Event Description
Peter James returns to Malvern with the world premiere stage adaption of his crime thriller book, Wish You Were Dead.
When Detective Superintendent Roy Grace and Cleo Morey take their first holiday together, Cleo hopes that she will finally get Grace to herself for a few days and away from his crime solving exploits. But their dream escape turns out to be the holiday from hell.
Show Times:
Monday 12 to Saturday 17 June
Evenings at 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm
Katie McGlynn, will be joining the lead cast for the UK tour of Peter James’ Wish You Were Dead, from May this year. Katie, best known for her seven-year starring role as Sinead Tinker in Coronation Street (for which she won a National Television Award), as well as Waterloo Road, Hollyoaks and the 2021 series of Strictly Come Dancing. Katie will be making her professional stage play debut in this World Premiere production of Wish You Were Dead, playing the role of Cleo Morey.
Katie will join other star cast members, George Rainsford (Casualty, Holby City, Call The Midwife) as DSI Roy Grace and Clive Mantle (Game of Thrones, The Vicar of Dibley, Sherlock, Casualty) as Curtis. Other cast include Rebecca McKinnis, Callum Sheridan-Lee, Alex Stedman and Gemma Stroyan and Leon Stewart will reprise his role as DS Glenn Branson, having previously starred in another Peter James stage adaptation, Looking Good Dead. The understudies are Lizzie Grace, Jayda Kariuki and Christopher Killik.
Katie McGlynn said: “I can’t think of a better way to make my stage play debut than with this brilliant and thrilling Peter James masterpiece and am so excited to be performing alongside such an incredibly talented cast. I’m really looking forward to visiting theatres all over the country, witnessing the audience reaction to the many twists, turns and edge-of-your-seat moments in the show.”
Wish You Were Dead follows five successful stage plays and the critically acclaimed smash-hit primetime ITV series ‘Grace’, which are all based on the best-selling novels by the UK’s number one crime author Peter James. This will be the sixth stage adaptation of James’ novels – making it the most successful crime thriller stage franchise since Agatha Christie.
The stage play of Wish You Were Dead follows DSI Roy Grace and Cleo Morey as they take a much-needed holiday together. They are hoping for a few days away from their dark worlds of murder and the mortuary. But their dream escape turns out to be the holiday from hell, as the past comes back to haunt them.
Produced by Josh Andrews and Peter James and adapted by award winning writer Shaun McKenna, who has adapted the five previous Peter James plays, the production will also reunite the creative team from Looking Good Dead, with Jonathan O’Boyle directing, Design by Michael Holt, Lighting by Jason Taylor and Sound by Max Pappenheim.
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 bestseller list 19 times and has achieved global book sales of over 21 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, which he also executive produced.
