre (Mufasa: The Lion King, Rebel Ridge) playing Randle P. McMurphy and Giles Terera (Hamilton, Othello) playing Dale Harding. The Director Clint Dyer is another star, loved for re-interpreting classic plots to give them a thoroughly modern edge. The cult film starring Jack Nicholson made the story famous, and this brilliant interpretation is going to be quite something, seen in the round, up close and intimate.

Set in a part-hospital, part-prison psychiatric facility, this is the story of Chief Bromden, a patient who hasn't spoken for years. Then the rebellious McMurphy arrives and starts making mischief. The other inmates are loving it, but the more McMurphy defies the horrific Nurse Ratched, the closer his fate comes. The play explores an inhuman system and how it affected the people who were forced to endure it. The perfect theatre treat for everyone who loves powerful drama, this is a story to break your heart. But as you'll know if you've read the book or seen the film, the ending is strangely uplifting.

Playing at Old Vic Theatre (venue info)