Emma Rice’s Tristan & Yseult brings forbidden love and heartbreak back to London after 10 years

Emma Rice’s Tristan & Yseult is returning to London for the first time in a decade, bringing its inventive retelling of the medieval love story to Alexandra Palace Theatre in March 2027.

First created in 2003 with theatre company Kneehigh, the production combines live music, comedy, movement and storytelling to revisit one of literature’s most famous doomed romances. At its centre is a love triangle between King Mark, his queen Yseult and Tristan, whose forbidden relationship threatens to unravel the lives around them. Watching from the sidelines is the Club of the Unloved, a group of outsiders offering their own perspective on love, longing and heartbreak.

Nandi Bhebhe stars as Yseult, alongside John Leader as Tristan and Edward Rowe as King Mark. The ensemble also includes Matthew Churcher, Tom Fox, Jack Heydon and Stephanie Hockley, with composer Stu Barker among the musicians and performers.

Written by Anna Maria Murphy and Carl Grose, the show is adapted and directed by Rice, whose previous work includes Brief Encounter and The Red Shoes. The production features Barker’s music, with Bill Mitchell’s original set and costume designs refreshed by Vicki Mortimer.

Originally staged outdoors at Restormel Castle in Cornwall and Rufford Abbey in Nottinghamshire, Tristan & Yseult went on to play the Minack Theatre and the National Theatre before touring internationally. Its last London appearance was at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2017.

The Alexandra Palace engagement forms part of a wider tour across the UK and New York, giving London audiences another chance to experience Rice’s distinctive approach to a familiar love story, where the people left on the sidelines are just as important as the lovers themselves.

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Photos: Steve Tanner

Tristan & Yseult is at Alexandra Palace Theatre from 11^th until 27^th March 2027. For further information or to book, visit the theatre’s website here.