1 April – 23 May 2025
The Old Vic

Written by Dale Wasserman
Based on the novel by Ken Kesey
Directed by Clint Dyer

Inside a psychiatric facility, Chief Bromden has been silent for years — confined and maligned by a system that labels, divides and forgets. But he has a story to tell. He’s just been waiting for someone to listen.

Enter Randle P. McMurphy, a gambler and provocateur whose defiance unsettles the ward — and sparks something long dormant in Bromden and his fellow patients. Under the iron rule of Nurse Ratched, they have been stripped of their humanity. Now, McMurphy’s rebellion reminds the patients of their voices — and what it means to be free.

Based on Ken Kesey’s countercultural masterpiece, Clint Dyer directs a bold new staging of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest that reignites the spirit of the original novel. A searing exploration of colonialism and the social structures built to silence dissent, this production invites audiences to experience the story in a powerful new light.

Joining the previously announced Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge, Mufasa: The Lion King) as Randle P. McMurphy and Giles Terera (Hamilton, Othello) as Dale Harding, is Olivia Williams (The Crown, Anna Karenina) as Nurse Ratched.

Completing the full cast are Samson Ajewole as Aide Warren, Kazeem Tosin Amore as Aide Turkle, Arthur Boan as Chief Bromden, Adam Bond as Ensemble, Emma Cater as Ensemble, Ene Frost as Ruckley, Jaz Hutchins as Aide Williams, Shaquille Jack as Ensemble, Daisy Lewis as Candy Starr, Amy Newton as Nurse Flinn/Sandra, Jason Pennycooke as Martini, Javone Prince as Cheswick, Mo Sesay as Scanlon, Matthew Steer as Dr Spivey and Kedar Williams-Stirling as Billy Bibbit.

Produced by The Old Vic.