Lewis Cope and Jonny Labey head the company of Strangers on a Train, Bill Kenwright Ltd's new touring production of Craig Warner's Patricia Highsmith thriller, which sets off from Theatre Royal Windsor on Friday 15 January 2027.
Lewis Cope plays Charles Bruno, the charming stranger with a plan for two perfect murders, opposite Jonny Labey as Guy Haines, the man who makes the mistake of hearing him out. The pair lead the 2027 UK tour of Strangers on a Train, Craig Warner's stage version of the Patricia Highsmith novel that Alfred Hitchcock turned into one of his best-known films.
Roxana Silbert directs. She has led three companies as artistic director: Paines Plough, Birmingham Rep and Hampstead Theatre. Around her are Robert Innes Hopkins on set and costumes, Matt Haskins on lighting and Elizabeth Purnell on sound.
It all starts with a chance meeting in a railway carriage. Bruno suggests a swap: each man kills someone the other wants out of the way, and because nothing ties either killer to his victim, neither can be caught. Guy takes it for a joke. Bruno does not, and as his fixation tightens Guy is dragged into a spiral of guilt, coercion and dread.
Cope played Leonard Vole in the London staging of Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution and Brahms on the UK tour of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. On screen he is best known as Nicky Milligan in Emmerdale, the part that earned him a Rising Star nomination at the 2023 National Television Awards, and he reached week eleven of the 2025 series of Strictly Come Dancing with his professional partner, Katya Jones.
Labey created the role of Scott Hastings in the West End production of Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom. Television audiences will also know him as Rex Gallagher in Hollyoaks and Paul Coker in EastEnders.
David Gilbery, chief executive of Bill Kenwright Ltd, said: “We’re delighted to have Lewis and Jonny taking on two of Patricia Highsmith’s most fascinating characters in our new production of Strangers on a Train. They are both immensely talented performers, and with Roxana Silbert directing, alongside designer Robert Innes Hopkins, and the rest of our wonderful creative team, this has all the ingredients for a truly thrilling stage production.”
Warner's adaptation has been seen in London before: it ran at the Gielgud Theatre from November 2013 to February 2014, and you can read our review of that West End production.
After its opening weekend in Windsor, the tour runs into the summer, with further dates from September to November still to be announced:
- 15-16 January: Theatre Royal Windsor
- 19-23 January: Theatre Royal Norwich
- 26-30 January: Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
- 2-6 February: Grand Opera House, York
- 9-13 February: Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham
- 16-20 February: Theatr Clwyd, Mold
- 23-27 February: Theatre Royal Glasgow
- 2-6 March: Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
- 9-13 March: Richmond Theatre, London
- 16-20 March: New Theatre, Peterborough
- 23-27 March: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
- 30 March - 3 April: His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen
- 6-10 April: Theatre Royal Brighton
- 13-17 April: Gaiety Theatre, Dublin
- 20-24 April: Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
- 27 April - 1 May: Oxford Playhouse
- 4-8 May: Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
- 11-15 May: Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
- 18-22 May: Darlington Hippodrome
- 25-29 May: Theatre Royal Windsor
- 1-5 June: New Theatre, Cardiff
- 8-12 June: Liverpool Playhouse
- 15-19 June: Orchard Theatre, Dartford
- 22-26 June: Hall for Cornwall, Truro
- 29 June - 3 July: Theatre Royal Bath
- 6-10 July: Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
- 13-17 July: Curve, Leicester
Further casting is still to come.
For more information, visit the official website.
