Clarkston, starring Joe Locke, Ruaridh Mollica, and Sophie Melville, will run at Trafalgar Theatre for 9 weeks only from 17 September to 22 November 2025. Book Tickets.
“You have this idea in your head of the person you could be”
On a journey West to rediscover himself, Jake unexpectedly meets Chris, a kindred soul hiding on a night shift at a Costco in a rural American town. As their bond deepens, so does their sense of adventure. Perhaps they could give life new meaning by pursuing something more ambitious, much like the intrepid explorers Lewis and Clark before them.
Clarkston is a modern frontier story that blazes a trail through friendship, acceptance, love and the hope of new discoveries.
Oliver Roth and LD Entertainment have announced that Joe Locke (Emmy Award-nominated Heartstopper; Marvel’s Agatha All Along; Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Broadway) will make his West End debut starring opposite Ruaridh Mollica (BIFA nominated for Sebastian; The Franchise, HBO) with Sophie Melville (The Way, BBC; Cowbois, RSC/ Royal Court; Evening Standard Award nominated for Iphigenia in Splott, Lyric Hammersmith) in the UK premiere of Clarkston by critically acclaimed writer Samuel D. Hunter (best known for Oscar-winning and BAFTA nominated film The Whale).
This emotionally intimate American play will be directed by Drama Desk and Obie award-winning director Jack Serio (who won great acclaim for his production of Uncle Vanya performed in a New York loft and recently directed the world premiere of Samuel D. Hunter’s Grangeville at Signature Theatre).
Joe Locke said, “I’m thrilled to be making my West End debut in ‘Clarkston’. Samuel D. Hunter’s writing is so deeply human and honest that I immediately connected with the play when I read it. I can’t wait to bring this beautiful story to life and share it with audiences in London.”
Samuel D. Hunter said, “I couldn’t be more excited to bring ‘Clarkston’ to London audiences, especially with this phenomenal cast and creative team. I’ve always adored the UK’s theatre scene, so being able to share this play with audiences in the West End is truly a dream come true. This play draws from themes of the vast and isolated American West and the colonial past of the United States, but it’s fundamentally a story about love and friendship in the midst of an unknown future, which is a pretty universal story these days.”
Producers Oliver Roth & LD Entertainment said, “We’re so looking forward to introducing London audiences to Samuel D. Hunter’s voice, which has shaped New York’s downtown theatre scene for over 15 years, and to Jack Serio’s brilliant direction, which has quickly made waves as he emerges as one of the city’s most exciting new theatre makers.”
Exclusive Rehearsal Photos by Marc Brenner.
Ruaridh Mollica and Joe Locke, and understudies Lizzie Clarke and Kai Davies in rehearsal for Clarkston (photo by Marc Brenner)
Clarkston will run at Trafalgar Theatre for 9 weeks only from 17 September – 22 November 2025.
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