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John Halder is a good man.

But John Halder must adapt to survive.

How is it possible to be a good person when things are falling apart?

You make a deal with yourself one minute, you totally repudiate it the next.’

As the world faces its Second World War, John Halder, a decent, intelligent, music-loving German professor, finds himself swept along in a movement that crescendos towards an unthinkable finale. Good is a warning for our times.

Olivier Award-winning director Dominic Cooke reimagines one of Britain’s most powerful, political plays with David Tennant returning to the West End, for 10 weeks only.

Booking Information
  • Captioned:  Tuesday 27th October
  • Audio Described:  Tuesday 20th October
Cast

The appearance of any member of the cast is subject to change and may be affected by contracts, holiday, illness, or events beyond the producers' control. If in doubt, please check with the Box Office before booking.

Director:  Dominic Cooke 

Designer: Vicki Mortimer 

Lighting Designer: Paule Constable

Sound Designer: Paul Arditti

Musical Director: Nigel Lilley

Cast: David Tennant (Halder), Fenella Woolgar (Helen+) and Elliot Levey (Maurice+) 

BIOGRAPHIES 

David Tennant (Halder) David Tennant has worked extensively in theatre, television and film, winning numerous awards for his work including the Critics' Circle Award for Best Shakespearean Performance and the Special Recognition Award at the NTAs in 2015. Tennant was last in the West End as Don Juan in Soho in 2017 directed by Patrick Marber.  Other stage work includes Richard II and Hamlet for the RSC, Much Ado About Nothing in the West End and Lobby Hero at the Donmar Warehouse.  His film credits include Mary Queen of Scots, You Me & Him, Mad to be Normal, Fright Night, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Bright Young Things. On television he is best known for playing the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC’s classic series Doctor Who.   Recent TV work includes Channel4’s  Deadwater Fell, Good Omens, Criminal and There She Goes.  He recently wrapped on Des for ITV and will shortly start filming Around the World in 80 Days for the BBC.

Fenella Woolgar (Helen+) recent theatre credits include Slaves of Solitude (Hampstead Theatre), Welcome Home, Captain Fox! (Donmar Warehouse), Margaret Thatcher in Moira Buffini’s Handbagged (Tricycle and Vaudeville, West End) and Circle Mirror Transformation, performed at the Rose Lipman Building in Haggerston as part of the Royal Court’s Theatre Local project. Fenella appeared opposite Sheridan Smith in the Old Vic’s 2012 production of Hedda Gabler, for which she won a 2013 Clarence Derwent Award. Fenella’s other theatre credits include The Veil and Time and the Conways (National), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It and Bring Me Sunshine (Royal Exchange, Manchester). Further theatre credits include Brontë and Passage to India (Shared Experience), The Real Thing (Old Vic), Motortown (Royal Court), Charley’s Aunt (Sheffield Crucible and BBC Radio 4), The Cherry Orchard (York Theatre Royal) and Playboy of the Western World (Bristol Old Vic). On TV she is known for her role as Sister Hilda in Call The Midwife. Other credits include Inside No. 9, Quacks, Halrlots, Home Fires, Spies of Warsaw, Agatha Christie: Poirot and Doctor Who. For Radio 4 Fenella has also recently recorded Go Set a Watchman and The Stuarts. Film includes Mr Turner, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, St Trinian’s and Vera Drake. 

Elliot Levey (Maurice+) Theatre credits include Snowflake (Kiln Theatre), Three Sisters (Almeida Theatre), Mary Stuart (Duke of York’s Theatre),  Saint Joan and Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse), The Mighty Walzer (Royal Exchange, Manchester), The Ruling Class (Trafalgar Studios), Much Ado About Nothing (Wyndam’s) and multiple productions at the National Theatre including Danton’s Death, The Art of Habit, All’s Well That Ends Well, England People Very Nice, His Dark Materials and Henry IV Parts I & II. Levey is well known for his role of Francesco Pazzi in Da Vinci’s Demons, and has also appeared on television in Life, Truth Seekers, Quiz, Man Down, Martin’s Close, Anne, State of the Union, Peaky Blinders, Press, Watergate, Black Earth Rising, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ripper Street, Jamaica Inn, Silent Witness and New Tricks. His film credits include Murder on the Orient Express, Denial, Fallen, Florence Foster Jenkins, The Lady in the Van, Philomena and The Queen.

