Vincent, the one-man play Leonard Nimoy wrote and first performed in 1978, opens at Camden People's Theatre on 14 January 2027 for six performances, with Richard Canal Tinius playing both van Gogh brothers.
A revival of Vincent arrives at Camden People's Theatre in January 2027. Richard Canal Tinius performs the solo play by Leonard Nimoy over two short weeks, Thursday to Saturday on 14-16 January and 21-23 January, with every performance at 6.45pm. Press night is Friday 15 January.
The action is set a week after Vincent van Gogh's death. His younger brother, Theo, goes back through the letters the two exchanged over many years and uses them to remember the painter and his work, and to find the man behind the familiar myth of the lonely, tormented genius. More than 500 real letters between the brothers shaped the script, and Tinius takes on both of them. Around 250 projected images of van Gogh's paintings form the backdrop.
The piece deals openly with grief, mental illness and the aftermath of suicide, and with what it means to love someone who is struggling. Profits from the run will go to the mental health charity Mind UK.
The Star Trek actor first wrote and performed Vincent in 1978, adapting it from Phillip Stephens' stage play Van Gogh. Nimoy gave roughly 150 performances, and a filmed version followed as a TV movie in 1981.
Tinius says the play stands apart from other portraits of the artist because it does not treat his genius as a by-product of illness. "Mental illness is too often either romanticised or demonised; especially in the age of tabloids and social media," he said. "By presenting van Gogh simply as a man in search for meaning via purpose, Vincent offers a fresh point of view to people with preconceived notions of mental illness, and solace to some who – like me, as a bipolar and neurodivergent performer – have firsthand experience."
Tinius is a Spanish-American actor who also works in voiceover and motion capture. He played Vincent earlier in 2026 at Sautee Nacoochee Theater in the US state of Georgia, where his other credits include Sweeney Todd, The Drowsy Chaperone, Something Rotten!, A Midsummer Night's Dream and A Streetcar Named Desire. His own solo show, Cry, Blueberry, played Brighton Fringe and Gothenburg Fringe in 2018 and The Cockpit in 2019. Vincent is the first production from a theatre company he is about to launch, which will make solo shows about real or imagined historical figures and host R&D residencies at Projet la Rue in Normandy, France.
Cody Stuckenschneider directs, and Tinius is also the designer. The play runs for 90 minutes without an interval and is suitable for ages 12 and over.
Vincent plays at Camden People's Theatre, 58-60 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PY, with tickets from £12 to £20.
First look at Vincent on stage
For more information, visit the official website.
