By Tony O’Reilly–
Hollywood star Stanley Tucci(pictured) is set to make his London stage directing debut at the Hampstead Theatre in 2026 with the world premiere of a new play titled Springwood. He is not performing in the play himself.
The news was announced as part of the theatre’s 2026 season programming on November 28, 2025. The run is scheduled to be on the Main Stage from June 19 to July 25, 2026, with a press night on June 29.
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The play is set at a country house in 1939, where the fate of nations hangs in the balance. King George Springwood is written by the Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright Richard Nelson, known for works such as Farewell to the Theatre. The play is a witty and poignant new work that focuses on a pivotal meeting in 1939 between King George VI and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The play is written by Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright Richard Nelson (Goodnight Children Everywhere). The casting for the drama is to be announced.
Springwood is billed as a witty and poignant new play that pulls back the curtain on a pivotal meeting in 1939 between King George VI and President Roosevelt. The play is based on the Focus Features film ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’.
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VI’s single opportunity to convince President Roosevelt to support his country in impending war is seemingly dependent on whether he and his wife can navigate a public picnic with the decorum and dignity expected of royalty. The weekend marks the first ever visit of a British monarch to the United States – can the “special relationship” survive a menu of hot dogs and beer?
The narrative explores a “richly observed clash of cultures,” where the British monarchs’ first ever visit to the United States becomes a delicate diplomatic situation. The play delves into whether the “special relationship” between the two nations can survive a seemingly simple public picnic, which notably includes a menu of hot dogs and beer.
Set at the Roosevelt family estate, the play pulls back the curtain on the personal and political intertwining, revealing the secrets, self-doubts, fears, and indiscretions of two world leaders and their wives on the precipice of World War II. The play is based on the Focus Features film Hyde Park on Hudson.
Tucci has received numerous accolades throughout his career., including six Emmy awards, two Golden awards, a BAFTA awards, a Tory and a Grammy. He hasalso been awarded with a knighthood, the order of a merit of the States Republic.
Other brilliant acts include Tony Award-winning musical Kimberly Akimbo is set to get its European premiere in 2026, playing at Hampstead Theatre from 28 August to 7 November.
David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori’s funny and heartwarming musical will be directed by former Donmar Warehouse artistic director Michael Longhurst.
The musical won five Tony Awards in 2023 including Best Musical, and centres on the story of a 16-year old Kimberly whose rare genetic condition that causes her to age four times faster than usual. As she comes of age she searches for love and meaning while knowing time is not on her side. Read more about Kimberly Akimbo at Hampstead Theatre.
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