C. P. Taylor (Writer) was born in Glasgow in 1929. During his thirty year career, he wrote more than seventy plays for theatre and television, many of which were first performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, and Live Theatre, Newcastle. He was a unique and much loved author equally at ease writing for the RSC or West End or working in the educational and community sectors where he pioneered new inclusive approaches to writing for children and young people. His plays include Schippel, The Plumber, And a Nightingale Sang, Bread and Butter, Walter, Black and White Minstrels, Allergy, Bandits and Bring Me Sunshine.. Plays for young people include Operation Elvis, The Rainbow Coloured Disco Dancer and You are my Hearts Delight. GOOD was first produced by the RSC in 1981, playing at the Donmar Warehouse, Aldwych Theatre and subsequently on Broadway. A film featuring Viggo Mortensen, Jodie Whittaker and Jason Isaacs was released in 2008. Cecil died in 1981 aged 52 leaving behind an extraordinary legacy and his influence continues to be felt today.

Dominic Cooke (Director) is a highly accomplished theatre, film, and television director based in London. Dominic was Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre from 2007 to 2013. During his tenure at the Royal Court he directed Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, for which he was nominated as Best Director for the Evening Standard Awards. He won the 2018 Critic’s Circle Best Director Award for his National Theatre production of Follies starring Imelda Staunton. The show was also nominated for ten Olivier Awards, winning two, including Best Musical Revival and returned for a second run in 2019. His previous production, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, also at the National Theatre, won an Olivier Award for Best Revival. Dominic has successfully transitioned over to television and film. In 2015 he scripted and directed the BAFTA nominated series of Shakespeare history plays The Hollow Crown - Wars of the Roses, which was produced by Sam Mendes and featured Benedict Cumberbatch, Dame Judi Dench, Hugh Bonneville, Andrew Scott, Michael Gambon, Sally Hawkins and Sophie Okonedo. Dominic's first feature film, based on Ian McEwan’s Booker Prize nominated novel On Chesil Beach, starred Saoirse Ronan and Emily Watson. Variety’s review of the film said it “marks one of the most impressive debuts of a director since Tom Ford made “A Single Man.”. He is an Associate at the National Theatre, a lifelong Associate Artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company and a trustee of Kiln Theatre. He was awarded a CBE for services to Drama in 2015. His latest film, Ironbark, starring Benedict Cumberbatch has its premiere at Sundance in January 2020. 

Vicki Mortimer (Designer) Vicki Mortimer’s work in theatre includes The Visit, Anna, When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other, Follies (Critics’ Circle Award for Design and Olivier Award for Best Costume Design 2018), The Plough and the Stars, The Threepenny Opera, Here We Go, The Silver Tassie, Othello, Hamlet, Waves, Cat in the Hat, Three Sisters, The Seagull and Closer at the National; Wise Children for Emma Rice and Wise Children; The Meeting at Chichester; Little Match Girl at Shakespeare’s Globe and on UK tour; and Oil at the Almeida. She has also designed for the RSC, Kneehigh, Young Vic, Donmar, Almeida, Royal Court, on Broadway and internationally. Opera includes Death in Venice at the Royal Opera House; Lessons in Love and Violence and Lucia di Lammermoor at the ROH and on international tour; Ariodante at Vienna Staatsoper; Written on Skin at Aix Festival and on tour; Al Gran Sole Salzburg Festival and Staatsoper Berlin and Neither / Footfalls at Staatsoper Berlin; Entfuhrung Aus Dem Seraglio, Die Meistersinger Von Nurnburg and Cosi Fan Tutte at Glyndebourne; The Winter’s Tale, After Dido and The Way Back Home (also at the Young Vic) for English National Opera; and Wozzeck (Winner of the International Opera Award for Design 2016) at Lyric Opera, Chicago.

Paule Constable (Lighting Designer) theatre includes The Visit, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Master Harold and the Boys, Follies, Pericles, Nine Night, Pinocchio, Mosquitoes, Common, Angels in America, The Red Barn, The Threepenny Opera, wonder.land, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, The Light Princess, Table, This House, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Phèdre, Death and the King’s Horseman, Waves, Saint Joan and War Horse (National Theatre); Wolf Hall (RSC, West End and Broadway); ear for eye, How to Hold Your Breath, Clybourne Park, The Weir (Royal Court); The Cripple of Inishmaan (Michael Grandage Company); Teddy Ferrara, The Chalk Garden and Othello (Donmar Warehouse); Happy Days, Feast, Vernon God Little (Young Vic); 17, Herons, Blasted (Lyric Hammersmith). Opera includes Death in Venice, Benvenuto Cellini, Satyagraha, Medea, Dr Dee (English National Opera); Billy Budd, Entführung aus dem Serail (Glyndebourne); Roberto Devereux, Cav and Pag (Metropolitan Opera, New York). Dance includes Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, The Red Shoes, Sleeping Beauty, Play Without Words, Dorian Gray (Matthew Bourne). She is the recipient of two Tony awards, four Olivier awards, a Helpmann Award, three Knight of Illumination awards, three LA Critics Circle awards and both New York Drama Desk and Critics Circle awards. Paule is an Associate at the National Theatre and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, and a Royal Designer for Industry.

