Steven Berkoff’s stage adaptation of multi-Oscar-winning film On The Waterfront receives its West End debut.

On The Waterfront tells the classic story of beleaguered boxer bum Terry Malloy’s fight against the New York underworld. After throwing too many fights Malloy is now working on the docks and in the pay of mobster Johnny Friendly. Unwittingly implicated in a murder, facing conflicting feelings of guilt and pragmatism, he is forced to make a decision when falling for the dead man’s sister.

The 1954 film On The Waterfront, which starred Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger, won eight Academy Awards including Best Actor for Brando, Best Director, Best Writing and Best Picture. Berkoff’s stage version is packed with the writer/actor/director’s trademark visual language, emphasising the physicality of the dynamic production.

Berkoff leads the cast of On The Waterfront, playing Friendly. His previous performances include Coriolanus, Richard II and Macbeth, while his other plays include Messiah: Scenes From A Crucifixion, The Secret Love Live Of Ophelia and Brighton Beach Scumbags.

On The Waterfront comes to the London stage following successful seasons in Edinburgh and Nottingham.