The Brief Life and Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria
Transferring to 59E59 Theater in New York City
May 2 - June 2
Tickets on sale NOW
JUST ANNOUNCED ENGLISH TOUR AUTUMN 2024
Mercury Theatre, Colchester - 17th-19th October - priority sale 23rd Apr; public sale opens 26th Apr
Norwich Theatre Playhouse - 21st-22nd October - members’ sale from 22 Apr; public sale opens 26th Apr
Taunton Brewhouse - 31st October - on sale now
photo credit: Desk Tidy
★★★★★ - The Scotsman “Razor-sharp wit and faultless timing.”
★★★★★ - Times Radio “THE hit of the Edinburgh Fringe - Sure to get a West End transfer!”
★★★★ - The Guardian “For all its fun and games, it is a play with a sting.”
WINNER - Off West End “Best Ensemble” 2023
RUNNER UP - Popcorn Writing Award 2023
WINNER - VAULT Festival origins award 2020
The year is 1943 and Bulgaria has just told Hitler where to stick it.
Europe’s major powers are at war and King Boris III must choose a side or be swept away. A raucous and poignant tale in which a bunch of underdogs use every trick in the book to outwit the Nazis and save nearly 50,000 Jewish lives.
Award-winning Out Of The Forest Theatre's irreverent comedy - featuring live music inspired by Bulgarian and Jewish folk tunes - tells the incredible true story that the world forgot.
click HERE for the free online program
'Whether a jazz fan, a history buff or just someone who loves gripping real-life stories, this is a must see.' Kyril, Prince of Preslav, Boris III's Grandson
‘Urgent, horribly topical and revisionist historical tale.’ - Fringe Review
“If Armando Ianucci made a Kneehigh musical.” - David Shopland, Fake Escape Theatre Producer
Lawrence Boothman, Sasha Wilson and David Leopold c. Héctor Manchego
Previous Performances
26 September - 21 October 2023 at The Arcola Theatre
2 - 28 August 2023 at The Pleasance Queen Dome for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
9 - 20 January 2023 ACE Funded Research and Development with support from Riverside Studios
20 January 2023 Industry showing at Arts Theatre
11 - 15 March 2020 at VAULT Festival
(if you are interested in programming / supporting the development please email claire@outoftheforesttheatre.com)
Joseph Cullen c. Will Alder
Press & Awards Include
WINNER - VAULT Festival origins award 2020
FINALIST - Popcorn Writing Award 2023
NOMINATED - Off West End “Best Ensemble” 2023 (results Feb 2024)
★★★★ - The Guardian “Snappily written, wittily performed”
★★★★★ - The Scotsman “Razor-sharp wit and faultless timing”
★★★★★ - Times Radio “Sure to get a West End transfer!”
★★★★★ - The Brig “Everything a piece of theatre should be”
★★★★★ - West End Best Friend “Historically poignant and hysterically funny”
★★★★★ - The Spy in the Stalls “This show has all the makings of a sell-out with transfers to come.”
★★★★★ - Theatre Bubble "A perfectly paced, witty and inventive retelling of history"
★★★★★ - Three Weeks “Shakespearean richness”
★★★★★ - Upper Circle “An important piece of work”
★★★★★ - Mind The Blog “Politics [is] theatre and theatre is politics.”
★★★★★ - Fringe Guru “Verve and bittersweet comic flair.”
★★★★★ - Broadway World “A spoonful of satire, a dash of revisionism, and a whole lot of black humour.”
★★★★★ - British Theatre Dot Com “They turn a complex episode of European history into an enjoyable and irresistible piece of theatre.”
★★★★1/2 - The Quintessential Review “A blinder of a production”
★★★★ - Corr Blimey "Resoundingly fun, engaging and melodic"
★★★★ - Culture Fix "A sheer delight"
★★★★ - North West End "Cracking!"
Lawrence Boothman, Clare Fraenkel & SashaWilson c. Héctor Manchego
Production team
Writers - Joseph Cullen & Sasha Wilson
Director & Dramaturg - Hannah Hauer-King
Ensemble - Lawrence Boothman, Joseph Cullen, Clare Fraenkel, David Leopold & Sasha Wilson
Producer - Claire Gilbert
Production Assistant - Lorra Videv
Lighting Designer - Will Alder
Stage Manager - Maddie Whiffin
Set Designer - Sorcha Corcoran
Costume Designer - Helen Stewart
Videographer - Aydan Wilder
Previous Team
Ensemble - Joseph Prowen & Kara Taylor Alberts
Stage Manager - Zoe MacKinnon