26 – 30 July

August Wilson’s ground-breaking play JITNEY tours to Bath’s Theatre Royal direct from its acclaimed London premiere

A searing new production of August Wilson’s modern classic Jitney is touring to the Theatre Royal Bath this month appearing from Tuesday 26^th to Saturday 30^th July, following its London premiere at The Old Vic. Directed by Tinuke Craig, the nine-strong cast includes Wil Johnson (Emmerdale, Waking the Dead, Clocking Off) and Tony Marshall (Casualty, Life on Mars, All Quiet on the Preston Front).

A ground-breaking play from one of America’s greatest and most ambitious writers, August Wilson, Jitney explores the fragile bond between eight men as they live and work in a racially segregated, post-Vietnam America.

Jim Becker and his unlicensed drivers take the people of Pittsburgh Hill District where regular taxi cabs won’t venture – healing old wounds and tearing new ones as they pass the time in a condemned taxi rank, the jitney station, between pick-ups.

“Tinuke Craig’s beautifully realised production creates a microcosm of defiance

Wil Johnson, who stars as Becker, owner of the jitney station, is best known on television for his roles as Dominic Andrews in 129 episodes of Emmerdale and Detective Inspector Spencer Jordan in 92 episodes of Waking the Dead. His many series regular roles also include playing Old Reg in The Larkins, Marcus Kirby in Waterloo Road, Steve Robinson in Clocking Off and Skelton in Cracker.

Tony Marshall, who stars as Fielding, is best known on television as Noel Garcia, a role he played in 490 episodes of Casualty. His many screen credits also include playing Nelson in Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes and Diesel in All Quiet on the Preston Front, as well as roles in Still Open All Hours, Only Fools and Horses and Coronation Street.

The cast is completed by Geoff Aymer as Doub, Nnabiko Ejimofor as Shealy, Blair Gyabaah as Booster, Leanne Henlon as Rena, Solomon Israel as Youngblood, Dayo Koleosho as Philmore and Sule Rimi as Turnbo; with understudies Lindon Alexander, Lincoln Conway and Yolanda Ovide.

Set in the 1970s, Jitney is part of playwright August Wilson’s most famous body of work, The Pittsburgh Cycle. Written in 1979, Jitney was first staged in 1982. It premiered on Broadway 35 years later in 2017 and went on to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play in 2000, the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2002 and the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2017.

Multi award-winning August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, also referred to as the Century Cycle, chronicles 100 years of the African American experience through a series of 10 plays. Jitney was the first play Wilson wrote in the Pittsburgh Cycle. Other plays from the collection include Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (set in the 1920s); King Hedley II (set in the 1980s); and Fences (set in the 1950s), which was staged by Theatre Royal Bath Productions in 2013 starring Lenny Henry and Tanya Moodie – a production which opened in Bath prior to its West End transfer.

Director Tinuke Craig’s critically acclaimed staging of Jitney tours to Bath as part of an exclusive UK tour co-produced by Headlong, Leeds Playhouse and London’s Old Vic. First seen at Leeds Playhouse in 2021, the production received its London premiere at The Old Vic last month before touring to Oldham, Worthing, Bath and Cambridge. 

Jitney appears at the Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 26^th July to Saturday 30^th July.

To book tickets contact the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Photo credit:  Manuel Harlan