Lily Allen is to make her West End theatre debut in a “bloody scary” supernatural thriller opening in London this summer. The singer will star in 2:22 – a Ghost Story, a new play by Danny Robins, who is best known for his docudrama horror podcast The Battersea Poltergeist.
Allen described the play as a “brilliant investigation into the ghosts that haunt us” and said it offers wit, a frightening plot and “a meditation on marriage and relationships and family”. Live performance has been the most thrilling part of her career, she added, as it is about “connecting with a group of individuals and the spontaneity of whatever happens on the night”.
The play, presented by Runaway Entertainment, will be directed by Matthew Dunster, whose hits include Hangmen – which transferred from the Royal Court to the West End in 2015 and was due to open on Broadway in March last year when New York’s theatres went dark because of the pandemic.
Allen’s co-stars will be Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser and Jake Wood. The four play friends who are having dinner together in a house that Allen’s character fears is haunted. She hears a strange sound at the same time every night, 2.22am, so the four stay up late to see if they can solve the mystery.
Robins said that his “bloody scary” play explores “the clash between belief and scepticism through a couple’s relationship”. Dunster, who described the play as a combination of horror and social commentary, said that he and designer Anna Fleischle would be creating a suspenseful atmosphere. The production will make a point of asking audiences not to give away its surprise revelations. The play will open at the Noël Coward theatre in August.
