Park Theatre has announced four new shows in its Park90 space that will be running as part of its Summer and Autumn Season. Starting with a story of love and grief in I Love You, Now What?, the season includes two very different sport shows that centre around football (Bitter Lemons) and boxing (Going for Gold), and Park Theatre is delighted to announce new dates for Ostan after its postponement earlier in the year.
In I Love You, Now What? (31 Jul – 24 Aug), Ava and Theo’s relationship is coloured by first the diagnosis and then the loss of Ava’s father in a beautifully ugly story about grief and love’s place within it. The show finds humour in the darkest places and embraces the messiness of loving someone through loss and heartbreak.
Also dealing with the loss of a father Bitter Lemons (27 Aug – 14 Sept) sees a goalkeeper prepare for the league final, while an ambitious banker battles her fears of being tokenised to secure a promotion. But as their pitches get closer, worlds collide as life shifts unexpectedly and in parallel. In the pressurised worlds of football and finance, two women carve their own path. Returning following a sold-out, hit run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2023, Bitter Lemons is an explosive play tackling the pressures on women’s bodies and the power society holds over them.
The world premiere of Ostan (18 Sept – 12 Oct) by Azhang Pezhman is a drama about Rebin, who has been stuck in the UK immigration system for almost a decade. Rebin has heard it all before. That is until the boss, Shapur, proposes using his struggling hand car wash business as a front for a human trafficking enterprise by smuggling immigrants into the country in the boots of the carwash client’s cars.
A second boxing show for Park Theatre following the hugely successful On The Ropes in 2023, Going For Gold (6 – 30 Nov) is a riveting drama inspired by the true story of Frankie Lucas, a young Black boxer navigating the vibrant yet challenging world of 1970s London. Frankie’s dreams of sporting glory face relentless trials as he confronts the intricate politics of boxing, the weight of his ambitions, and the pressing needs of his family.
The shows join the previously announced Park200 shows: When It Happens to You starring Amanda Abbington; an exploration of love, trust, truth and lies in 23.5 Hours; and the long-awaited Forsyte Saga told in two parts.
Jez Bond said, “We’re thrilled to continue our Park90 2024 season with four knockout productions. Two powerful, personal stories from the world of sport in Bitter Lemons and Going for Gold; we’re delighted to welcome back Toby Clarke directing I Love You, Now What? having previously directed the Olivier nominated Park90 show Warheads; and after a postponement earlier in the year, we’re excited to finally be presenting Ostan a powerful and topical story of human trafficking”.
