Anton Lesser and Charlie Hamblett visit Oxford Playhouse

News Story

This week, we were pleased to welcome an aficionado of stage and screen to Oxford Playhouse. It’s not the first time Anton Lesser has graced our stage, but it was a delight to chat with him ahead of his next appearance in Red Sky at Sunrise this February, where he will be playing Laurie Lee in his later years. Charlie Hamblett, known for his performances in Killing Eve, Ghosts and The Burning Girls will be playing the younger Lee, and we were thrilled to welcome him to take a seat alongside Anton in our iconic auditorium.

They were joined by Artistic Director of Orchestra of the Swan, David Le Page who devised the stunning musical programme that weaves around Lee’s writing, Judy Reaves who devised the show, and Deidre Shields who adapted the original text by Lee.

Anton Lesser sat in the Oxford Playhouse auditorium with his hands over the seat in front of him. — Anton Lesser at Oxford Playhouse
Credit: Geraint Lewis

The show follows the author through his much-loved trilogy Cider with Rosie, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, and A Moment of War, when Lee famously walked out of the Slad Valley one midsummer morning, and ended up fighting with the International Brigades against Franco’s forces in the Spanish Civil War.Anton Lesser said:

“To be asked to read great writing, and to read it aloud is a privilege. To read it aloud supported by magnificent music is something more-I would call it a blessing.”

We were delighted to welcome back Anton through our doors after he performed in our co-production of The Two Popes in 2022 opposite Nicholas Woodeson. This comes after his leading role in Oxford’s own ITV detective drama Endeavour.

Anton Lesser and Charlie Hamblett stood amongst the seating of the Oxford Playhouse auditorium — Anton Lesser and Charlie Hamblett at Oxford Playhouse
Credit: Geraint Lewis

Anton has a renowned body of work across theatre, film and TV, including BBC’s Wolf Hall, The Crown, Game of Thrones and Andor. The actor is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company and has played many principal roles at Stratford, including Romeo and Richard III. Other credits for the RSC include The Winter’s Tale, Cymbeline, The Taming of the Shrew, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Two Shakespearean Actors, Richard II and Some Americans Abroad.

Charlie is known for his performances in Killing Eve, Ghosts and The Burning Girls. He began his career on stage in the RSC’s The Histories Cycle, directed by Michael Boyd. His West End credits include The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and The Tempest. His extensive film and TV work includes Macbeth, Around the World in Eighty Days with David Tennant, Grantchester, and The Secret Agent with Vicky McClure and Toby Jones.

Join us to see their magical show on our Main Stage on Saturday 17 February that celebrates Laurie Lee’s engaging humour, as well as his darker side, in a performance that has startling resonance with modern events.