Jonathan O'Boyle

Director

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Agent

Dan Usztan DUsztan@unitedagents.co.uk 0203 214 0873

Assistant

Phoebe O'Donnell

PODonnell@unitedagents.co.uk 020 8057 6206

Biography

Jonathan is an award-winning director, originally from Derbyshire. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and Birkbeck, University of London.

He won Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical Production at the 2021 Off West End Awards for his production of The Last Five Years. His production of Hair won the 2018 WhatsOnStage award for Best Off-West End production. His productions of Pippin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The View Upstairs and The Last Five Years were also nominated for WhatsOnStage Awards.

Jonathan was previously trainee Associate Director at Chichester Festival Theatre and Associate Director at Theatre503.

★ ★ ★ ★
Jonathan O’Boyle’s direction keeps things buoyant
The Times on Fourteen Again (Victoria Wood Theatre)

★ ★ ★ ★
like biting into a macaroon and finding a shard of glass … I think Wood would have approved
The Telegraph on Fourteen Again (Victoria Wood Theatre)

★ ★ ★ ★
intelligently directed by Jonathan O’Boyle
WhatsOnStage on Fourteen Again (Victoria Wood Theatre)

★ ★ ★ ★
warmly witty … an ode to the past (alongside female friendship and midlife, which were repeated themes across Wood’s writing)
The Guardian on Fourteen Again (Victoria Wood Theatre)

★ ★ ★ ★
Jonathan O’Boyle directs with a discreet flair
The Stage on Fourteen Again (Victoria Wood Theatre)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
For Jonathan O’Boyle’s production, the Watermill’s tiny stage is transformed into a circus ring spacious enough to fit one shy elephant and 18 dazzling, multiskilled performer-musicians, in seemingly perpetual movement
The Observer on Barnum (Watermill Theatre)

★ ★ ★ ★
Pitch-perfect up-scaling of the Watermill’s glorious revival … ripples with energy, good humour and the timeless allure of the big top
The Stage on Barnum (UK Tour)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★
You won’t have seen a better production of The Last Five Years before. I’d even go for as to say it is the definitive production
WhatsOnStage on The Last Five Years (Southwark Playhouse)

★ ★ ★ ★
Jonathan O’Boyle’s delightful staging of this tale of backstage romance and misunderstanding
WhatsOnStage on White Christmas (The Mill at Sonning)

★ ★ ★ ★
a fast, funny, guilty pleasure … the whole thing is a sexy, smirky, tongue-in-someone-else’s cheek riot
Evening Standard on Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical (The Other Palace)

Credits

In Development

Production	Company	Notes
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET 2026	Barn Theatre	Book by Colin Escott & Floyd Mutrux Original Concept and Direction by Floyd Mutrux Inspired by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins
THE MIRROR CRACK'D 2026	The Mill at Sonning	Adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff from the novel by Agatha Christie

