21 March 2022

Noma Dumezweni to return to London stage in A Doll’s House, Part 2

21 March 2022

Noma Dumezweni will return to the London stage for the first time since Harry Potter And The Cursed Child in the European premiere of A Doll’s House, Part 2 at the Donmar Warehouse.

The actress previously won an Olivier award for her portrayal of an adult Hermione Grainger in the West End smash hit and has since starred in films such as Mary Poppins Returns and The Kid Who Would Be King and TV shows such as Doctor Who and Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams.

Noma Dumezweni with the Olivier for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child (Chris J Ratcliffe/PA) (PA Archive)

A Doll’s House, Part 2, by Lucas Hnath, was a hit on Broadway and picks up where Ibsen’s classic play ends, and 15 years after Nora Helmer slammed the door on her stifling marriage, she’s back with an urgent request.

It will have its European premiere at the London theatre in June ahead of the European premiere of David Yazbek and Itamar Moses’ Tony award-winning musical The Band’s Visit in September.

The theatre will also host the UK premiere of Dawn King’s The Trials, a response to the climate crisis, and the impact on the next generation, as well as Silence, adapted from Kavita Puri’s Partition Voices: Untold British Stories, marking 75 years since the Partition of India, examining the legacy of this period in history.

There will also be a free exhibition, entitled We. Black Women, which will run alongside the previously announced staging of Marys Seacole by Jackie Sibblies Drury.

The exhibition aims to put the collective experiences of black women at the centre of the conversation and features high profile figures including Dumezweni and fellow actresses Sheila Atim, Naomie Harris and Susan Wokoma, as well as writer Afua Hirsch and gynaecologist Dr Christine Ekechi.

Michael Longhurst, artistic director at the Donmar, said: “I am thrilled to be announcing the European premieres of two major Broadway shows, in brand new productions at the Donmar:  A Doll’s House, Part 2, an audacious sequel from the dazzling mind of Lucas Hnath starring Noma Dumezweni returning to the London stage; and the deeply moving, awards-sweeping musical The Band’s Visit by David Yazbek and Itamar Moses.

“In between, the Donmar breaks new ground platforming the next generation of young performers opposite the current generation’s leading actors in Dawn King’s The Trials, a courtroom drama unlike any other; deepening our investigation into the climate crisis and our sustainability practices.

“And we are proud to be co-producing with Tara Theatre a vital new commission Silence to mark the 75th anniversary of Partition in India, inspired by extraordinary testimony, acknowledging events that need to be spoken of in Britain.

“In a deeply conflicted world, this season celebrates the power of connection to change and heal.

“Familial, generational, religious, historic – the divisions that sit under these works hold up our need to find and celebrate our shared humanity.

“Finally, Donmar associate artist Joan Iyiola has curated an exhibition, We. Black Women, with leading actresses celebrating their unsung heroes, which will run alongside Marys Seacole.

“It is such a joy to see our theatre full again, with audiences enjoying our recently refurbished spaces. Please do join us for more important stories, thrillingly told.”

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