ニュース速報
First Look: Production Images Released for Billy Porter’s UK Directorial Debut, This Bitter Earth
掲載日
2025年6月23日
作成者
Julia Jordan
New West End Production Explores Race, Love, and Activism in a Powerful Two-Hander
Production photography has been released for the London premiere of This Bitter Earth, a gripping and romantic drama written by Harrison David Rivers and directed by Billy Porter, now running at Soho Theatre until 26 July 2025, with a press night on Tuesday 24 June.
The new staging marks Porter’s UK directorial debut, and features performances from Omari Douglas (It’s a Sin, Cabaret, Constellations) as Jesse, and Alexander Lincoln (In From the Side, Emmerdale) as Neil. The two leads portray a couple navigating the complexities of love, race, and political resistance in contemporary America.
A Story of Love and Activism
Set against the backdrop of the 2012 Million Hoodie March and the growing Black Lives Matter movement, This Bitter Earth follows Jesse, a reserved Black writer, and Neil, his white activist boyfriend, as they try to make sense of their identities, ideals and the world around them.
Their romance unfolds in a non-linear structure across the years, as they wrestle with personal expectations and conflicting approaches to protest and engagement. As Neil throws himself into activism, Jesse resists, unwilling to become a symbol. Their relationship, tender and fractured, is tested by the political and personal turmoil surrounding them.
Playwright Harrison David Rivers explores how love and pain co-exist in a world where the personal is always political.
Director Billy Porter on the Work
Speaking about the play, Billy Porter said:
“Harrison David Rivers has written a searingly poignant and necessary play about love and loss through the lens of the fraying American Democratic experiment. Simple. Complex. Direct and filled with compassion all at once.”
Porter, a multi-award-winning actor, singer and producer, brings his signature theatrical energy and activist spirit to this intimate, two-person play, fresh from starring in Cabaret in the West End.
Creative and Production Team
Writer: Harrison David Rivers
Director: Billy Porter
Set & Costume Design: Morgan Large
Sound Design: Julian Starr
Original Composition: Sean Green
Casting: Rob Kelly
Production Management: Toby Darvill
Company Stage Manager: Elsie O’Rourke
Deputy Stage Manager: Jordan Deegan-Fleet
Understudies: Stanton Plummer-Cambridge and Luke Striffler cover the roles of Jesse and Neil.
The play is produced by Thomas Hopkins, with Jana Robbins, Craig Haffner, Sherry Wright, Alex Deacon, Jonathan Kaldor, and Kohl Beck, in association with John Rogerson and Sarig Peker.
Venue and Ticket Information
Venue: Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3N
Dates: 18 June – 26 July 2025
Times: 7:30pm evening performances, 2:30pm matinees
With acclaimed performances and direction, This Bitter Earth offers an emotionally rich and timely piece of theatre that questions how—and when—we choose to stand up. Early booking is recommended.
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