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Gabriel Byrne will join Geraldine James in the world stage premiere of 45 Years, from the film by Andrew Haigh, adapted for the stage by Hannah Patterson, directed by Prasanna Puwanarajah and running at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre from 12 June – 11 July, with a press night on 18 June.
Gabriel Byrne returns to the UK stage, making his Chichester debut as Geoff. The winner of many stage and screen awards, including a Golden Globe and two Tony nominations, his international career ranges from stage credits A Moon for the Misbegotten, Long Day’s Journey Into Night and Walking with Ghosts on Broadway, to starring screen roles in Miller’s Crossing, The Usual Suspects, In Treatment and The War of the Worlds.
Geraldine James comes to Chichester for the first time to play Kate. Her innumerable TV credits include Back to Life, Silo, This Town, Dope Girls, Band of Gold (BAFTA nomination) and The Jewel in the Crown. Tony Award-nominated for The Merchant of Venice on Broadway, her recent stage roles include Creditors (Orange Tree) and As You Like It (RSC). Buried for decades, the body of a young woman is found in the melting ice. A thousand miles and 45 years away… a crack forms in the crystal of a marriage.
It’s the week leading up to Kate and Geoff’s wedding anniversary and preparations for the party are in full swing. As they choose the music for their first dance, a letter from Switzerland quietly shatters their world.
Is the past another country? Or are the secrets in the attic of our memory destined to return?Adapted from Andrew Haigh’s critically acclaimed 2015 film, 45 Years is an achingly tense, intimate and moving dance to the music of time.
Hannah Patterson’s plays include Eden (Hampstead Theatre) and Playing With Grown Ups (Theatre503), nominated for an OffWestEnd Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Award, which transferred to 59E59 in New York.
Director Prasanna Puwanarajah makes his CFT debut; his recent work includes Twelfth Night at the RSC, for which he won the 2025 UK Theatre Award for Best Director.
