Desire Under the Elms
By Eugene O'Neill, Directed by Ebenezer Bamgboye
Event details
Tue 10 Nov – Sat 19 Dec 2026
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You said it yourself, you can’t beat nature.
As Eben and his half-brothers toil on their family farm, they dream of the future.
Peter and Simeon plan to escape, while Eben longs to have the farm all to himself.
Any fantasies are on hold until the return of their patriarch Ephraim, who disappeared without a word two months ago. And when he does finally resurface, he is not alone. An unexpected companion instantly explodes both the status quo and their imagined futures.
Former Almeida Resident Director Ebenezer Bamgboye (The Lonely Londoners) directs Zackary Momoh (Seven Seconds; Harriet) in a new version of four-time Pulitzer Prize winner Eugene O’Neill’s twentieth-century classic. Inspired by Greek tragedy, this shattering family drama is a raging battle between the passion of the heart and the reason of the mind.
Evenings 7.30pm
Matinees 2pm (Wed & Sat)
Tickets on sale:
Patrons, Gold & Friends Plus Tue 23 Jun, 12pm
Almeida Friends Thu 25 Jun, 12pm
General Public Tue 30 Jun, 12pm
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Content Warnings Recommended for ages 15+. Read more about our production guidance and warnings>
Introducing the 2025-26 Season
Cast & Creatives
Further casting to be announced.
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Cast
Zackary Momoh
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Creatives
Eugene O'NeillEugene O'Neill
Writer
Eugene O'Neill
Born in New York City on October 16, 1888, Eugene O’Neill was the first great American playwright. His father was James O’Neill, the famous dramatic actor, and during his early years O’Neill often traveled with his parents. Beyond the Horizon (1920), the first of his plays to reach Broadway, won a Pulitzer Prize (he eventually won four) and opened the way for serious theatre in this country. In 1936 he became the only American playwright ever awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. His major works include The Emperor Jones (1920); The Hairy Ape (1922); Desire Under the Elms (1924); The Great God Brown (1926); Strange Interlude (1928); Mourning Becomes Electra (1931); Ah, Wilderness! (1933); A Moon for the Misbegotten (1957); Hughie (1964); A Touch of the Poet (1967); and what most authorities consider his two greatest plays, The Iceman Cometh (1964) and Long Day’s Journey into Night, completed in 1941 but unproduced until three years after his death on November 27, 1953.
Ebenezer Bamgboye
Director
Access Performances
BSL Interpreted Tue 24 Nov, 7.30pm
Audio Described Sat 28 Nov, 2pm (Touch Tour 12pm)
Captioned Mon 30 Nov, 7.30pm
Relaxed Environment Wed 9 Dec, 2pm & 7.30pm
For full information about how to book for our access performances please visit our Access For All page.
Concessions
All concession tickets are limited and subject to availability. Proof of eligibility is required. Concessions in the final week of performances are only valid on access performances or for Deaf and disabled bookings. More info
Deaf and disabled patrons and a companion can buy discounted tickets by calling the Box Office on 020 7359 4404 or email boxoffice@almeida.co.uk.
£5 tickets will be available to those aged 25 and under for performances from Tue 10 – Mon 16 Nov. Enter code 25UNDER when selecting your seats. £5 tickets go on sale 20 Oct at 5pm.
If you are aged 30 or under, over 65 or are unemployed you can book tickets at a discounted rate. Not applicable on Thu, Fri, or Sat.
A limited number of discounted tickets are available for school bookings. For more information or to book, please call the Box Office on 020 7359 4404 or email boxoffice@almeida.co.uk.
If you live or work in the Islington area you can book discounted tickets, subject to availability. Enter promo code ISFIRST when selecting your seats – available from Tue 10 – Wed 18 Nov, excluding Tue 17 Nov. Find applicable postcodes here.
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