Maxine Peake will appear in the world première of Caroline Bird’s The Last Stand of Mrs Mary Whitehouse in Nottingham Playhouse’s autumn and winter 2025 season.
The programme will also include the regional première of Jonathan Spector’s comedy Eureka Day and the return of The Beekeeper of Aleppo which was unveiled for the first time at Nottingham Playhouse in 2023.
The season will open with The Last Stand of Mrs Mary Whitehouse by Caroline Bird whose previous works include Red Ellen, a 2022 play about legendary North East politician and heroine of the Jarrow march Ellen Wilkinson. Her new play explores the enigma of Mary Whitehouse: was she a pearl-clutching prude or the most dangerous woman in Britain? The play challenges beliefs about freedom and censorship, exploring one woman’s formidable resolve to push back the tide.
Maxine Peake said, “I’m extremely excited to be taking on the role of Mary Whitehouse in Caroline Bird’s extraordinary new piece. I’m delighted to be working with (director) Sarah Frankcom yet again and to be invited by Adam (Penford) and the team to the fabulous Nottingham Playhouse.”
The Last Stand of Mrs Mary Whitehouse will run from Friday 5 until Saturday 27 September.
Jonathan Spector’s “razor-sharp” comedy Eureka Day involves friendships being challenged when an outbreak of mumps reveals not everyone is on board with a school’s vaccine policy. The executive committee of well-meaning parents and teachers at a progressive Californian elementary school fall apart as their selfless paradise crumbles and meetings are derailed by parental hysteria.
James Grieve, who will direct, commented, “I’m thrilled and honoured to be invited to the beautiful, essential Nottingham Playhouse to direct the regional première of Eureka Day. It’s a gift of a play—sabre sharp, searingly prescient and uproariously funny.” It will run from Saturday 25 October until Saturday 15 November.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo will return after a sell-out UK tour in 2023. The stage adaptation of Christy Lefteri’s best-selling novel will again be directed by Miranda Cromwell who said, “this story of loss, hope and resilience is still so relevant today. We can’t wait to share this production with audiences in Nottingham and across the UK.” It will be at Nottingham Playhouse from Saturday 7 until Saturday 28 February 2026.