Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Volpone - Professional Productions

1930 – Cambridge Festival Theatre

1935 – Birmingham Rep

directed by H. M. Prentice at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 23 March - 5 April, then taken to the Malvern Festival 30 July - 22 August 1935

1938 – Westminster Theatre

directed by Michael Macowan, January 1938; reviewed in

1940 – Arts Theatre, Cambridge

directed by Donald Wolfit at the Arts Theatre, Cambridge; 1942 – St James’s Theatre, London; 1947 – the Savoy; 1953 – the King’s Theatre, Hammersmith; reviewed in

1944 – the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

directed by Robert Atkins; reviewed in The Birmingham Post, 6 June 1944, The Times, 7 June 1944, Stage, 8 June 1944

1952 – the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-avon

directed by George Devine; press night 15 July 1952; reviewed in 

1954 – The Norwich Players

directed by Lionel Dunn; reviewed by: Yvonne Law, Plays and Players, April 1954, 22

1955 – Theatre Workshop Company

directed by Joan Littlewood at the Theatre Royal, Stratford-atte-Bowe

opened 3 March 1955; performed for four weeks; reviewed in

1955 – the Bristol Old Vic Company

 Volpone 1955 - Bristol Old Vic © Desmond Tripp (University of Bristol Theatre Collection)

© Desmond Tripp (University of Bristol Theatre Collection) 

directed by John Harrison; reviewed by: Peter Rodford, Plays and Players, January 1956, 30

1963 – *The Billingham Forum Theatre, Teeside

adaptation by George Mike

1965 – *the Nottingham Playhouse

directed by Denis Carey; opened 7 April 1965

1966 – the Oxford Playhouse Company

directed by Frank Hauser; opened 20 September 1966; transferred to the Garrick Theatre, London 31 January 1967; reviewed in

1967 – the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

directed by Michael Burrell; opened 15 November 1967

1968 – the National Theatre Company

directed by Tyrone Guthrie at the Old Vic; opened 14 January 1968; reviewed in

More about this production

1968 – the Billingham Forum Theatre

directed by George Roman in the adaptation by Stefan Zweig; opened 4 March 1968; reviewed by: Peter Roberts, Plays and Players, May 1968, 44

1969 – the Birmingham Rep

directed by Michael Simpson; performance run February - April 1969

1972 – The Bristol Old Vic Company

Volpone 1972 - Bristol Old Vic © Derek Balmer (University of Bristol Theatre Collection) 

© Derek Balmer (University of Bristol Theatre Collection) 

directed by John David at the Theatre Royal, 1-25 March 1972; reviewed by: Michael Anderson, Plays and Players, April 1972, 56

1977 – the National Theatre Company

directed by Peter Hall in the Olivier, London; opened 21 April 1977

More bout this production

1981 –  the Croydon Warehouse

directed by Richard Ireson, May 1981

1983 – Theatr Clwyd, Mold

5-24 September 1983

1983 – the Royal Shakespeare Company, the other place

directed by Bill Alexander at The Other Place, where it opened October 1983; transferred to Gulbenkian Studio, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 5 March 1984 and to the Pit, London, 16 April 1984; reviewed in

1984 – the Churchill Theatre, Bromley

directed by Peter Coe in an adaptation entitled The Fly and The Fox, 11 July- 4 August 1984; reviewed in: RORD, 27 (1984), 132-3

1986 – Birmingham Repertory Studio Theatre

in an adaptation by Ken Morley, 10 April- 3 May 1986

1986 – the Duke’s Playhouse, Lancaster

7-31 May 1986; reviewed by: A. C. Elmy, RDN, 7.1 (Summer, 1986), 8-9

1986 - Belgrade Studio, Coventry

adapted and directed by Barry Russell at the Belgrade Studion, Coventry (and on tour); 28 January - 1 February

More about this production

1987 – Salisbury Playhouse

directed by David Horlock, March 1987

1988 - Compass Theatre Company, Sheffield

1990 - *The Almeida Theatre

directed by Nicholas Hytner at the Almeida Theatre

1993 - Birmingham Repertory Company

directed by Bill Alexander at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre; 28 May - 26 June 1993

More about this production 

1995 - the National Theatre Company

directed by Matthew Warchus at the Olivier, National Theatre; opened 29 September 1995, preceded by a Dialogue: Matthew Warchus on Volpone

More about this production

1996 - Graeae Theatre Company

Flesh Fly - adapted from Ben Jonson’s Volpone by Trevor Lloyd and directed by Ewan Marshall; touring spring 1996

More about this production

1999 - Royal shakespeare company, the swan

directed by Lindsay Posner

opened 24 March 1999 at the Swan, Stratford-upon-Avon; transferred to Newcastle Playhouse, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, for eight performances, 2-6 November 1999; to the Pit, London, 9 December 1999; and to The Drum, Plymouth, for eight performances, 17-22 April 2000

More about this production

2001 - KAoS TC

directed and adapted Xavier Leveret; touring spring 2001; at Norwich Playhouse 10 February 2001

More about this production

2001 - Hull Truck Theatre

10-26 May 2001

2004 - Royal Exchange Theatre Company

directed by Greg Hersov at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; 29 October - 27 November 2004

More about this production

2005 - Present Moment

directed and adapted by Joss Bennathan at Wilton's Music Hall, Graces Alley, London; 27 September - 22 October

Cast, production images and review headlines from Present Moment

Studio session photos (Eric Richmond) from www.arenapal.com

More about this production