Luke Evans, Penelope Wilton to Headline West End Comedy Backstairs Billy

Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey) and Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast) will star in the new West End comedy Backstairs Billy, written by Marcelo Dos Santos.

Following the relationship between the Queen Mother (Wilton) and her loyal manservant Billy (Evans) during the 1979 tumult in the UK, the play is directed by Michael Grandage (Frozen). Dos Santos, whose five-star solo show Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen opens in London this autumn at the Bush Theatre, is a former recipient of the MGCfutures Bursary, a charity established by Grandage to support theater makers across all aspects of the industry. 

The comedy has set and co-costume design by Christopher Oram, co-costume design by Tom Ran, lighting design by Ryan Day, music and sound design by Adam Cork, wigs, hair and make-up design by Carole Hancock, casting by Jacob Sparrow, associate direction by Sophie Drake, and costume supervision by Mary Charlton. 

Backstairs Billy will play at the Duke of York’s Theatre from October 27-January 27.