Theatre

Production	Company	Notes
FOURTEEN AGAIN 2026	Victoria Wood Theatre	Music and Lyrics by Victoria Wood and Book by Tom MacRae ★ ★ ★ ★ Times, Guardian Telegraph, WhatsOnStage, Stage
BARNUM 2026	UK Tour/Bill Kenwright Ltd	Book by Mark Bramble, Lyrics by Michael Stewart and Music by Cy Coleman
LUCIE JONES: LIVE IN CONCERT 2026	London Palladium
DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY 2025	Mill at Sonning/UK Tour	Adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME 2025	Prince Edward Theatre	Music and Lyrics by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz and Additional Songs and Book by Peter Parnell Nominated for WhatsOnStage Award for Best Concert Event
FAME 2025	National Youth Music Theatre	Book by Jose Fernandez, Music by Steve Margoshes and Lyrics by Jacques Levy
AUSTENLAND 2025	Savoy Theatre	Book by Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald and Music and Lyrics by Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel
CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE 90s MUSICAL 2025	UK Tour/Bill Kenwright Ltd	Created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble
PICTURE YOU DEAD 2025	UK Tour/Josh Andrews Productions	Adapted by Shaun McKenna from the novel by Peter James
WHITE CHRISTMAS 2024	Mill at Sonning	Based upon the Paramount Pictures film, written for the screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin Book by David Ives and Paul Blake
THE SINGING REVOLUTION 2024	DEM Shows Ltd/The Savoy Theatre	Staged Workshop Performance
BARNUM 2024	Watermill Theatre	Book by Mark Bramble, Lyrics by Michael Stewart and Music by Cy Coleman
PIPPIN 2024	Theatre Royal Drury Lane	50th Anniversary Concert Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and Book by Roger O. Hirson Nominated for WhatsOnStage Award for Best Concert Event
CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE 90s MUSICAL 2024	The Other Palace	Created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble
DICK WHITTINGTON 2023	Richmond Theatre/Crossroads
CALENDAR GIRLS: THE MUSICAL 2023	UK Tour/Bill Kenwright Ltd	Revised Production Written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth
THE LAST FIVE YEARS 2023	China Tour/Royo
WISH YOU WERE DEAD 2023	UK Tour/Josh Andrews Productions	Adapted by Shaun McKenna from the novel by Peter James
CINDERELLA 2022	Orchard Theatre/Crossroads
TOP HAT 2022	Mill at Sonning	Revival of sell-out 2021 production
JEKYLL AND HYDE 2022	Lambert Jackson	Workshop
LOOKING GOOD DEAD 2021 – 2022	UK Tour/Josh Andrews Productions	Adapted by Shaun McKenna from the novel by Peter James
THE LAST FIVE YEARS 2021	Garrick Theatre	West End transfer
TOP HAT 2021	Mill at Sonning	Music & Lyrics by Irving Berlin Based on RKO’s Motion Picture Book by Matthew White & Howard Jacques
PROUD 2021	Turbine Theatre	By Graham Lappin, Mark Anderson & Lee Freeman
THE WEDDING SINGER 2021	Arts Ed	Music by Matthew Sklar Lyrics by Chad Beguelin Book by Chad Beguelin & Tim Herlihy
THE LAST FIVE YEARS 2020	Southwark Playhouse	Written and composed by Jason Robert Brown Actor-Musician production Off-West End Awards for Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical Production Nominated for WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off-West End Production
THE ASTONISHING TIMES OF TIMOTHY CRATCHIT 2019	Hope Mill Theatre	Book by Allan Knee Music And Lyrics by Andre Catrini
NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT 2019	Arts Ed	Songs by George and Ira Gershwin Book by Joe DiPietro
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA 2019	Cadogan Hall	Music by Richard Rodgers Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II New Book by Douglas Carter Beane Original Book by Oscar Hammerstein II
CRUEL INTENTIONS 2019	Palais du Variété Spiegeltent, Edinburgh/Bill Kenwright Ltd	Created by Lindsey Rosin and Jordan Ross
THE VIEW UPSTAIRS 2019	Soho Theatre/Take Two Theatricals	UK Premiere By Max Vernon Nominated for Off-West End Award for Best Musical Production
HAIR 2019	UK Tour	Book and Lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and Music by Galt MacDermot
ASPECTS OF LOVE 2019	Hope Mill Theatre/Southwark Playhouse	Music and Book by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart Nominated for Best Best Direction of a New Production of a Musical & Best New Production of a Musical, 2018 Broadway World UK Awards
PETER PAN 2018	Park 200	By J.M. Barrie Nominated for Off-West End Award for Best Director
A GUIDE FOR THE HOMESICK 2018	Trafalgar Studios 2	By Ken Urban
RAIN MAN 2018	Bill Kenwright Ltd/UK Tour	By Dan Gordon Extended into 2019
RASHEEDA SPEAKING 2018	Trafalgar Studios 2/Troupe Productions	UK Premiere, starring Tanya Moodie and Elizabeth Berrington By Joel Drake Johnson Nominated for Off-West End Award for Best Director
PIPPIN 2018	Southwark Playhouse/Hope Mill Theatre	Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and Book by Roger O. Hirson Shortlisted for Off-West End Award for Best Musical Production
THIS HOUSE 2018	Headlong/UK Tour	Replica Director By James Graham Dir. Jeremy Herrin
DEAR BRUTUS 2017	Southwark Playhouse	By J.M. Barrie
HAIR 2017	UK Tour/The Vaults/Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester	Book and Lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and Music by Galt MacDermot WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Production Shortlisted for Off-West End Award for Best Musical Production
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS 2017	Dominion Theatre/Playful Productions	Resident Director Music by George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Book by Craig Lucas Dir. Christopher Wheeldon Nominated for Best New Musical, 2018 Olivier Awards
FOUR PLAY 2016	Theatre503	By Jake Brunger Nominated for 2016 Off-West End Award for Best Director
SENSE OF AN ENDING 2015	Theatre503	By Ken Urban Time Out Critic’s Choice Nominated for Best Direction of a New Production of a Play, 2015 BroadwayWorld UK/West End Awards
THE VERB, 'TO LOVE' 2015	Old Red Lion/Aria Entertainment	Book, Music and Lyrics by Andy Collyer
THE SURPLUS 2015	Young Vic	Schools Theatre Production
MADE IN BRITAIN 2015	Old Red Lion	By Ella Carmen Greenhill * * * * … incandescent with feeling … O’Boyle’s production is so intense, so contained – The Times
ALL THE WAYS TO SAY GOODBYE 2014	Young Vic 5 Plays	New play by Neil LaBute
WATER UNDER THE BOARD 2014	Theatre503	By Christopher A. Adams
BASH 2014	Trafalgar Studios 2	West End transfer Time Out Critic’s Choice Nominated for Best Direction of a New Production of a Play, 2014 Broadway World Awards
BASH 2014	Old Red Lion	By Neil LaBute * * * * … entirely gripping – What’s On Stage Compelling, confident and provocative – The Stage
THE MONSTER BRIDE 2013	Tristan Bates Theatre	By Brendan Cull
LAST ONLINE TODAY 2013	Sheffield Crucible New Writing Project	By Dominic Aitken
GUINEA PIGS 2013	Sheffield Crucible New Writing Project	By Matt Medlock

