Shakespeare's rarely performed history play about the power struggles of King John, directed by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart in the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
King John opens at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse on Sunday 7 February 2027, with booking running through to Sunday 11 April. It's one of Shakespeare's least performed plays, and this production brings it to the candlelit, intimate setting of the Playhouse, which is a far cry from the open-air Globe just a few steps away.
The play is a study of the harsh realities of power and politics. It picks up after the death of Richard the Lionheart, following John as he takes the throne and finds his rule challenged on all sides. Driven to prove himself, his reign brings chaos, turbulence and power struggles across nations, showing he'll go to any lengths to keep the crown and maintain control. It's a story of a man fighting to hold onto a position that everyone around him is trying to take.
Directing is Jaz Woodcock-Stewart, an Olivier-nominated director who makes her Globe directorial debut with this. The Playhouse is a smaller, indoor space, so the focus stays tight on the characters and the dialogue rather than on a big spectacle. It's the kind of room where you can see the sweat on a face and hear every line, which suits a play that's more about the internal grind of politics than the grand sweep of history.
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Tickets start from £8.00, and the run goes from 7 February to 11 April 2027 at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in London.
