Adjoa Andoh and SuRie star in GEORGE Eliot in Words and Music at Oxford Playhouse
Oxford Playhouse is delighted to present GEORGE Eliot in Words and Music, a captivating celebration of the novelist’s life and work, which will star Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton’s Lady Danbury) and Eurovision’s SuRie.
This special evening, dedicated to one of the leading English novelists of the 19th century, is brought to the stage by Hambletts. This production follows the sold-out success of their show last year at The Playhouse, Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words & Music, which starred Anton Lesser.
Adjoa Andoh brings George Eliot to dazzling life in Eliot’s own words – drawn from her great novels Middlemarch, The Mill on the Floss, Adam Bede, and letters, poetry and journalism. In tune with Eliot’s bold radicalism, her words are woven with music by contemporary female singer-songwriters. The programme includes music from Kate Bush, Florence Welch, FKA twigs and Sandy Denny, all performed by the Eurovision star SuRie and Orchestra of the Swan.
Adjoa Andoh returns to Oxford following her Cameron Mackintosh Contemporary Theatre Visiting Professorship at the University of Oxford in 2022. She gives a new voice to the genius who wrote Middlemarch and though shunned in her lifetime, became the second richest woman in England after Queen Victoria. SuRie, who represented the UK at Eurovision 2018 and won the 2024 Offie for Lead Performance in a Musical, joins Andoh on stage as they play numerous roles, from Eliot herself and her immortal characters to Charles Dickens and Vincent Van Gogh.
Under the musical direction of David Le Page, Orchestra of the Swan enriches Eliot’s legacy with a stunning live score. The musicians perform on stage alongside Andoh and SuRie, bringing an immersive dimension to this unique performance. The script is written and adapted by Deirdre Shields (Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words & Music).
Tickets for GEORGE Eliot in Words and Music at Oxford Playhouse are £30 and are available at the Box Office on 01865 305305 or to book online at www.oxfordplayhouse.com
GEORGE Eliot in Words and Music is at the Oxford Playhouse 22 April 2025.