Charlie Cox to Lead World Premiere of 'THE KING'S RANSOM' at Donmar Warehouse

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Charlie Cox leads an ensemble cast in Matthew Dunster's direction of the heist comedy, with production design by Anna Fleischle.

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The full cast has been announced for the world premiere of Stuart Slade 's The King's Ransom at The Donmar Warehouse . Matthew Dunster directs Charlie Cox (Vince), Tom Fletcher (Charlie), Matthew Flynn (Mr Bluefield), Blake Harrison (Rusty), Leo Patrick (Jessie Lee), Jenny Rainsford (Rhonda / Jenny), Christopher Short (Elvis), Cherrelle Skeete (Mike), and Ronnie Yorke (Red), with the role of Martha played by Ruby Barker , Eira Kay and Trixie Willis.

The production opens on 16 December 2026, with previews from 5 December, and runs until 6 February 2027.

Stealin' dead folk's the American Dream? Well, it's always been an incredibly elastic concept - so yes.

The plan is simple: Kidnap Elvis Presley 's corpse. Stash him in a chest freezer. Collect the million-dollar ransom.

Memphis, 1977. When an enigmatic criminal mastermind offers small-time crook Vince Black the opportunity of a lifetime, Vince assembles a crack team of misfits and dropouts to attempt the heist of the century: swiping the earthly remains of The King of Rock and Roll.

Inspired by one of the strangest crime stories in American history, The King's Ransom, a new play by Stuart Slade , is a Southern-fried dark comedy about grief, redemption and spectacularly bad decisions. Matthew Dunster directs this outrageous, heartfelt heist caper about the little guys taking one last shot at the American Dream.

Charlie Cox returns to the Donmar to play Vince. He previously appeared in The Prince of Homburg. His other theatre credits include The Lover; The Collection (Comedy Theatre), 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (Southwark Playhouse), Incognito (Manhattan Theatre Club), Betrayal (West End/Broadway). For television his work includes Daredevil, The Defenders, Kin, Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, Moby Dick, and Treason; and for film, Dot the I, The Merchant of Venice, Casanova, Stardust, There Be Dragons, Glorious 39, Stone of Destiny, The Theory of Everything, King of Thieves, Merv, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Synthetic, and This Is How It Goes.

Tom Fletcher plays Charlie. His theatre credits include Of Mice & Men (UK tour), Oliver Twist (Tobacco Factory Theatres), Drac & Jill, Little Women in Black (Wardrobe Theatre), and Jellyfish (Intrepid Ensemble). For television his work includes Trying and Extraordinary; and for film, A Woman Walks Into a Bank.

Matthew Flynn plays Mr Bluefield. His theatre credits include Punch, Private Peaceful ( Nottingham Playhouse ), The Winter's Tale (RSC), The Interview ( Park Theatre ), The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Crucible (Storyhouse), Agnes Colander (Ustinov Theatre / Jermyn Street Theatre), Child of Science ( Bush Theatre ), Wild Honey, 55 Days (Hampstead Theatre), City Stories (59E59 Theatre, New York), I am a Walrus ( Young Vic ), War Horse (National Theatre / West End), Children of the Sun (National Theatre), Mare Rider (Arcola Theatre), Henry V, Troilus and Cressida (Shakespeare's Globe), A Streetcar Named Desire (Liverpool Playhouse), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Northampton Theatre Royal), Macbeth, The Mayor of Zalameyer (Liverpool Everyman), As You Like It, How Many Miles to Basra? ( West Yorkshire Playhouse ), 1984 (Royal Exchange Theatre), The Gentleman's Tea Drinking Society (Ransom Productions), Hangover Square (Finborough Theatre), Our Friends in the North (Northern Stage), The Winter's Tale, Rose Rage (Propeller), Romeo and Juliet (Derby Playhouse), A View From the Bridge (UK tour), and The Prince of Homburg (Lyric / RSC). His television work includes Coronation Street, Say Nothing, COBRA: Rebellion, Great Expectations, Emmerdale, Finding Alice, Casualty, Innocent, Lawful Killing, Lucan, The Passion, After Thomas, The Quartermass Experiment, Foyle's War, and The King Must Die; and for film, A Stitch in Time, Femi, and Black Sheep.

