The Smile of Her, the highly acclaimed autobiographical play written and performed by Academy, Emmy, and Golden Globe Award winner Christine Lahti, has released its first official production images. Currently playing a strictly limited engagement at the Marylebone Theatre in London, the deeply personal production runs from Friday 10 July to Saturday 29 August 2026.
Marking Lahti's first-ever UK stage appearance, the production has also announced the two young actresses who will be sharing the role of "Girl" alongside her. Jesamine-Bleu Gibbs, who has previously appeared in the West End production of Matilda and The Sound of Music at Chichester, will alternate in the role with Isabella Ford, who is making her professional stage debut in the production.
Directed by Mêlisa Annis, this solo work is a funny, furious, and achingly personal exploration of a woman's journey from 1950s suburban America through a rapidly changing world. The narrative confronts complex family mythology, societal misogyny, creative ambition, motherhood, and the heavy emotional cost of striving to be "a good girl." It serves as a bold, deeply human examination of the stories people inherit, the voices that are silenced, and the internal fight required to reclaim oneself.
Lahti, a celebrated stage and screen actor, first rose to prominence opposite Al Pacino in ...And Justice For All, before earning an Oscar nomination for Swing Shift and winning both a Golden Globe and Emmy for her role in Chicago Hope. Her extensive stage credits include Broadway runs of The Heidi Chronicles and God of Carnage, as well as portraying Gloria Steinem in the off-Broadway hit Gloria: A Life.
Presented by Nina Tassler, Jenny Warburg, and Wild Yak, in association with Gloria Steinem, the creative team also features designer Sarah Beaton, lighting designer Matt Haskins, and sound designer David Gregory. This highly anticipated London run follows the play's successful world premiere at the Berkshire Theatre Group.
