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Rhinoceros

By Eugène Ionesco, Translated and Directed by Omar Elerian

Event details

Sold Out

Tue 25 Mar - Sat 26 Apr 2025

Featured in The Guardian’s best theatre to see in 2025

Who knows what is good and what is evil? You’re only concerned with yourself. That’s the truth. But you’ll never really become a rhinoceros… you haven’t got the chops!

A provincial town in France.

Jean meets his friend Berenger for a drink, but things take an unexpected turn when a rhinoceros charges through the town square. After all, there are no rhinoceroses in France, right?

Suddenly, one by one the townspeople are transforming into the thing they first feared. An epidemic has taken hold and rhinoceritis is spreading like wildfire, until there are almost no human beings left.

Following his ★★★★★ (The Telegraph) production of The Chairs, Omar Elerian directs BAFTA nominee Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Gangs of London; His House) in his new version of Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist satire about resisting conformity and holding onto what’s left of our humanity as we resist the rumbling power of the herd.

Running Time Approx. 2 hours and 40 mins incl. an interval

Evenings 7.30pm
Matinees 2pm

Content Warnings Read more about our production guidance and warnings>

 

Rhinoceros

How to get tickets

Many performances are currently sold out or have limited availability, but you might still be able to get tickets.

Check our ticket guide

Rhinoceros Production Photo

Production  Photos

By Marc Brenner

An image gallery with 32 photos
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu wears dark trousers and a brown jacket. He leans forward with one finger pointing down, close to Joshua McGuire’s eye, who wears dark green velvet pyjamas. Sophie Steer and John Biddle blow kazoos in the background.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu has a bewildered expression and a bandaged face. He wears a grey t-shirt and dark trousers. John Biddle and Alan Williams stand either side of him, wearing grey trousers, sage-coloured shirts, bright mustard yellow ties, and brown braces.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Paul Hunter, Alan Williams, Anoushka Lucas, and John Biddle on stage. Paul, Alan and John wear trousers, shirts and ties in muted colours. Anoushka wears bright royal blue trousers and a green sweater and Ṣọpẹ́ wears a brown jacket and dark trousers. The stage is white with a sheer white curtain at the back.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Paul Hunter, Alan Williams, Anoushka Lucas, and John Biddle on stage. Paul, Alan and John wear trousers, shirts and ties in muted colours. Anoushka wears bright royal blue trousers and a green sweater and Ṣọpẹ́ wears a brown jacket and dark trousers. Anoushka has her hands raised with her palms facing forward, and the company peer forwards.
Sophie Steer, John Biddle and Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù surround Joshue McGuire, holding him as he writhes between them with one hand clenching Ṣọpẹ́’s shirt. Behind Sophie, Anoushka Lucas faces away from them, blowing on a red kazoo.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù wears dark trousers and a brown jacket. He sits on the back of a shiny brown armchair. He has a horrified expression and is illuminated by a single white spotlight. Three members of the Rhinoceros company surround the chair, leaning their weight on it as if to push it.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù wears dark trousers and a grey t-shirt. He sits in a shiny brown armchair and looks towards Anoushka Lucas, who sits on his lap and wears bright royal blue trousers and a sage green sweater vest over a blue shirt. She looks directly ahead with a frightened expression.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù wears dark trousers and a grey t-shirt. He stands with one hand pressed against his face as Anoushka Lucas stands behind him and to the side with her hands around his waist. She wears bright royal blue trousers and a sage green sweater vest over a blue shirt. The Rhinoceros company are illuminated in the background behind a sheer white curtain.
Anoushka Lucas wears bright royal blue trousers and a sage green sweater vest over a blue shirt. She has a white clinical jacket halfway on and her arms half raised by her sides.
Joshua McGuire wears a white clinical jacket and holds up a circular tabletop with a green tablecloth over it. He looks off to the side.
Paul Hunter wears a clinical white jacket and stands with a one hand on the back of a white chair frame. He looks off to the side.
Anoushka Lucas wears bright royal blue trousers and a sage green sweater vest over a blue shirt. She sings into a microphone, illuminated by a white spotlight.
Joshua McGuire, John Biddle, Alan Williams, and Anoushka Lucas stand in a row. Joshua wears a clinical white jacket and grins, pointing towards the others. John wears grey trousers, a sage-coloured shirt, a bright mustard yellow tie, and brown braces. Alan wears a navy-blue suit, and Anoushka wears bright royal blue trousers and a sage green sweater vest over a blue shirt.
Sophie Steer wears a white clinical jacket and smiles, looking off to the side. Joshua McGuire wears the same and stands in the foreground, also smiling.
Hayley Carmichael wears a white clinical jacket and stands behind a typewriter. She has glasses on the tip of her nose and wild grey hair pointing out in all directions.
Alan Williams wears a navy-blue suit with a polka dot bow tie. He stands with his hands in his pockets and a gruff expression. In the background, Anoushka Lucas wears bright royal blue trousers and a sage green sweater vest over a blue shirt.
Joshua McGuire stands in side profile and looks ahead with a neutral expression. He wears a white clinical jacket and there is a microphone on a stand in the foreground.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu wears a brown jacket and dark trousers and sits on stage with his back against a brown armchair. John Biddle, Anoushka Lucas, and Sophie Steer surround the chair. They wear clinical white jackets and Anoushka peers down at Ṣọpẹ́ as she blows on a red kazoo.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu stands on a dark stage, illuminated by white light. He has a pained expression, and his fists clenched in front of his torso. He wears a grey t-shirt and dark trousers.
Paul Hunter wears a white clinical jacket and grey trousers. He wears shiny brown shoes and has one leg forward at an angle. There is a microphone on a stand in the foreground.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu examines his face in a handheld mirror, sticking out his tongue. He wears a brown jacket and dark trousers. The Rhinoceros company stand to the left, all wearing white clinical jackets. They observe Ṣọpẹ́ while Joshua McGuire sits across from him with a bored expression.
Joshua McGuire wears a white clinical jacket and sits to the left of a circular tabletop with a green tablecloth over it. He looks off to the side. Opposite him, Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu wears dark trousers and a brown jacket. He looks towards Joshua.
Alan Williams wears a white clinical jacket and sits to the left of a circular tabletop with a green tablecloth over it. He looks at Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu, who sits opposite him and wears dark trousers and a brown jacket. Joshua McGuire, also wearing a white clinical jacket, stands between them. Alan and Joshua gesture with their hands at Ṣọpẹ́.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù wears dark trousers and a grey t-shirt. He sits in a shiny brown armchair and has a horrified expression and is illuminated by white light. The Rhinoceros company are illuminated in the background behind a sheer white curtain.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù wears dark trousers and a grey t-shirt. He frowns. A face is projected in green light onto a sheer white curtain in the background.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù wears dark trousers and a grey t-shirt. He stands on a white stage amongst rubble on the ground, and is illuminated by white light. In the background hangs a sheer white curtain.
Rhinoceros Rehearsal Photo

