Abbey Wright’s revival of The Mentalists, starring Stephen Merchant and Steffan Rhodri, will end its run a month earlier than planned, playing its final performance at the Wyndham’s Theatre on 29 August.
Richard Bean’s hilarious and touching tale of two men and a utopian vision gone awry, which opened in the West End earlier this month, was originally booking until 26 September.
Set in a Finsbury Park hotel room, the play follows the duo as Ted’s not altogether flawless plan begins to spiral out of control and they’re forced to confront the darker side of their unique friendship.
The production marked the first stage outing for The Office co-creator and Extras star Merchant, whose performance alongside Gavin And Stacey’s Rhodri in the comic two-hander was described by The Independent’s Paul Taylor as “An impressive West End debut”.
Talking about the early closure, the show’s producers said: “It has been a great joy bringing The Mentalists into the West End this summer; however, we have had to take the very difficult but prudent decision, based on a challenging post-summer period, to reduce the run to nine weeks. We wish to thank the cast, creative team and crew for all of their dedication, humour and hard work in creating a production which we are immensely proud of.”
Theatre fans wanting to catch The Mentalists before it closes at the Wyndham’s Theatre can book tickets through us. Alternatively, families with older kids can enjoy a trip to the darkly comic play through our kids go free promotion Kids Week, which offers a free child’s ticket for every full price ticket purchased for performances in August.
The Mentalists will be followed later in September by the West End transfer of Theatre Royal Bath and Tricycle Theatre hit The Father, in which Kenneth Cranham stars as an 80-year-old dementia patient alongside Claire Skinner.