A Very Expensive Poison - (Modern Plays) by Luke Harding (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A shocking assassination in the heart of London. In a bizarre mix of high-stakes global politics and radioactive villainy, a man pays with his life.

At this time of global crises and a looming new Cold War, A Very Expensive Poison sends us careering through the shadowy world of international espionage from Moscow to Mayfair.

Lucy Prebble (Enron, The Effect) brings a shocking story to the stage, adapted from the book by Luke Harding, with an astute mix of real events, vaudeville and thriller.

This edition was published to coincide with the World Premiere at the Old Vic Theatre, London, in 2019.

Review Quotes

"A playwright blessed with an exceptionally fine mind" --Telegraph

"Truly theatrical. Swivels brilliantly between tragedy and farce" --Observer

"A surprising, theatrical, watchable night ends with a whack of seriousness." --Sunday Times

"Funny and frequently exhilarating piece of theatre." --Time Out

"A brilliantly bold and ferociously intelligent drama about our slippery times." --Financial Times

"As tender as it is clever, as incensed as it is inventive. It's a wonderful one-off." --The Times

About the Author

Lucy Prebble is a writer for film, television, games and theatre. Lucy is Co-Executive Producer and writer on the BAFTA winning HBO media mogul drama Succession, for which she was also nominated for a WGA Award.

The Effect, a study of love and neuroscience, was performed at the National Theatre and won the Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play. Previous to that she wrote ENRON, a hugely successful piece about the infamous corporate fraud, which transferred to the West End and Broadway after sell-out runs at both the Royal Court and Chichester Festival Theatre. Her first play, The Sugar Syndrome (2003) won her the George Devine Award and was performed at the Royal Court.

Her latest play, A Very Expensive Poison, will be on at the Old Vic Theatre in 2019.

For television, she is the creator of the TV series Secret Diary of a Call Girl(ITV/Showtime), and has recently made a pilot for HBO starring Sarah Silverman. Lucy also writes for Frankie Boyle's New World Order (BBC) and appears on the TV show as a guest as well as appearing regularly on Have I Got News For You. She is currently working on a new TV series starring Billie Piper.

Lucy is fascinated by new technology and where it meets the arts. She wrote a weekly Tech column for the Observer newspaper and was Head Scene Writer for Bungie's massive first person shooter video game, Destiny.