Blake Harrison plays Rusty. His theatre credits include A Place for We, (Talawa Theatre Company and Park Theatre ); Waitress (Adelphi Theatre); The End of the Pier ( Park Theatre ); and Step 9 (of 12) (Trafalgar Studios). His television work includes The Inbetweeners, I Hate Suzie, World on Fire, Still Up, A Very English Scandal, The Great, Kate & Koji, Maigret, and Bookish; and for film,The Inbetweeners Movie; The Inbetweeners 2; Fing! and INK.

Leo Patrick plays Jessie Lee. His theatre credits include Blaze FM (Bristol Old Vic). His television work includes Grace.

Jenny Rainsford plays Rhonda / Jenny. Her theatre credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Blithe Spirit ( Salisbury Playhouse / Blackpool), Ivy Tiller: Vicar's Daughter, Squirrel Killer, The Tempest, Love for Love, Queen Anne (RSC), Daddy ( Almeida Theatre ), Windsors: Endgame (Prince of Wales Theatre), The Double Dealer (Orange Tree Theatre), The Rivals (Arcola Theatre), Microcosm (Soho Theatre), The Little Black Book ( Park Theatre ), No Quarter ( Royal Court Theatre ), The Seagull (Headlong), Straight (Sheffield Theatres / Bush Theatre ), The Importance of Being Earnest (Rose Theatre Kingston). As director and co-writer, Nanny (Bristol Old Vic / Theatre Royal Plymouth). Her television credits include You Are Here, The Game, Silent Witness, Showtrial, Call the Midwife, Finding Joy, Fleabag, Law & Order, The Smoke, and Da Vinci's Demons; and for film, Runaway, The Arrival, Such a Lovely Day, Persuasion, Coffee Wars, The Favourite, About Time, and Prometheus.

Christopher Short plays Elvis. His theatre credits includes Hadestown (Le Carré, Amsterdam and Lyric Theatre), Jersey Boys, The Ballad of Johnny and June (UK and Ireland tour), The Prince of Egypt (Dominion Theatre), Anything Goes (UK Tour / Barbican Theatre ), and Forever Plaid (Upstairs at the Gatehouse).

Cherrelle Skeete plays Mike. Her theatre credits include The Authenticator, Alterations, Three Days in the Country, Amen Corner (National Theatre), Beneatha's Place, Fun Home ( Young Vic ), The Fellowship, The Phlebotomist (Hampstead Theatre), The 47th, Twenty Four Hour Plays (The Old Vic), The High Table ( Bush Theatre ), King Hedley II (Stratford East), A Small Place ( Gate Theatre ), The Seagull, Jack and the Beanstalk (Lyric Hammersmith), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre), The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre), for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf (The Yard) and And I and Silence (Finborough Theatre). Her television work includes Pierre, Slow Horses, Black Cake, The Midwich Cuckoos, Hanna, Silent Witness, The Human Zoo, The Five, Ordinary Lives, and Call the Midwife; and for film, Magpie.

Ronnie Yorke plays Red. His theatre credits include Will or Eight Lost Years of Young Shakespeare's Life (Rose Playhouse), The Tempest, Macbeth (The Lord Chamberlain's Men, UK and European tour), Not Quite Jerusalem (Finborough Theatre), The Commitments (UK and Ireland tour), and The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre). For television, his work includes Banged Up Abroad, EastEnders, and The Jury.

Stuart Slade 's plays include Glee & Me - Winner of the Judges' Award - The Bruntwood Prize (Royal Exchange Theatre), Reality ( Royal Court Theatre and RWCMD), BU21 (Trafalgar Studios, and across over twenty countries worldwide), and Cans (Theatre503); and for film, Pulse and Capable People.

Matthew Dunster returns to the Donmar to direct – he previously directed Dealer's Choice for the company. He is a theatre and film director and writer. Previously an actor, he has directed or written over sixty theatre shows, often with major national companies (including RSC, NT, Royal Court, Young Vic , Royal Exchange, Shakespeare's Globe, The Bridge), as well as directing on the West End, Broadway and internationally. He has been the Associate Director of The Young Vic and Shakespeare's Globe. His other theatre Credits include: 2:22 A Ghost Story, which ran in the West End for 694 performances, Shirley Valentine, The Pillowman (The Duke of York's Theatre), The Homecoming ( Young Vic ), and The Hunger Games on Stage (Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre). Dunster has been nominated for four Olivier Awards, and his Broadway production of Hangmen was nominated for five Tonys.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Charlie-Cox-Will-Lead-THE-KINGS-RANSOM-at-Donmar-Warehouse-20261002)._