Foxfinder, Ambassadors Theatre

For many Londoners, the mischievous fox is a mild annoyance, particularly when it comes to bins and gardens. But what if the impact of the fox was more sinister, say, linked to the degeneration of rural England? This is the peculiar but interesting premise of Foxfinder, a play by Dawn King which is coming to the West End for the first time.

Foxfinder enjoyed a successful debut run at the Finborough Theatre back in 2011, receiving rave reviews and winning several awards, including the 2013 Royal National Theatre Foundation playwright award for King. In September 2018, this success is being transferred to the Ambassadors Theatre with a new cast and under the direction of Rachel O’Riordan. In 2016, O’Riordan's production of Iphigenia in Splott transferred from the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff to the National Theatre and had a very successful tour of the UK.

King has also won numerous other awards for her work in theatre, film, TV, and radio. Her short film The Karman Line, starring Olivia Coleman and Shaun Dooley won 18 awards in its international festival screenings and was nominated for a BAFTA.

Set in a decaying countryside full of crop failures, food shortages, and the omnipresent pest of the fox, young foxfinder William Bloor is sent by a looming central government to investigate a small, deteriorating farm owned by Samuel and Judith Covey, suspected of having a fox infestation. A tightly-packed, tense thriller with dark humorous overtones about human imperfection, and many small twists and turns, audiences are promised to be on the edge of their seats for this one.

Iwan Rheon, recipient of an Olivier Award, takes the lead role. Having previously played disturbed, but dedicated, young men in his highly praised performances in Game of Thrones and Misfits, he’s a great choice for the role of William Bloor who fits this archetype. He's joined by Heida Redd, who is best known from playing Elizabeth in the BBC's Poldark.