Inside No.9 has been adapted for the stage and is coming to London’s West End next January.
Writers Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith will star in the show, titled Stage/Fright, which is set to be a mix of new material and familiar characters from the award-winning black comedy anthology.
The stage adaptation of the BBC series will run for 12 weeks from January 18, and will take place at Wyndham’s Theatre. Tickets for Stage/Fright are set to go on sale on May 8 at 7pm.
According to WhatsOnStage, the duo have been asked about doing a live show since the series first started in 2014. They explained that this might be “because each episode is like a mini play.There are small casts and single locations, and we were definitely inspired by our work in theatre when writing the stories for TV.”
Inside No.9, which has run for eight seasons, features 30-minute self-contained episodes, involving new characters and settings, but almost all starring Pemberton and Shearsmith.
The pair have explained how the production is still in its early stages: “We are currently writing the script even as it goes on sale, but we are certain there will be plenty of new material and surprises for fans and new-comers alike.”
They continued: “There’ll be something old, something new, something butchered and something… BOO! We want to use the different things a theatre show can offer in terms of comedy – a collective audience behaves very differently to a solitary one, the laughter builds and the shared enjoyment is infectious.
“So there’ll definitely be some big comic moments, but also something a bit spooky and more dramatic.”
The duo also revealed that they are keen to maintain the level of mystery that comes with the standalone TV episodes: “Inside No 9 viewers go into each episode not knowing what to expect and we want this to be the same for the theatre show, with the ability for each audience to experience the performance for the first time and go on that theatrical journey with us.”
Keen to avoid giving away any spoilers, the pair refrained from sharing too many details about the show. However, they did tease that there might be some other theatrical elements to the play.
“We want to deliver the perfect West End night at the theatre,” they said. “We might even crack out a song if you’re lucky!”
In other news, Pemberton is currently a cast member on series 17 of Taskmaster, which airs every Thursday at 9pm on Channel 4, concluding on May 30.
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