A Knight’s Tale musical – first look inside rehearsals

Take a look inside the rehearsal room of A Knight’s Tale The Musical, ahead of its world premiere in Manchester!

Based on the 2001 Columbia Pictures film written and directed by Brian Helgeland (which starred Heath Ledger and Paul Bettany), A Knight’s Tale follows William Thatcher, a 14th-century peasant squire who breaks all the rules when he passes himself off as a nobleman in the hopes of becoming the world champion of jousting.

It has been adapted for the stage by Brona C Titley (Spitting Image) and will be helmed by Rachel Kavanaugh (The Great British Bake Off Musical) and choreographed by WhatsOnStage Award winner Matt Cole (Disney’s Newsies). The new musical will also feature a score of chart-topping hits.

We caught up with the cast during rehearsals, so keep an eye out for exclusive interviews coming soon!

You can enjoy a first look at the cast in action, including how they’re going to “joust” on stage – and hear some numbers from the show below:

The principal cast includes Emily Benjamin as Kate, Max Bennett as Chaucer, Andrew Coshan as William, the character played by Ledger in the film, Emile Ruddock as Roland, Jay Saighal as Prince Edward, Eva Scott as What, Giles Taylor as Father, Oliver Tompsett as Count Adhemar, and Meesha Turner as Jocelyn.

Also in the cast are Robbie Alexander, Lauren Arney, Arcangelo Ciulla, Georgia Clements, Zac Frieze, Elliot Gooch, Gabriela Gregorian, Benedict Hastings, Danielle Huntley, Thomas Inge, Lisa Kerr, Zera Malvina-Aitken, Mehran James McCullough, Ryan North, Ryan Pidgen and Chioma Uma.

The production features musical supervision, orchestrations, arrangements and additional music by Simon Hale, set design by Tom Rogers, costume design by WhatsOnStage Award-winner Gabriella Slade, lighting design by WhatsOnStage Award-winner Howard Hudson, sound design by Matt Peploe, musical direction by Alan Berry, casting by Lucy Casson, children’s casting and children’s general management by Keston and Keston, performer flying by Suspended Illusions, intimacy direction by Lucy Hind and production management by Matthew Ledbury and Esme Driscoll.

A Knight’s Tale The Musical is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment and Isobel David, by arrangement with Sony Pictures and Helgeland.

The production is set to open at Manchester Opera House on 11 April 2025 for a strictly limited run until 10 May 2025, with tickets on sale now.