Counting and Cracking, the Sri Lankan-Australian family epic with a cast of 19, will make its London debut at Soho Theatre Walthamstow from Tuesday 15 June to Saturday 10 July 2027. It is part of LIFT 2027, the London International Festival of Theatre.
Priority tickets go on sale on 12 November and general tickets on 16 November, the theatre says. Prices include a £2 restoration levy and a £2 booking fee and change with demand.
The play is written by S. Shakthidharan and directed by Eamon Flack. It had its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2022 and has also played Sydney, Birmingham and New York, where it returns in 2027, WhatsOnStage reported.
What the play is
On the banks of a Sydney river, Radha and her son Siddhartha gather to scatter the ashes of Radha’s mother. A phone call from Colombo opens a family story that moves between Sri Lanka and Australia from 1956 to 2004.
The 19 performers come from six countries and play more than 50 characters. The play is performed in English, Tamil and Sinhalese with live translation into English, and runs three and a half hours with two 20-minute intervals. The press performance is on 18 June.
“The new Soho Theatre Walthamstow is the perfect place for it,” Flack said, calling it “a big, brassy new venue in the middle of one of London’s great South Asian communities”.
The production is presented by Belvoir St Theatre and Kurinji with House of Oz. Soho Theatre says it has won 14 major awards, including Helpmann Awards for best production and best direction.
At Christmas: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
Before then, Little Bulb brings its version of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King to the same Hoe Street auditorium from Tuesday 22 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027.
The show was first co-produced with Polka Theatre, where it became the best-selling Christmas production in Polka’s 45-year history, Theatre Weekly reported. It was nominated for an Olivier Award for best family entertainment and transferred to the West End last Christmas.
Two squabbling siblings are given a nutcracker by their aunt on Christmas Eve and end up in “The Mousey Realm”, fighting a many-headed Mouse King. Alexander Scott directs. It runs 70 minutes, is recommended for ages five and up, and tickets start at £15.
The essentials
- Where: Soho Theatre Walthamstow, 186 Hoe Street, London E17 4QH
- Counting and Cracking: 15 June to 10 July 2027; priority booking 12 November, general sale 16 November
- The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: 22 December 2026 to 3 January 2027; 70 minutes; ages 5+; from £15
- Box office: 020 7478 0100