The Deep Blue Sea

The Deep Blue Sea photos

The Deep Blue Sea description

Tamsin Greig (Much Ado About Nothing, Green Wing, Episodes, Friday Night Dinner) and the Tony nominee Finbar Lynch star in Terence Rattigan’s 1952 exploration of obsession and the destructive force of love. A classic you won’t want to miss.

Directed by the Olivier Award winning Lindsay Posner (A View From the Bridge), this acclaimed production arrives in the capital for a limited run in Spring 2025, after a sell-out season at the Theatre Royal Bath.

A powerful drama set in post-war London, the play delves deep into the emotional turmoil experienced by Hester Collyer, a woman carrying on a passionate yet destructive affair with the ex-WW2 RAF pilot Freddie Page. Set in post-war London, the drama explores themes of love, loss and isolation as Hester struggles to square her empty marriage to a high court judge with the deep obsessive feelings she has for her lover.

The Cast and Creative Team

Tamsin Greig’s career spans four decades. She won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in 2007 for Much Ado About Nothing and received nominations for The Little Dog Laughed and Women on the Verge of a Breakdown. She will be joined by Finbar Lynch (Girl From The North Country).

Directed by Lindsay Posner, the creative team includes Set and Costume Designer Peter McKintosh, Lighting Designer Paul Pyant, Sound Designer Gregory Clarke, Composer Will Stuart, Hair, Wigs & Make-up Designer Carole Hancock, Casting Director Ginny Schiller and Associate Director George Jibson.

The inspiration behind The Deep Blue Sea

Terrence Rattigan had a passionate secret homosexual relationship with Kenny Morgan, which inspired this play, a powerful drama of passion and loyalty that sees Hester and her lover overwhelmed by emotion. It first premiered in London during 1952 and has seen numerous revivals, including a 2011 version at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds with Maxine Peake and Lex Shrapnel, a 2016 National Theatre version with Helen McCrory, Peter Sullivan, and Tom Burke at the helm, and the 2019 Chichester Festival Theatre production starring Nancy Carroll. This latest production started life at the Theatre Royal Bath in Spring 2024, now it’s transferring to London.

Playing at Theatre Royal Haymarket (venue info)