An extension has been announced for The Truth About Harry Beck, a new play about the designer of the iconic version of the London Tube map, which recently opened to critical acclaim at London Transport Museum’s on-site Cubic Theatre, right in the heart of Covent Garden. Tickets for performances until 5 January are on sale now.
Presented by the Natural Theatre Company, The Truth About Harry Beck is written and directed by Andy Burden, with set design by Sue Condie, and with Simon Snashall as ‘Harry Beck and Ashley Christmas as ‘Nora Beck’.
Writer and director Andy Burden said, “we are absolutely delighted at the wonderful reception we’ve had since opening, and we are even more delighted to be bringing Harry Beck's story to life to a brand-new theatre audience in this fabulous museum!”
Harry Beck: creator of the London Tube Map.
For many of us, the London Underground is purely functional. But to Harry Beck, this web of geography became an obsession – a fascination with the creation of the perfect Tube map.
How did Beck create the iconic diagrammatic map of today, and at what cost? To understand you need to meet Harry, and his wife Nora.
Take a glimpse inside a journey of passion, a wife’s dedication and the living breathing network of the tunnels and train tracks in our capital. Embrace your inner transport enthusiast through a mash up of real-life accounts, uncovered anecdotes and seemingly unconnected facts (...with a peppering of fictitious characters).
Join The Natural Theatre Company as they take you on a whimsical whirlwind of fact through the worlds of design, transport, modern history...and an addiction to getting it right.
Simon Snashall plays ‘Harry Beck’. Simon’s TV credits include Humans, The IT Crowd, Silent Witness, Spooks, and Inspector Lynley Mysteries. His theatre credits include Summer Street (Brighton Fringe, Waterloo East), Horrible Christmas (Birmingham Stage), Around the World I Eighty Days (Arcola), and 'Tony Hancock' in Hancock’s Last Half Hour (Southwold Summer Theatre / Henley Fringe).
Ashley Christmas plays ‘Nora Beck’, a role for which she has received an Offies Award nomination for Best Lead Performance in a Play. Ashley is a long-time collaborator with Andy Burden and has worked with the Natural Theatre Company for over 20 years, including in the previous production of The Truth About Harry Beck at the Ustinov Studio in Bath. Her theatre credits include Darcy’s Ball (Mission Theatre, Bath), Crimes on the Coast (New Old Friends), See How They Run (York Theatre Royal), Alice Through the Looking Glass (Tobacco Factory), The Bloody Chamber (Proteus Theatre).
Writer and director Andy Burden has been directing shows for nearly thirty years, which include three Christmas Shows at Bristol’s iconic Tobacco Factory: Alice Through The Looking Glass; A Christmas Carol and The Adventures of Pinocchio. He has directed Dirty Bath, A Christmas Cracker; Shakespeare Begins; Austen Undone; Austen Lost & Found and Scarlatti In Paradise for The Natural Theatre Company, and Henry V for Company Boudin; Fly Eddie Fly and The Final Journey of Edward Wilson for Cheltenham Everyman.
His writing and co-writing includes: The Chronicles of Hoggett & Webb; Henry VIII and the Royal Wedding Planner; I Shot Dirty Den; When I Was Ten I could Fly and The Meaning of Riff. Andy has also created successful stage adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo and the Terry Gilliam film The Fisher King.
He is the Artistic & Executive Director of The Natural Theatre Company.
Inspired by the culture and creativity of the West End, the introduction of theatre is one example of how London Transport Museum is expanding its programming for new audiences. Music, performance and even more art and design will allow people to explore London’s rich transport history and the influential characters that have shaped London; this is part of the new strategic vision for London Transport Museum, led by Director and CEO Elizabeth McKay.
Elizabeth McKay, Director and CEO for London Transport Museum, said: “The opportunity to introduce this new play about the man behind the famous Tube map was a no-brainer for us. London Transport Museum is a cultural cornerstone in Covent Garden in the heart of theatreland and this play lets you experience one of London’s little-known stories in a brand-new live format. We are bringing the capital’s rich history and characters alive for you.”
London Transport Museum are offering ticket holders for The Truth About Harry Beck a half-price day pass to the Museum, valid from one month from the selected performance date. Further details and terms and conditions can be found here.
Visitors to the Museum in Covent Garden can find out more about the history of the evolution of the London Underground map in its London by Design gallery. The gallery features one of the first printed editions of Harry Beck’s 1933 Pocket Underground map. Other more modern maps inspired by Beck’s iconic design will also be displayed.
