Emma Rice's world premiere adaptation of the classic French folktale Blue Beard will play throughout the U.K. early next year.

The piece, which is also directed by Rice, is a co-production between Birmingham Rep, HOME Manchester, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, and the York Theatre Royal. 

The production will open at Theatre Royal Bath February 8, 2024, following previews that begin February 2. The limited run will continue through February 10 and then embark on a U.K. tour, with venues and tour dates to be announced at a later date.

Says Rice: “Not wanting to add to the number of dead women that are scattered throughout our literature and media, I have always avoided the gruesome tale of Blue Beard. However, haunted by the regular and painful chime of murdered women in the news, I woke one morning with the story knocking powerfully at my dreams. I pulled my copy from the shelves and with some trepidation, unlocked the door of Blue Beard’s castle. What I found hidden in those pages was a story not about dead women but about vibrant, flawed, joyful living ones. Here was a story about female friendship, intellect, and survival. It is also a story in which, by working together, the aggressor is vanquished. And this is precisely why I want to tell Blue Beard now. In my middle years I want to join forces with those I love and take down the ones who threaten us. I, for one, have had enough, and for Zara Aleena, Jack Taylor, Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman, Daniel Whitworth, Sarah Everard, and the thousands and thousands of others who have died at the hands of violent men - Blue Beard is my defiant and hopeful answer.”

For more information, visit WiseChildrenDigital.com.