Emma Rice‘s U.K.-based theater company, Wise Children, has unveiled its upcoming season, headlined by a new adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock‘s classic 1959 film “North by Northwest.”
The production, described as a “riotously funny reworking that turns the original thriller on its head,” adapted and directed by Rice, will play at York Theatre Royal on March 28, 2025, before touring to Manchester, Liverpool and other U.K. venues. Co-produced by York Theatre Royal, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, it will feature six performers taking on multiple roles, accompanied by a 1950s soundtrack.
“North by Northwest” tells the story of Roger Thornhill, a man mistaken for another in a city of seven million people. A mistimed phone call to his mother lands him in the middle of a Cold War conspiracy, leading to a thrilling chase involving spies, airplanes, and a mysterious femme fatale.
The season also includes a return of “The Little Match Girl and Happier Tales” at The Lucky Chance in Frome over the Christmas period. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale and adapted by Joel Horwood and Rice, this production interweaves “The Little Match Girl” with “The Princess and the Pea” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
A new production of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Ugly Duckling” for younger children, directed by Mike Shepherd with puppets by Lyndie Wright, follows the story of a duckling who’s a little different from his siblings, bringing the beloved tale to life with storytelling, live music and puppetry.
The company’s international reach extends with an upcoming tour of their acclaimed “Wuthering Heights” adaptation to Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China. Adapted from Emily Brontë’s novel by Rice, this production transforms the classic tale of love, revenge, and redemption into a theatrical experience set on the Yorkshire moors.
Meanwhile, their co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company of “The Buddha of Suburbia,” adapted from Hanif Kureishi’s novel, is set to transfer to the Barbican in London. This coming-of-age story follows Karim, a mixed-race teenager in 1970s London, navigating love, racism, and his own identity.
“I feel breathless as I think about the months ahead,” Rice said. “Wise Children will be taking work across the planet, up and down the country, and just around the corner. We are walking through our dreams, and I could jump for joy.”
Rice is an internationally respected theater-maker and director who received the Outstanding Contribution to British Theatre award at the 2019 U.K. Theatre Awards. Wise Children, launched in 2018 and led by Rice, is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. Based in the Southwest of the U.K., the company creates and tours productions worldwide while also running a professional development program to train emerging theater practitioners.
Source Agencies
