Frantic Assembly's "The House Party" on tour

Frantic Assembly’s “The House Party” on tour

Peter Anderson
March 24, 2025

A wild party. A friendship. A cherished pet. And a night that changes everything. It’s Julie’s 18th birthday, and she’s throwing a party in her father’s extravagant townhouse. Her boyfriend has just dumped her and her long-suffering best friend Christine is trying to pick up the pieces. As the revellers pile into the booze, down in the kitchen Christine and her boyfriend Jon – son of Julie’s cleaner – clear up and dare to dream of the future. But as the volume goes up and the shots go down, Julie concocts a twisted cocktail of privilege, desire and destruction.

Pioneering theatre company Headlong are currently on a UK tour of their hit production of The House Party. The House Party is a co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre, where it premiered in May 2024, produced in association with Frantic Assembly. Presented by Leeds Playhouse and Rose Theatre, Kingston with Bristol Old Vic.

Sesley Hope (Bridgerton) plays the role of Christine, Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen, Last Night in Soho, Clique) plays JulieandTom Lewis (Patience, Gentleman Jack, Breach) plays Jon. The ensemble of Frantic Assembly performers includes Ines Aresti, Oliver Baines, Cal Connor, Micah Corbin-Powell, Rachael Leonce, Jaheem Pinder and Jamie Randall.

Written by Laura Lomas (Metamorphoses, The Blue Woman, Chaos), The House Party is a reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie for today’s generation directed by Headlong’s Artistic Director Holly Race Roughan (The New Real, A View from the Bridge, Henry V) with Movement Direction by Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham. The UK tour of The House Party follows on from a season of work marking 50 years of Headlong in 2024.

Including the hit production of A Raisin in the Sun which played nationwide in a Headlong, Leeds Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Nottingham Playhouse production, also visiting Oxford Playhouse. Artistic Director Holly Race Roughan also directed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s world premiere of David Edgar’s (Nicholas Nickleby, Pentecost, Maydays) major new political play The New Real produced in association with Headlong at the RSC’s The Other Place. Headlong’s highly acclaimed co-production with the National Theatre, People, Places & Things also returned to the West End in 2024 starring Denise Gough.

The House Party is generously supported by Charles Holloway OBE.

For more information and tickets visit headlong.co.uk.