Paul Arditti (Sound Designer) theatre includes The Inheritance (Broadway, Young Vic and West End (Olivier nomination for Best Sound Design 2019 with Chris Reid)); A Very Expensive Poison (Old Vic); Tree (Manchester International Festival and Young Vic); This Is My Family (Chichester); Local Hero (Lyceum Edinburgh); The Jungle (Young Vic, West End, New York and San Francisco); Caroline, or Change (Chichester, West End and Broadway); The Visit, Rutherford and Son, Pericles, Absolute Hell, Macbeth, Amadeus (Olivier nomination for Best Sound Design 2017), Beginning, Mosquitoes, The Threepenny Opera, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, wonder.land, Everyman, Behind The Beautiful Forevers, London Road, One Man Two Guvnors (Tony nomination), Saint Joan (Olivier Award) and The Pillowman (Drama Desk Award) (National Theatre); The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (Donmar Warehouse); Shipwreck, Mary Stuart, King Charles III, Bacchae, Little Revolution and American Psycho (Almeida Theatre); Labour Of Love and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (West End); A Midsummer Night's Dream and Julius Caesar (Bridge Theatre); Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh Company at RADA). Other awards include Tony, Drama Desk and Olivier Awards for Billy Elliot The Musical; Tony nomination for Mary Stuart and an Evening Standard Award for Festen. Paul is an associate at the National Theatre. paularditti.com

Nigel Lilley (Musical Director) Musical Director credits include Caroline or Change (West End, Hampstead Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and Broadway); Oklahoma (Chichester Festival Theatre); Follies (National Theatre, including revival); Fun Home (Young Vic); The Go-Between and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (West End); My Fair Lady and Company (Sheffield Crucible); Ragtime (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Spring Awakening (European Premiere, Lyric & Novello); La Cage Aux Folles (Chocolate Factory & Playhouse); Piaf (Donmar Warehouse & Vaudeville); The Bacchae (National Theatre of Scotland & Edinburgh International Festival) and Acorn Antiques (UK Tour). Music Supervisor credits include Romantics Anonymous (Shakespeare’s Globe, Wise Children Tours, Bristol Old Vic, US Tour); Guys And Dolls and Sweet Charity (Royal Exchange); Chaplin The Musical (European Tour); Bend It Like Beckham (West End); A Wolf In Snakeskin Shoes (Tricycle Theatre); Anything Goes (Sheffield Crucible & UK tour); That Day We Sang (Manchester Royal Exchange & Manchester International Festival); Paper Dolls (Tricycle Theatre); The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (Curve Leicester & West End) and Sweet Charity (Chocolate Factory/Theatre Royal Haymarket). Television credits include Gentleman Jack (BBC/HBO); Victoria (Mammoth/ITV); Our Friend Victoria (Phil McIntyre Entertainment/BBC); That Day We Sang (Endor/BBC); Victoria Wood's Christmas Special and Up The Women (BBC); 2008 Royal Variety Performance (conducting La Cage aux Folles) and Musicality (C4).

Additional Details & FAQ

Access Information
  • Captioned:  Tuesday 27th October
  • Audio Described:  Tuesday 20th October
Cancellation Policy

1. If you test positive for COVID-19, display symptoms, are asked to isolate by NHS Test and Trace, or your local COVID-19 tier prevents you from attending, you can exchange your tickets.
2. If the show is cancelled due to COVID-19 or any other reason, you will be offered a free exchange or refund.
3. If the show is going ahead and you are able to attend, there will be no exchange or refund available.

How Does It Work

You will receive a booking confirmation email.

Please print the booking confirmation and bring it on the day, a minimum of 30 minutes before the performance start time. You will also need to present the card used to purchase the tickets as a valid ID.

Where Do I Go

Playhouse Theatre - Northumberland Ave, Charing Cross, London WC2N 5DE

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