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THE LONELY LONDONERS

10 Jan - 22 Feb 2025

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Kiln Theatre & Jermyn Street Theatre present

The Lonely Londoners

By Sam Selvon

Adapted by Roy Williams

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The critically acclaimed adaptation of Sam Selvon’s iconic novel.

1950s London. Newly arrived from Trinidad, Henry ‘Sir Galahad’ Oliver is impatient to start his new life in London. Carrying just pyjamas and a toothbrush, he bursts through Moses Aloetta’s door only to find Moses and his friends already soured on city life. Will the London fog dampen Galahad’s dreams? Or will these Lonely Londoners make a home in a city that sees them as a threat?

Following its sold out run at Jermyn Street Theatre, Roy Williams’ adaptation of Sam Selvon’s iconic novel, The Lonely Londoners, comes to Kiln. Ebenezer Bamgboye’s critically acclaimed production opens a window into the hopes, dreams and realities of generation Windrush.

Important Information

For content advice, click here.

Post show Q&A: Thu 30 Jan, 7.30pm

 

Access Performances

Captioned Performance: Mon 3 Feb, 7.30pm
Relaxed Performance: Sat 8 Feb, 2.30pm
Touch Tour: Thu 13 Feb, 6pm
Audio Described Performance: Thu 13 Feb, 7.30pm

Click here for Access information. If you have any questions about any of our services or need assistance in arranging your visit please get in touch: 020 7328 1000 or Access@KilnTheatre.com.

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Duration

90 minutes, with no interval

Dates

10 Jan - 22 Feb 2025

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Cast

Tobi Bakare

Lewis
Tobi Bakare

Lewis

Tobi Bakare plays Lewis. His theatre credits include Gone Too Far! (Royal Court) and Greenland (National Theatre). His television credits include Malpractice, Death in Paradise, Outlander, The Shadowline and The Tunnel; and for film, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

Shannon Hayes

Agnes
Shannon Hayes

Agnes

Shannon Hayes plays Agnes. Her theatre credits include Bitter Lemons (Park Theatre, Bristol Old Vic), Raya (Hampstead Theatre), The Seven Pomegranate Seeds (Rose Theatre), The Gift (Eclipse Theatre) and The Ridiculous Darkness (Gate Theatre). Her television credits include Vigil, I Hate Suzie, Ted Lasso, Years and Years, Big Boy, Cold Feet, Kiss Me First and Undercover; and for film, Born to Run.

 

Solomon Israel

Moses
Solomon Israel

Moses

Solomon Israel plays Moses. His theatre credits include A Raisin in the Sun (Lyric Hammersmith), Jitney (The Old Vic, Leeds Playhouse), Anna Karenina (Sheffield Crucible), Ravens: Spassky VS Fischer (Hampstead Theatre), Barber Shop Chronicles (National Theatre US Tour), Miss Littlewood, The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich, The Duchess of Malfi, Kingdom Come, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors (RSC), The Pulverised, Octagon (Arcola Theatre) and The Dutchman (Young Vic). His television credits include Testament, Signora Volpe, Death in Paradise, In the Long Run, The Dumping Ground, Lovesick, Doctor Who, Josh, Brothers with No Game and Law and Order: UK; and for film, Blockhead and Played and Betrayed.

Gilbert Kyem Jnr

Big City
Gilbert Kyem Jnr

Big City

Gilbert Kyem Jnr plays Big City. His theatre credits include A Raisin in the Sun (Lyric Hammersmith), Hamlet, Oresteia (Almeida Theatre, Park Avenue Armoury) and Never Not Once (Park Theatre). His television credits include Rivals; and for short film, Patrick and Green Space.

Carol Moses

Tanty
Carol Moses

Tanty

Carol Moses plays Tanty. Her theatre credits include Clockwork (National Theatre), Unseen Unheard (Theatre Peckham), Hoxton St (Hoxton Hall) and Black Mime Theatre (international tour). Her television credits include Crongton, Renegade Nell, Supacell, Perrin and A Class Apart.

