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On the Main Stage: A bold telling of a shocking and absurd true story. A Very Expensive Poison by Lucy Prebble, based on the book by Luke Harding

24th - 28th Mar 2026

Event info

Start Time: 7.30pm

Tickets: £16.50 Concessions: £14.00


Description

"superbly done" - Cultured. North East

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“The second you start telling a story, you start telling a lie”

London, 2006. Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko is assassinated in broad daylight, poisoned by radioactive polonium via a cup of tea drank in a Mayfair hotel.

Welcome to the shadowy world of international espionage, where high-stakes global politics, power games, and propaganda collide.

Succession writer and co-executive producer Lucy Prebble adapts journalist Luke Harding’s book into a wildly theatrical mashup of real events, vaudeville and thriller.

Distortion and distraction abound in this bold telling of a shocking and absurd true story.

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Audience content information: this production includes haze, smoking, and loud noises.

The play includes very strong language and themes which some audience members may find upsetting. For more information, please visit our Content Advice page.

*****

This amateur production of “A Very Expensive Poison” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk

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Cast

Emmerson: Paul Carding

Marina Litvinenko: Sara Jo Harrison

Alexander Litvinenko: Tony Sehgal

Vladimir Putin: Craig Fairbairn

Boris Bereszovsky: John MacDonald

Andrei Lugovoi: Tim Clark

Dimitri Kovtun: Jack Thompson

DI Hyatt: Ben Ostell

Ensemble: Vanessa Murphy, Steve Strouzer, Andy Aiken, Lauren Elizabeth, Malavika Adiga, Emma Chaplin, Haaris Qureshi, Hannah Backhouse, Hannah Mitchell, Viktor Danchenko, Rye Mattick, Eileen Davidson, Charlie Hope, Pete Harrison, Joey Esquejo, Martin Johnson, Phil Stainsby, Layla Genther, Jaxon Moran, Immy Whelam, Ava Welsh, Hope Howie, Sophie Richards, Alanna Barry, Hayley Gardiner

Production Team

Director: Steven Wallace

Assistant Director: Kath Frazer

Stage Manager: Ysobel Lloyd Payne

Assistant Stage Managers: Erin Robinson, Julia Redfern, Anneliese Clifton

Sound Design: Jess Williams

Lighting Design: Phil Bradley

Lighting Design Assistant: Stephen Appleby

Props Lead: Hope McDonald

Props Assistants: Peter Scott, Hayley Gardiner, Anneliese Clifton, Vanessa Murphy Wardrobe: Sarah Pearson

Rehearsal Prompt: Heather Birleson

Set Construction: Andrew De’Ath, Stephen Appleby, Ian Kane, Matt Baines, Ruby Mellor, Michele Sowerby, Olivia Hill

Set Painting: Stewart Dives, Vanessa Murphy, Pete Harrison, Matt Baines, Olivia Hill

Choreography: Ysobel Lloyd Payne, Tony Sehgal, Sara Jo Harrison, The NMTS Dancers

Composition: John MacDonald, Rye Mattick, Andy Aiken

Fight Coordination: Chris Heckels-Thompson

Rehearsal Photos: Jess Williams, Ashton Matthews

Production Photos: Paul Hood

Thanks to Kristen Spitty, Minnie Dobson, Francesca Rombi, Lesley Heckels-Thompson, Tim Swinton

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