Rowan Atkinson Returns To London’s West End With Rowan Live In 2027

Posted in: Pop Culture | Tagged: blackadder, london, mr. bean, rowan atkinson, Rowan Live, west end

Rowan Atkinson Returns To London’s West End With Rowan Live In 2027

Rowan Atkinson returns to London’s West End for a sketch show Rowan Live, featuring Mr Bean, Blackadder, Gerald The Gorilla and more, in 2027

Article Summary

• Rowan Atkinson returns to London’s West End in 2027 with Rowan Live, his first major comedy sketch show there in decades.
• Rowan Live brings back Mr Bean, Blackadder and Gerald the Gorilla, plus new material with Richard Curtis and Ben Elton.
• The limited West End run plays the Gillian Lynne Theatre from February to March 2027, with just 30 performances scheduled.
• Directed by Raz Shaw with music by Howard Goodall, Rowan Live opens priority booking on 7th October before public sales.

The first time I saw Rowan Atkinson on stage, he wasn’t actually on stage. It was part of the movie, The Tall Guy, written by Richard Curtis, who used to be Rowan Atkinson’s straight man on stage. And who wrote a film about that experience, starring Jeff Goldblum basically playing that role, hooking up with Emma Thompson and dealing with the vile monster that was Rowan Atkinson basically playing himself. Rowan clearly took it with good grace. His stage show was where Mr Bean first emerged, and became a star turn as part of the Secret Policeman’s Ball cinematic franchise, but he hasn’t done this sort of thing in a very long time. Until now.

From February through March next year, Rowan Atkinson is reviving his show as Rowan Live, with a mere thirty performances at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London’s Covent Garden. It opens for previews on Monday, the 8th of February 2027; the official opening night is Tuesday, the 16th of February; it runs through to Saturday, the 13th of March, and then that’s it. No extended dates, no additional shows due to sell-outs, that’s your lot. The show promises to bring some of his most famous comedy sketches and characters to the stage, including Mr Bean, Blackadder, favourites from Not the Nine O’Clock News,including Gerald the Gorilla, and brand-new material created with long-term collaborators Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and Howard Goodall.

Rowan Atkinson said: “It is forty years since I last did a comedy sketch show in the West End, and I thought it would be fun to perform again the sketches that began it all for myself and Richard Curtis, and in which my most well-known characters originated; alongside some surprise new material written especially for this show.”

Richard Curtis added: “I first saw Rowan perform on stage in 1976, 50 years ago — and it was instantly clear to all of us that we were watching a unique, once-in-a-lifetime talent. 50 years later, this summer, we started putting this show together in front of a small audience, and all that magic, that unique accuracy and comic genius is still there for all to see. It’s such a joy and honour for me to be part of a show that will include the very best of Rowan on stage — all his voices, shapes, faces and characters. I hope it will make people very happy.”

Rowan Live will be directed by Raz Shaw, with music by Howard Goodall, from producers Playful Productions, in association with PBJ Management. You can sign up for priority booking from 9 am on Wednesday, the 7th October at www.rowanlive.co.uk. Public booking opens at 12 pm the same day.

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