A new stage production of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities will premiere at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury this September, with casting and a UK tour now confirmed (WhatsOnStage).

The production uses the Terence Rattigan and John Gielgud adaptation of Dickens' novel — a version originally crafted by two of British theatre's most celebrated figures, the playwright Rattigan and the actor-director Gielgud. Michael Fentiman, whose credits include Amélie and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, directs. The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury, a regional receiving house that also produces its own work, is the originating producer (BroadwayWorld).

Samuel Collings leads the cast as Sydney Carton, the dissolute lawyer who finds redemption, and the Marquis de St Evrémonde, the aristocrat whose cruelty sets the plot in motion. Jordan Loughran plays Lucie Manette and the Seamstress. Ed Sayer takes the roles of Charles Darnay and the Brother of the Marquis. The company of eleven means several actors double across parts, a common practice on touring productions where cast size is constrained by road logistics and weekly running costs.

The full company also includes Martin Bassindale as Stryver and Defarge, Scarlett Brookes as Miss Pross, Judge and Road Mender, Daniel Hickey, Jasmine Kerr, Roger Ringrose as Lorry and Gabelle, Robyn Sinclair as Madame Defarge, the Attorney General and Patrol, Simon Startin as Barsad and Gaspard, and François Testory as Dr Manette and François.

Behind the scenes, the creative team spans set design by Max Jones, costumes by Kinnetia Isidore, lighting by Ben Jacobs, sound by Richard Hammarton, and a score from composer Barnaby Race. Video design comes from Nina Dunn for PixelLux, with dramaturgy by Leo Butler. Susanna Peretz handles wigs, hair and make-up. Jonathan Holby is fight director — a significant role in a story that moves between the guillotine and the barricades. Audrey Brisson serves as creative associate, with Pip Minnithorpe as associate director and Helena Palmer as casting director.

The tour begins at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury from 14 to 19 September 2026, with a press night — the performance critics are invited to review — on 17 September. From there it travels to Leeds Playhouse (22–26 September 2026), Theatre Royal Bath (15–23 January 2027), Cheltenham Everyman Theatre (2–6 February 2027), Chichester Festival Theatre (9–13 February 2027), King's Theatre Edinburgh (16–20 February 2027), and Theatre Clwyd (23–27 February 2027).

The announcement fills in the details on a production first revealed as part of the Marlowe's 2026 season back in March. The Canterbury venue had confirmed it would premiere two new in-house productions this autumn and winter: A Tale of Two Cities and The Reluctant Dragon, based on Kenneth Grahame's story (WhatsOnStage; Marlowe Theatre).

For audiences, the Rattigan-Gielgud adaptation brings a piece of theatrical history with it. The script distils Dickens' sprawling novel — set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution — into a form built for the stage, and the doubling of roles across the cast suggests a production designed for clarity and momentum rather than sprawling spectacle.