THIS BITTER EARTH add scheduled understudy performances at Soho Theatre
The whole team behind the critically acclaimed production of This Bitter Earth have announced scheduled understudy performances on Wednesday 9 & 23 July matinee performances, which will see Luke Striffler and Stanton Plummer-Cambridge taking over the play together for two shows only.
Producer Thomas Hopkins said: "I recognise the importance of highlighting the hardworking understudies in our industry. I am humbled by the passion and hard work our talented understudies, Luke and Stanton, have put into this process. The whole team and I are excited to give these talented performers their moment in the spotlight. I would also like to recognise the leadership of our associate director, Bronagh Lagan, whose commitment and love for this show flows through Luke and Stanton’s performances."
This Bitter Earth by Harrison David Rivers is an intimate, romantic and gripping play about a young black writer and his white activist lover that asks, “What is the real cost of standing on the sidelines?”
Omari Douglas and Alexander Lincoln will continue their roles as Jesse and Neil for all other scheduled performances.
This major new London production plays at the Soho Theatre until 26 July, marking the UK directorial debut of Grammy Award, Emmy and three-time Tony Award winner, Billy Porter.
At the Million Hoodie March in 2012, Jesse, a young black man, encounters Neil, a young white man who has unwittingly found himself at the front of the crowd with a megaphone in his hand. Flash forward several weeks, and Jesse and Neil have begun dating. However, as the months pass and Neil works his way further into the world of activism, Jesse never enters it. Over the years, Jesse and Neil negotiate the complex “firsts” of their relationship against a backdrop of political demonstrations and discord. With history unfolding around them every day, Jesse and Neil must contend with the fact that, no matter their response to social turmoil, they cannot remain untouched by it.
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. I’m thrilled to be a part of bringing this very special piece to life.”
This Bitter Earth features set and costume design by Morgan Large, original composition by Sean Green, sound by Julian Starr, lighting by Lee Curran, and casting by Rob Kelly.
