London Assurance tickets are now available for the Olivier Theatre

The brilliantly funny London Assurance was written in 1841, the age of Dickens, by the Irish genius Dion Boucicault.

Sir Harcourt Courtly is lured away from the epicentre of fashionable London by the promise of a rich and beautiful bride, Grace, who is several decades his junior.

Arriving at Oak Hall, Gloucestershire, he marvels at this rural Venus until her charms are eclipsed by her hearty cousin, the foxhunting Lady Gay Spanker, wife of barmy old Mr Adolphus Spanker.

Meanwhile his disguised son turns up in flight from his creditors and falls head over heels for Grace.

When Lady Spanker discovers the young couple, she needs little prompting from the visiting chancer Dazzle to lead Sir Harcourt astray.

Simon Russell Beale and Fiona Shaw star as Sir Harcourt and Lady Spanker with the legendary Richard Briers as Mr Spanker.

Tickets are available now for performances from the 3rd April until the 2nd June at the National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre.

Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle is to direct a stage version of Frankenstein at the National Theatre next Winter.

Boyle directed plays at the Royal Court and the Royal Shakespeare Company earlier in his career.

The National Theatre’s Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner commented – “What will be exciting will be to see how a theatre director with a really recognisable personal style has been altered by what he’s discovered about himself over 15 years making movies.”

The play is by Nick Dear and is based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

We will bring you more news as and when we get it.