Cool Hand Luke Tickets

Coming to the Aldwych is a play about the indomitable nature of the human spirit in the face of savage brutality and rigid authoritarianism.  Cool Hand Luke is a famous story that has already been told in many mediums, but perhaps it’s current form will make it more immediate and affecting than ever before.  This new adaptation by Emma Reeves promises an emotional drama that is as inspirational as it is tragic.  Make sure you catch this exceptional play while it lasts: book your tickets now. 

Cool Hand Luke was originally a novel by Donn Pearce that came out in the mid sixties.  Though the book is considered a classic, the story is perhaps far more well known in the film version that was released a couple of years later.  Starring Paul Newman under the direction of Stuart Rosenburg, this film has become a cult classic, and has recently been earmarked for preservation by the US Library of Congress due to it’s extensive cultural impact.

The story centres around the character of Luke Jackson, the ‘Cool Hand’ of the play’s title.  A Second World War veteran, Luke is sentenced to two years hard labour following a night of drunken vandalism.  Upon arriving at the prison, however, it is clear the Luke is not your average prisoner.  Refusing to recognise the hierarchy amongst the established inmates, Luke takes a beating from a man called Dragline, the self imposed head amongst the inmates.  This is our first glimpse of Luke’s giant spirit: despite clearly losing the fight, he continues to get up and take more pain from the larger man.

He goes on to win the respect of the prisoners with feats such as this.  In one of the most famous incidents in the story, he proves he can eat fifty eggs to win a bet.  He earns his name ‘Cool Hand Luke’ by winning a poker game on a bluff with an insignificant pair of cards.  Through his refusal to submit to the prison authorities and his individual type of wisdom, the other prisoners begin to regard him as a symbol for hope.

This means, of course, that the prison’ captain starts to see him as a threat to his authority, and does everything in his power to try and crush the rebellious young man.  But when Luke’s mother dies, he becomes determined to make every effort to escape incarceration.

This production features the acting talents of one Marc Warren, who you will remember from such television shows as ‘Mad Dogs’ and ‘Hustle’.  Andrew Loudon directs.