Rehearsal Photos

By Marc Brenner

An image gallery with 28 photos
Paul Hunter wears a black t-shirt and stands behind a microphone. He looks off to the side and gestures with one hand.
Hayley Carmichael wears a brown hat and looks at two people facing her in the foreground.
Anoushka Lucas, Sophie Steer and John Biddle sit on steps. They each hold scripts and are blowing on kazoos.
Alan Williams wears a blue and grey checked shirt and sits on a chair against a wall. He has a gruff expression.
Joshua McGuire scrunches up his face and has one hand over his eye on a television screen in front of a black curtain. Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu stands facing sideways, blurred in the foreground.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu wears a cream sweater and pink joggers. He sits on the back of a dark green armchair and looks off to the side.
Toby Sedgwick wears a blue sweater and blue jeans and stands with his hands on his hips.
Georgia Murphy wears a red sweater and sits holding a script. She has a neutral expression.
Anoushka Lucas and Sophie Steer wear black tops and trousers and sit on steps. They are both smiling and mid-conversation.
Joshua McGuire wears a white t-shirt and sits on a blue chair. One hand is obscured beneath a white sheet in a pile on another chair to his side. He is smiling.
Joshua McGuire scrunches up his forehead and has one hand over his eye on a television screen in front of a black curtain. Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu stands blurred in the foreground.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu wears a cream sweater and pink joggers. He leans forward with one finger pointing down, close to Joshua McGuire’s eye, who wears a white t-shirt. Both hold scripts.
Anoushka Lucas wears a loose white shirt and sits with a black rotary phone on a tray in her lap. She has a neutral expression and faces sideways with her head slightly angles toward the viewer.
Sophie Steer wears a loose white shirt and sits on the ground, leaning on a chair seat with her arms. The lower half of her face is obscured as her hands rest on a white pillow on a chair.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu wears a cream jumper and pink joggers and leans slightly back from Joshua McGuire, who wears a white t-shirt and grabs Ṣọpẹ́’s sweater in his fists. Joshua has an urgent expression.
Joshua McGuire sits sideways between two blue chairs with his legs resting on a white sheet. He leans his head on the back of the chair and has an anguished expression.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu wears a cream jumper and frowns. He has one hand gesturing in front of him and holds a tablet in the other.
Anoushka Lucas, Sophie Steer and John Biddle sit on steps. They each hold scripts. Sophie and Anoushka are smiling and John frowns as he and Sophie look at something off camera.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu wears a cream sweater and pink joggers and stands on a black platform. He has a neutral expression and one hand in his pocket.
Anoushka Lucas, Sophie Steer and John Biddle sit on steps. They each hold scripts and are smiling. In front of them, Joshua McGuire sits sideways between two blue chairs with his legs resting on a white sheet. He leans his head on the back of the chair and has an anguished expression.
Anoushka Lucas, Sophie Steer and John Biddle sit on steps. They each hold scripts and are blowing on kazoos.
Joshua McGuire wears a white t-shirt and leans forward, looking towards Ṣọpẹ́ Dirisu, who is only in partial view. John Biddle, Anoushka Lucas and Sophie Steer surround Joshua with their arms around him. Anoushka and Sophie each blow on kazoos.

