Peter James' Looking Good Dead to premiere on stage in 2021
FOLLOWING the news that his latest Roy Grace novel, Find Them Dead, has gone straight to No.1 in the UK Book charts, Peter James and producer Joshua Andrews have announced the World Premiere stage production of James’ novel Looking Good Dead.
The production will open at the Glasgow Theatre Royal on March 17, 2021 ahead of a major UK tour. Star casting will be announced soon.
Peter James said: “I can scarcely believe this is the fifth of my novels to be adapted for the stage. It has been a tremendous thrill to see my characters so brilliantly brought to life, and it has been quite humbling to have seen such passion and enthusiasm, repeatedly, from audiences around the nation”.
Looking Good Dead is James’ fifth novel to be brought to the stage and follows the hugely successful productions of The House on Cold Hill starring Joe McFadden and Rita Simons last year, Not Dead Enough starring Shane Richie and Laura Whitmore in 2017, The Perfect Murder starring Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace in 2016 and Dead Simple starring Tina Hobley in 2015.
No good deed goes unpunished – hours after picking up a USB memory stick, left behind on a train seat, Tom Bryce inadvertently becomes a witness to a vicious murder. Reporting the crime to the police has disastrous consequences, placing him and his family in grave danger. When Detective Superintendent Roy Grace becomes involved, he has his own demons to contend with while he tries to crack the case in time to save the Bryce family’s lives.
Producer Joshua Andrews commented: “When Peter and I first talked about adapting his novels for the stage, we never dreamt we’d do five of them! Their continued success is thanks to the wonderful sell out audiences around the country, who love watching these adaptations of Peter’s best selling books and we hope to give them all another thrilling night at the theatre with Looking Good Dead”.
Peter James is a number one bestselling author of crime and thriller novels and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. He has topped the Sunday Times best seller list sixteen times and has achieved global book sales of over 20 million copies which have been translated into 37 languages.
Synonymous with plot twisting page turners, he has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career which also included writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer.
Looking Good Dead has been adapted for the stage by Shaun Mckenna. An award-winning British dramatist, his previous theatre credits include Peter James’ The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple, Not Dead Enough and The House on Cold Hill.
Looking Good Dead will be directed by the Olivier Award-winning Ian Talbot, who was Artistic and Managing Director of the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 2008. His West End credits include High Society (Shaftesbury Theatre), Lend Me A Tenor (Gielgud Theatre) and The Mousetrap (St Martin’s Theatre). His UK touring credits include Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Million Dollar Quartet and Peter James’ The Perfect Murder and The House on Cold Hill.
Following the Glasgow dates (March 17-20), Looking Good Dead will tour to Richmond (March 22-27), Dartford, Birmingham, Shrewsbury, Cardiff, Leeds, Coventry, Norwich, Brighton, Salford, Cheltenham, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Leicester, Southampton, Southend and Nottingham, with further dates to be announced.