Anton Lesser and Charlie Hamblett take to the Main Stage for an evening dedicated to Laurie Lee, told through an enchanting programme of words and music.

Oxford Playhouse is delighted to welcome two of the UK’s best-loved actors, Anton Lesser (Game of Thrones, Wolf Hall, Endeavour) and Charlie Hamblett (Killing Eve, Ghosts, The Burning Girls) in an enchanting performance of Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words & Music, presented by Orchestra of The Swan.

After a sell-out run at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, this unique performance follows author and poet Laurie Lee through his much-loved autobiographical trilogy. Lesser and Hamblett play him at two different points in his life and together, they celebrate Lee’s engaging humour as well as his darker side, in a performance that has startling resonance with modern events.

Lee’s bestselling trilogy Cider with Rosie,As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning and A Moment of War recounts the extraordinary story of when he 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.

The show is devised by Judy Reaves and adapted from LaurieLee's text by Deirdre Shields. Artistic Director of Orchestra of The Swan, David Le Page, has created the gorgeous musical programme which weaves around Lee's writing via the music of Vaughan Williams, Walton, Holst, Elgar, Britten, Grainger, Albeniz, Turina and De Falla. Formed of 14 musicians, The Swan includes strings, flute, harp, and a solo guitarist, performing live on The Playhouse stage.

The musical programme will include pieces such as The Lark Ascending, Londonderry Air, Bizet’s Habanera (Carmen), and Vaughan William’s Greensleeves.

Anton Lesser, best known by Oxford audiences for his leading role in the ITV detective drama Endeavour, returns after starring opposite Nicholas Woodeson in The Playhouse’s co-production of The Two Popes in 2022. Lesser 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.

Best-loved actor Charlie Hamblett 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.

Orchestra of the Swan was formed in 1995 as a British chamber orchestra. Under the artistic direction of David Le Page, The Swan has a strong commitment to new music and blurring the lines between genres, with audience inclusivity at the heart of what it does. It presents over 45 concerts a year, with the orchestra’s work transcending the traditional stage with its ‘immersive residencies’, performing in care homes, schools and rural areas around the country.

Joining the two actors on stage is acclaimed guitarist Mark Ashford, who will delight audiences with renditions of Asturias, Sevilla and Spanish Romance. Elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, Ashford has performed in the UK’s most prestigious music venues including Wigmore Hall, Southbank Centre and Fairfield Halls. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with many leading orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, London Concertante and the Turin Symphony Orchestra.