A Thing of Beauty UK tour: Imogen Stubbs returns as Leni Riefenstahl in 2027

Imogen Stubbs is going back to one of the most divisive figures in film history. She returns to star as Leni Riefenstahl in A Thing of Beauty, a new play by Wendy Oberman and Jonathan Lewis, which goes on a UK tour in February and March 2027.

The tour follows a sell out run at the Tabard Theatre earlier this year. It begins back at the Tabard in West London on 1 February 2027, where an extra date has been added due to popular demand, and visits seven venues before closing at the Theatre Royal, Windsor on 6 March. Tickets are on sale now.

Who was Leni Riefenstahl?

Riefenstahl was a filmmaker whose work influenced generations of directors, including George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Her legacy, though, remains overshadowed by her association with the Nazis. That tension between undeniable influence and moral catastrophe sits at the centre of the play.

A Thing of Beauty is a new fictional drama inspired by her life, rather than a documentary retelling. The writers imagine a meeting that never took place, and use it to put her on the spot.

What is the play about?

The play is set in October 1972. Riefenstahl agrees to an in depth interview with Harry Adams, a fictional BBC documentary superstar who is nursing demons of his own. Each of them is fuelled by ambition, fear, lies and ego, and as the interview goes on the pair are shocked by a thunderbolt of mutual desire.

What begins as a battle over the record becomes something far more personal and far more dangerous for both of them.

Can you separate the art from the artist?

That is the question the play puts to its audience directly. In the words of the production, it asks: can we, should we, ever detach art from the artist? And in this time of false truth, of cancelling and of revisionism, has it ever been more important to examine art as propaganda?

It is a debate that comes round again and again, whether the subject is a film, a novel or a song. Here it is tested on a woman whose camera served one of the darkest regimes of the twentieth century, and whose technique is still studied by filmmakers today. With Stubbs in the central role, audiences will get to make up their own minds.

Who is in the cast and creative team?

Imogen Stubbs plays Leni Riefenstahl, reprising the role she played at the Tabard. Further casting is still to be announced, as is the national press night.

The play is written by Wendy Oberman and Jonathan Lewis, and Lewis also directs. Design is by Juliette Demoulin, with lighting design by Mark Dymock and sound design by Simon Slater. The production is produced by Denise Silvey for Cahoots Theatre Company.

Where and when is the tour?

Here is every date announced so far.

• Monday 1 to Saturday 6 February 2027: Tabard Theatre, West London. An extra date has been added due to popular demand.
• Tuesday 9 to Wednesday 10 February 2027: Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham.
• Thursday 11 to Saturday 13 February 2027: Lowry, Salford.
• Monday 15 to Thursday 18 February 2027: The North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford.
• Friday 19 to Sunday 21 February 2027: Garage Theatre, Norwich.
• Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 February 2027: Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford.
• Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 March 2027: Theatre Royal, Windsor.

How do I book?

Tickets are on sale now. Each venue above links to its own page for the play, and full tour details are on the official website, athingofbeautyplay.co.uk. For more theatre news from around the country, see our latest stories.

Image credit: Official artwork, courtesy of Alison Duguid PR.