Following his explosive exit from EastEnders in the 40th anniversary live episode, James Bye will star as Mr Darcy in the theatrical world premiere of Death Comes To Pemberley, by PD James, based on the inspired sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.
Step into the world of Pride and Prejudice like never before with a riveting new stage adaptation that combines Jane Austen’s timeless romance with a gripping murder mystery imagined by master storyteller, the Queen of Crime, PD James. Six years after Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy’s happy union, their idyllic life at Pemberley is shattered when Elizabeth’s sister, Lydia, bursts in with shocking news; a man has been murdered in the woods, and suspicion falls on her husband, the notorious George Wickham. As the investigation unfolds, dark secrets emerge, tensions rise, and loyalties are tested, casting doubt on everyone’s innocence.
From Duncan Abel and Rachel Wagstaff, the acclaimed writing team behind the hit stage adaptations of The Girl on the Train and The Da Vinci Code, and premiering during the 250th anniversary year of Jane Austen’s birth, this spellbinding production delivers romance, intrigue, and drama, now wrapped in a suspenseful whodunnit.
Bye, who played Martin Fowler in the BBC’s EastEnders for 10 years until his death in the Queen Vic explosion in the recent 40th anniversary live episode says, “I am leaving EastEnders on an absolute high after the explosive live 40th anniversary episode. After a decade of gritty storylines it’s going to be quite a switch to put on period clothes as one of literature’s romantic leading men, but I can’t wait for this new chapter to begin.”
Directed by Joe Harmston, the cast includes Jamie-Rose Duke, who recently made her TV debut in Casualty, as Elizabeth Darcy, Celia Cruwys-Finnigan as Georgina Darcy, Sean Rigby, best known as Detective Sergeant Jim Strange in ITV’s Endeavour, as Colonel Fitzwilliam, Paul Jerricho as Mr Bidwell and others, Sam Woodhams as George Wickham/Will Bidwell, David Osmond as Henry Alveston and Mogali Masuku as Lydia Wickham/Louisa Bidwell, with further cast yet to be announced.
The world premiere stage production of PD James’s best-selling novel is a tale of love, betrayal, and intrigue set in Regency England will open at The Mill at Sonning where it will run from 1 May-28 June, before touring to: Windsor Theatre Royal, 22-26 July | Cardiff New Theatre, 29 July-2 August | Bath Theatre Royal, 5-9 August | Guildford Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, 12-16 August | Bromley Churchill Theatre, 19-23 August | Wycombe Swan, 26-30 August | Brighton Theatre Royal, 2-6 September | Richmond Theatre, 9-13 September.
Death Comes to Pemberley is the first national tour to come from The Mill at Sonning and marks the next stage in the development of the historic and iconic theatre. One of the only dinner theatres in the United Kingdom, it has won awards such as the 2023 UK Theatre Award Winner for the Best Musical Production for Gypsy, and The Most Welcoming Theatre three years in row in 2016-18. The Mill at Sonning is uniquely still a family enterprise and is now co-managed by Sally Hughes alongside her son, renowned film producer Adam Rolston. In bringing the worlds of Jane Austen and PD James together on stage for the first time to audiences across the country, The Mill at Sonning’s artistic vision can be enjoyed by many more people outside Berkshire for the first time so everyone can experience the magic of a show at the Mill in their hometown.
Tickets here.
