Jeremy O. Harris' Slave Play to Open in London's West End

Playwright Jeremy O. Harris announced via Instagram that his 2020 Tony-nominated play Slave Play will open in London's West End. No dates, venue or casting has been announced, but the social media post, featuring a suggestive image of a melon—apropos of the boundary-pushing drama—spotlights the question: "Is London Ready?" There is also an official website bearing the same message.

Slave Play premiered off-Broadway in 2018 at New York Theatre Workshop. The production subsequently moved to Broadway's John Golden Theatre in 2019, followed by a return Broadway engagement at the August Wilson Theatre from December 2021 to January 2023. The initial Broadway production, directed by Robert O'Hara, earned 10 Tony nominations including Best Play, Best Direction of a Play and Best Lead Actress for Joaquina Kalukango, who went on to win a Tony two years later for her performance in Paradise Square. 

Dissecting issues of race, sex and generational trauma, Slave Play follows three interractial couples over an explosive weekend on a Southern plantation. As fantasy blurs with reality, historical patterns begin to repeat themselves.