Oxford Playhouse is delighted to announce that Greg Doran, the former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and renowned Shakespearean, will return to the venue to revive his celebrated production of Venus and Adonis. Following his critically acclaimed Playhouse co-production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, staged by the students of Oxford University in 2024, Doran is welcomed back to the city for this spellbinding theatrical experience.  

Narrated by celebrated actor Simon Russell Beale and animated by a team of world-class puppeteers with live musical accompaniment, this unique production blends comedy, tragedy and Shakespeare’s incredible poetry to bring the famous story of Venus and her obsession with the handsome Adonis thrillingly to life. Simon Russell Beale recently appeared in the RSC’s Titus Andronicus and will star in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium this summer .

Venus and Adonis draws inspiration from the bewitching artistry of Japanese Bunraku puppets and the Jacobean Court Masque, telling the story using marionettes, rod, shadow and table-top puppets.  The production was originally produced by the RSC in collaboration with Little Angel Theatre in 2004, with puppets designed and created for the revival by Lyndie Wright. The team of world-class puppeteers includes Bartolomeo Bartolini, Edie Edmundson, Rachel Leonard, Lee Maeda and Sarah Wright, with music by Nick Lee and stage management by Rachael Barber. 

For tickets and more information, please checkout the Oxford Playhouse website.