Aimée Powell

Christina

Aimée Powell

Christina

Aimée Powell plays Christina. Her theatre credits include Family Tree, Crongton Knights, Night Light (UK tours), Freeman (International Tour), Nothello (Belgrade Theatre) Feed the Beast (Birmingham Rep) and Jump! We’ll Catch You (Birmingham Rep). Her television credits include Seaview (Strictly Arts/Amazon Prime) and Doctors (BBC). Aimée has also just finished filming a guest role on a new series for Black Dog Television.

Romario Simpson

Galahad
Romario Simpson

Galahad

Romario Simpson plays Galahad. His theatre credits include Syndrome (Tristan Bates Theatre), Sket (Park Theatre), Think (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), And Then There Was War (Stratford Circus Theatre) and Reflection: Scratch Me If You Can (The Vaults). His television credits include Granite Harbour, Riches, Django, Andor, Small Axe: Lover’s Rock, Timewasters and Dixi.

Creative Team

Roy Williams

Adaptor
Roy Williams

Adaptor

Roy Williams is an award-winning playwright. He returns to Kiln Theatre, following the recent NW Trilogy. His other recent plays include Death of England: Closing Time, Death of England (National Theatre), 846 (Theatre Royal Stratford East and GDIF), Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads (Chichester Festival Theatre/National Theatre), The Fellowship, The Firm, Wildefire (Hampstead Theatre, Downstairs), Soul: The Untold Story of Marvin Gaye (Royal and Derngate / Hackney Empire), Antigone (Pilot Theatre / UK tour), Advice for the Young at Heart (Theatre Centre), an adaptation of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Pilot Theatre/ UK Tour), Sucker Punch (Royal Court Theatre, nominated for Olivier Award for Best Play), Kingston ‘14 (Theatre Royal Stratford East) and Category B (Kiln Theatre).

Ebenezer Bamgboye

Director
Ebenezer Bamgboye

Director

Ebenezer Bamgboye is the current Programming Associate at Southwark Playhouse and was the Carne Deputy Director of Jermyn Street Theatre 2021-22. As a director, his credits include The Cherry Orchard (RADA), Under The Kunde Tree (Southwark Playhouse), Julius Caesar (GSA), Little Sweet Thing (LAMDA), The Anarchist, Two Horsemen (Jermyn Street Theatre) and Boys Cry (Riverside Studios). As Associate Director – Faustus: That Damned Woman (tour); and as Assistant Director, A Very Expensive Poison (The Old Vic), Three Sisters (Almeida Theatre), Sleeping Beauty (Theatre Royal Stratford East) and Steel (Sheffield Theatres).

Laura Ann Price

Set Designer

Anett Black

Costume Designer

Elliot Griggs

Lighting Designer

Tony Gayle

Sound Designer

Nevena Stojkov

Movement Director

Hazel Holder

Voice and Dialect Coach

Abby Galvin

Casting Director

Imy Wyatt Corner

Kiln-Mackintosh Resident Assistant Director

Bella Kear

Associate Sound Designer

Lucy Mewis-McKerrow

Production Manager

Susheila Nasta

Literary Consultant
Susheila Nasta

Literary Consultant

Susheila is the Literary Executor for the estate of Sam Selvon.

Born in Trinidad in 1923, Selvon migrated to London in 1950. One of the most distinctive voices in twentieth century Caribbean and British writing, his first novel, A Brighter Sun, appeared in 1952. Several major works followed:  the London books –The Lonely Londoners (1956), The Housing Lark (1965), Moses Ascending (1975), Moses Migrating (1983);  a collection of short stories, Ways of Sunlight (1958), set in Trinidad and London (many first published in The Evening Standard); and, his Trinidad novels, including – An Island is A World (1955), Turn Again Tiger (1958) and Those Who Eat the Cascadura (1972). Though best known for his fiction, Selvon was a ventriloquist and wrote in several genres. Poet and essayist, he scripted two collections of plays, originally broadcast on BBC radio: El Dorado: West One (1988), Highway in the Sun (1991); and co-wrote the screen play for Pressure (1975), Britain’s first black feature film.  Frequently heralded as father of black writing in Britain, Selvon is  celebrated for his imaginative invention of London as a black city of words and his intimate chronicling of the experiences of ordinary black immigrants during the period of Windrush. Selvon left Britain to live in Canada in 1978. He died in 1994 on a trip home to Trinidad.

We are grateful for the support of Jon and NoraLee Sedmak for this production.