Fever Pitch: New theatrical adaptation of Nick Hornby novel to play The Hope Theatre

A new theatrical adaptation of Nick Hornby’s best-selling novel Fever Pitch will open at The Hope Theatre this summer.

Adapted by Joel Samuels, the piece will run at the Islington venue from 31 August to 25 September. Tickets are on sale now here.

Directed by Kennedy Bloomer, the outgoing Artistic Director whose tenure started just as the pandemic hit, Fever Pitch will be her first and last in-house production.

Fever Pitch will star Ashley Gerlach as ‘Pete/Ensemble’, Gabrielle MacPherson as ‘Sarah/Ensemble’, Jack Trueman as ‘Nick’ and Louise Hoare as ‘Louise/Ensemble’.

The show will be produced by Leila Sykes with set & costume designer Sorcha Corcoran, lighting designer Martha Godfrey and stage manager Summer Keeling.

“When you’re in love nothing else matters. You become obsessed. And it can get pretty tricky if that obsessive love is directed towards eleven men wearing the same shirt and running around like idiots for ninety minutes every Saturday…”

An exhilarating, moving and brutally funny love letter that will appeal to football obsessives and football haters alike. Fever Pitch charts over two decades of one man’s total and utter obsession with Arsenal Football Club. A treatise on what it means to be a fanatic and what that means for everyone in our lives who isn’t. From exhilarating, all-encompassing moments of joy and pleasure to totally debilitating and soul-destroying lows, Nick’s obsession infects every aspect of his life. Is it really only a game?

Arsenal Football Club have committed to maintaining existing links with the theatre, and will bring some of the community groups it works with – who might not otherwise have access to arts and culture – into The Hope Theatre to see Fever Pitch.

Kennedy Bloomer said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be bringing Fever Pitch to The Hope. A hilarious, joyous production that our community and football lovers and haters alike can enjoy. I can’t wait to finally direct an in-house show after closure.”

Samir Singh, Community Development Officer at Arsenal, added: “At Arsenal we’re proud of our work in the community and we always look for ways to support local arts and culture and to bring it to the community groups we work with, who might not otherwise have access. We’ve worked with The Hope Theatre previously, and are thrilled that they’re staging an adaptation of such an iconic book, particularly whilst English football is having such a glorious summer!”

The Hope Theatre recently reopened to 50% capacity after being closed since 2020. It’s expected that Fever Pitch will run at full capacity, subject to the government’s roadmap.