Opera

Production	Company	Notes
MANON 2013	Royal Opera House	By Massenet Assistant Director Dir. Laurent Pelly, Revival Dir. Christian Rath

Associate Credits

Production	Company	Notes
THIS HOUSE 2016 – 2017	Chichester Festival Theatre/Garrick Theatre	By James Graham Dir. Jeremy Herrin Nominated for Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play
THE JUDAS KISS 2016	Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto/Brooklyn Academy of Music	By David Hare Dir. Neil Armfield
MACK AND MABEL 2015	Chichester Festival Theatre/Playful Productions	By Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart Dir. Jonathan Church
BULL 2015	Young Vic	By Mike Bartlett Dir. Clare Lizzimore Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre
THIS IS MY FAMILY 2014	Sheffield Lyceum/UK Tour	By Tim Firth Dir. Daniel Evans

Assisting Credits

Production	Company	Notes
AMADEUS 2014	Chichester Festival Theatre	By Peter Shaffer Dir. Jonathan Church
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS 2013	Young Vic	By Kander & Ebb Dir. Susan Stroman
MY FAIR LADY 2013	Sheffield Crucible	By Lerner & Loewe Dir. Daniel Evans
BULL 2013	Sheffield Crucible Studio/59E59, New York	By Mike Bartlett Dir. Clare Lizzimore
THIS IS MY FAMILY 2013	Sheffield Crucible Studio	By Tim Firth Dir. Daniel Evans
THE VILLAGE BIKE 2012	Sheffield Crucible Studio	By Penelope Skinner Dir. Jonathan Humphries
SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME 2012	Southwark Playhouse	By Frank McGuinness Dir. Jessica Swale
THE PROVOKED WIFE 2012	Guildhall School of Music and Drama	By John Vanbrugh Dir. Nick Bagnall

Other

Production	Company	Notes
WORKSHOPS	Young Vic	Taking Part workshops; Talk Back and Q&A; Onstage workshops; Parallel Production of THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS
WORKSHOPS	Sheffield Theatres	Sheffield Theatres Summer School 2013; NT Connections 2013; The Lab: Drama School Auditions; Page to Stage workshops
DIRECTING WORKSHOP	National Student Drama Festival

Jonathan O'Boyle

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