Cast & Creatives

  • Cast

    John Biddle
    Headshot of actor John Biddle.
    John Biddle
    Hayley Carmichael
    Headshot of actor Hayley Carmichael.
    Hayley Carmichael
    Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù
    Headshot of actor Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù.
    Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù
    Paul Hunter
    Headshot of actor Paul Hunter.
    Paul Hunter
    Anoushka Lucas
    Headshot of actor Anoushka Lucas.
    Anoushka Lucas
    Joshua McGuire
    Headshot of actor Joshua McGuire.
    Joshua McGuire
    Sophie Steer
    Headshot of actor Sophie Steer.
    Sophie Steer
    Alan Williams
    Headshot of actor Alan Williams.
    Alan Williams

  • Creatives

    Eugène Ionesco

    Writer

    Omar Elerian
    Omar Elerian

    Translator and Director

    Ana Inés Jabares-Pita
    Ana Inés Jabares-Pita

    Set and Costume Designer

    Jackie Shemesh
    Jackie Shemesh

    Lighting Designer

    Elena Peña
    Elena Peña

    Sound Designer

    Toby Sedgwick
    Toby Sedgwick

    Choreographer and Movement Director

    John Biddle
    John Biddle

    Musical Director and Original Music

    Robin Fisher

    Video Content

    Amy Ball CDG
    Amy Ball CDG

    Casting Director

    Peter Todd
    Peter Todd

    Costume Supervisor

    Georgia Murphy
    Georgia Murphy

    Associate Director

    Anna Kelsey

    Design Assistant

    Aija Pozemkovska

    Design Placement

Access For All
Exterior of the Almeida Theatre at night with audience members gathered by the entrance doors.

Access Performances

Audio Described Sat 19 Apr 2pm (Touch Tour 12pm)
Captioned Tue 22 Apr 7.30pm
Dementia Friendly Wed 23 Apr 2pm
Relaxed Environment Wed 23 Apr 7.30pm

Access For All

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

Access

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.

25s & Under

£5 tickets will be available to those aged 25 and under for performances from Tue 25 – Mon 31 Mar. Enter code 25UNDER when selecting your seats. Tickets are limited to two per booker and go on sale here at 5pm on Thu 6 Mar.

30s & Under, Over 65s & Unemployed

If you are aged 30 or under, over 65 or are unemployed you can book tickets at a discounted rate. Not applicable on Fri or Sat evenings.

Islington First

If you live or work in the Islington area you can book best available seats for £25 for performances from Tue 25 – Mon 31 Mar and Wed 2 Apr subject to availability. Enter promo code ISFIRST when selecting your seats. Find applicable postcodes here.

Talks & Events

Talkback
After Thu 17 Apr performance
A post-show talk with members of the company. Free to same-day ticket holders.

Almeida For Free
Thu 10 Apr 7.30pm
A free performance for those aged 25 and under. More info >

Supporters

 Rhinoceros is generously supported by Dianne Roberts.

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