Production images have been released for This Bitter Earth, the powerful new play by Harrison David Rivers, now running at Soho Theatre until 26 July.
Directed by Grammy, Emmy and three-time Tony Award winner Billy Porter, this marks his UK directorial debut.
Starring Omari Douglas (It’s a Sin, Constellations, Cabaret) as Jesse and Alexander Lincoln (In From the Side, Emmerdale, Everything I Know About Love) as Neil, This Bitter Earth is a gripping and intimate exploration of love, race, and activism.
The play follows Jesse, a young Black playwright, and Neil, a white activist, as they navigate the complexities of their relationship against a backdrop of political unrest and social change.
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.”
Understudies Stanton Plummer-Cambridge and Luke Striffler cover the roles of Jesse and Neil respectively.
The production is the first development project from Thomas Hopkins Productions, led by award-winning producer Thomas Hopkins.
Thomas Hopkins said: “This Bitter Earth marks an important step in my new company’s continued growth, as we begin in making our footprint in the West End. This play not only brings together the exceptional playwright Harrison David Rivers with the creative visionary in Billy Porter as our director. But also, a team of passionate artists at the top of the world’s theatrical landscape, to create a production that, the world needs. This Bitter Earth allows us to learn from each other, grow as individuals and heal as one.”
The creative team includes Morgan Large (set and costume design), Sean Green (original composition), Julian Starr (sound design), and Rob Kelly (casting).
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
