Lanny: a first look at Bristol Old Vic's new production

The Bristol Old Vic has opened its flagship production of the season, Lanny, a world premiere stage adaptation of Max Porter's 2019 novel. It is the centrepiece of the theatre's 260th-year celebrations and has been five years in the making, staged in association with the English Touring Theatre. The show opened on 16 October and runs until 7 November at the Theatre Royal on King Street, near the Floating Harbour.

The story follows a family who move from the city to a village near Bristol in Somerset, where their young son catches the attention of Dead Papa Toothwort, a mythic figure listening from the woods. Reality and imagination collide in a dark, dazzling story of folklore, fable, and the fierce human need to belong. The adaptation leans more on narrative than the book, though it does not fully capture the novel's magic. Porter's book, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and described by the Financial Times as 'magically beguiling', is set west, from a village near London to the outskirts of Bristol, and is framed as 'rural noir' — two parts predictable crime-thriller replaced in the final section by magic realism.

Behind the scenes, the production brings together a West Country team. Bea Roberts, the multi-award-winning playwright and screenwriter, wrote the adaptation and lyrics. Nancy Medina directs, having taken over as Artistic Director of the Bristol Old Vic in 2023; she hails from Brooklyn and earned her MA in Drama Directing from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. The rest of the creative team includes Rebecca Jane Wood on set and costume design, Dom Coyote on composition and musical direction, Dan Canham on movement, Zeynep Kepekli on lighting, Elena Pena and Dave Price on sound, and Christopher Harrisson on video. Izzy Bristow served as puppetry consultant, with Ben Atterbury as dramaturg.

The cast is led by two boys sharing the title role in their professional stage debuts: Atlas Johnson-Dutfield and Lucian Thomas, the latter of whom played Lanny on press night. Raj Bajaj plays Robert, Hanora Kamen is Jolie, Richard Cant is Pete, and Rupert Holliday Evans takes the role of The Lecturer. Amanda Lawrence, Rose Wardlaw, and Liam Bergin each cover multiple roles, with Lawrence also playing Peggy, Wardlaw playing Ada, and Bergin playing Barnsey.

Practical details are worth knowing before you book. The show runs about two and a half hours including an interval and is recommended for ages 13 and over, as it deals with postpartum depression, a child's disappearance, homophobia, hate, and group violence, with strong language, fog, smoke, strobe and flashing lights, and sudden loud noises. Accessible performances are woven in: Friday 30 October is captioned, Saturday 31 October is audio described with a touch tour at 12:30pm, and Wednesday 4 November is BSL interpreted. Thursday 5 November's performances can be recorded. Tickets start at £11, with matinees at 2:30pm on Thursdays and Saturdays and evening shows at 7:30pm. Groups of eight or more save 15%, and school tickets are £13 with one in ten free.

The venue itself is part of the draw. The Theatre Royal is the longest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world, built between 1764 and 1766 and designated a Grade I building. The current company was established in 1946 as a subsidiary of the Old Vic of London, and the complex now includes a Studio theatre, the Side Stage, Paint Shop, and Basement. If you want to make an afternoon of it, the theatre is open for visitors indoors, with food and drink served from its beach hut-style cabins out on King Street.