David Hare’s play about a disillusioned rock band receives a fiftieth anniversary manufacturing starring Rebecca Lucy Taylor.
Here’s one thing to smile about! David Hare’s play with music Teeth ‘n’ Smiles receives a fiftieth anniversary this spring with a West End revival on the Duke of York’s Theatre. This new manufacturing stars the actor and singer-songwriter Rebecca Lucy Taylor (AKA Self Esteem), who additionally gives some new songs. The manufacturing performs from 13 March to 6 June 2026 on the Duke of York’s Theatre
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles was first carried out on the Royal Court in 1975 earlier than transferring to the West End the next 12 months. Helen Mirren originated the position of Maggie, the passionate frontwoman of a rock band that loved a swift rise and is now collapsing. The play was most just lately revived in Sheffield in 2002.
Says Hare: “It’s thrilling for me to watch Rebecca Lucy Taylor and a brilliant ensemble revive the play that shook the plaster off the ceiling of the Royal Court Theatre just fifty years ago.”
Book Teeth ‘n’ Smiles tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.
What is Teeth ‘n’ Smiles about?
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles follows Maggie Frisby, who was as soon as a trailblazer and the brightest star of the Swinging Sixties’ musical counterculture. By 1969, nevertheless, Maggie and her band are performing to an detached viewers at a ball at Cambridge University and are broke, burned out, and fuelled by alcohol and resentment. Nevertheless, Maggie’s extraordinary voice won’t be silenced. David Hare’s play is full of rebellious power and gritty resilience that continues to be as highly effective as ever, particularly relating to girls within the music business.
In his memoir About Hare, the playwright remarked: “I would say that Teeth ‘n’ Smiles is about the fag-end of idealism. It’s about utopianism when it turned sour. It’s about that stage people reach when they will do anything for an experience, and having originally enjoyed the vitality of the experience, they then become addicted to the experience.”
Who wrote Teeth ‘n’ Smiles?
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles is by David Hare, whose first play, Slag, was produced in 1970. Hare is an eight-time Olivier Award nominee and has received twice, for Racing Demon (1990) and Skylight (1996). His different performs embrace Plenty, Pravda (with Howard Brenton), Amy’s View, The Blue Room, Gethsemane, and Straight Line Crazy. As a screenwriter, he earned Oscar nominations for The Hours and The Reader. Hare’s newest play Grace Pervades, about the Victorian-era actors Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, begins a restricted run at Theatre Royal Haymarket in April, starring Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Raison.
The play additionally options music by brothers Nick Bicât and lyrics by Tony Bicât, each of whom are prolific songwriters for theatre, movie, and tv. Rebecca Lucy Taylor additionally contributes some authentic compositions to the brand new manufacturing.
What is the manufacturing historical past of Teeth ‘n’ Smiles?
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles was first carried out on the Royal Court Theatre in September 1975 and subsequently transferred to the West End. The position of Maggie was originated by Helen Mirren, who was then greatest identified for her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Other solid members included Antony Sher, Cherie Lunghi, and Jack Shepherd.
The play was then produced at Oxford Playhouse in 1977 and at Nottingham Playhouse in 1979. It was most just lately seen at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre in 2002.
Where is Teeth ‘n’ Smiles being carried out?
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles can be carried out on the Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane. This playhouse seats roughly 640 viewers members. The venue additionally hosted the West End premieres of David Hare’s The Judas Kiss (2013) and The Moderate Soprano (2013) (each transferred from Hampstead Theatre).
When is Teeth ‘n’ Smiles being carried out?
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles performs from 13 March to 6 June 2026. Performances happen from Mondays to Fridays at 7:30pm, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:30pm.
How lengthy is Teeth ‘n’ Smiles?
The working time of Teeth ‘n’ Smiles is 2hr 20mins, together with interval.
Who is within the solid of Teeth ‘n’ Smiles?
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles is led by Rebecca Lucy Taylor (also called Self Esteem) as Maggie. A singer, instrumentalist, and composer, she has launched the studio albums Compliments Please, Prioritise Pleasure, and A Complicated Woman. She is understood for her candid lyrics about modern womanhood. She composed the music for the play Prima Facie and made her West End debut as Sally Bowles in Cabaret on the Kit Kat Club in 2023 reverse the Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears because the Emcee. Says Taylor: “I love to challenge myself in new forms and I can’t wait to slap you round the face with Maggie”.
The solid additionally consists of Michael Fox as Arthur, Phil Daniels as Sarrafian, Bill Caple as Nash, Michael Abubakar as Wilson, Samuel Jordan as Smegs, Jojo Macari as Peyote, Noah Weatherby as Inch, Joseph Evans as Randolph, Aysha Kala as Laura, Christopher Patrick Nolan as Snead, and Roman Asde as Anson, with Gregor Milne, Damien James, Levi Heaton, Guy Amos and Daniel Crespin.
Who is within the Teeth ‘n’ Smiles inventive group?
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles is directed by Daniel Raggett, who has beforehand directed Anna X and Accidental Death of an Anarchist within the West End. The manufacturing options set design by Chloe Lamford (The Estate), costume design by designer Alex Mullins, lighting by Matt Daw (Lord of the Flies), and sound by Ben and Max Ringham (Bacchae).
What are some enjoyable details about Teeth ‘n’ Smiles?
- Helen Mirren primarily based her interpretation of Maggie on Janis Joplin. In an interview with the New Musical Express, she commented: “I’m very like Maggie in many ways, only she’s much more ballsy and gutsy than me. I endorse most of what Maggie says, in fact in many ways it’s difficult to talk about her because I feel so close to her”.
- The May Ball (a Cambridge University custom that takes place after exams in June) that frames the play takes place at Jesus College, Cambridge, of which Hare himself is an alumnus.
- A rock band blowing itself aside can also be the central motif of David Adjmi’s play Stereophonic, which was seen within the West End final 12 months. Another notable play about rock music is Tom Stoppard’s Rock n Roll.
Book Teeth ‘n’ Smiles tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.
Photo credit score: Rebecca Lucy Taylor. (Photo by Jono White)
