The Rise and Fall of Little Voice Tickets at the National Theatre
A shy young woman sings the great divas alone in her bedroom, perfectly, and her mother's new boyfriend decides she is his ticket to the big time. Jim Cartwright's comedy plays the National Theatre's Dorfman from 2 December 2026 to 23 January 2027. Francesca Mills is Little Voice, Jill Halfpenny is Mari, and Paul Chuckle, of the Chuckle Brothers, is Mr Boo.
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The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the National Theatre
Little Voice barely speaks. Shut away in her bedroom, she plays her late dad's records and sings along to them, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday and the rest, and she sounds exactly like them. Her mother Mari has a new man, a local wheeler-dealer called Ray. When Ray hears that voice, he is sure he has struck gold.
It is a comedy about a girl being pushed towards a spotlight she never asked for.
Previews run 2 to 7 December 2026, and the run ends on Saturday 23 January 2027. A UK tour follows, until 20 March 2027.
Who It Is For
Anyone who loved Little Voice, the 1998 film of this play with Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine and Brenda Blethyn. Fans of the familiar faces in the cast: Francesca Mills from Silent Witness, Jill Halfpenny from The Long Shadow, and Paul Chuckle. And anyone after a comedy for a night out over Christmas or in January.
Performance Schedule
Evenings start at 7:30pm, apart from four that start at 6:30pm: Thursday 7, Tuesday 12, Thursday 14 and Tuesday 19 January.
There is no regular matinee. The afternoon performances are at 2pm on Monday 21, Wednesday 23, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 December, and on Saturday 16 January.
No running time has been published yet.
Book Your Tickets
Tickets run from around £25 up to around £95, and most seats are around £55 to around £70. Our dates start on 14 December, and the cheapest seats are on the Christmas-week performances. Prices move with demand.
All-in: the price you pick is the price you pay. Call 020 7193 9050 and we will help you choose a date and a seat.
Dates & tickets
FAQs
A shy young woman who can sing like Judy Garland and Billie Holiday, and her mother's boyfriend, who hears her and wants to make her a star.
It is often searched that way. The title is The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, with no "the" before Little Voice.
No, it is a play, but the singing is central. Little Voice performs her diva impressions, and the production has its own composer and music director, David Shrubsole.
Daniel Ryan. Francesca Mills is Little Voice, Jill Halfpenny is Mari and Paul Chuckle is Mr Boo.
The National has not published a running time yet.
The National has published no age guidance or content warning for this production. Its general rule applies: no under-4s, and children 12 and under must be with an adult.
The National says latecomers may not be admitted, so arrive 30 minutes before.
Yes, a UK tour follows the London run and goes on until 20 March 2027.
Where to Sit
The Dorfman is set out differently for almost every production, and this one uses all three levels. The Pit is the floor, closest to the action. The Circle and the Gallery are balconies running round three sides, looking down on the stage, and the cheapest seats are up there. The theatre holds no more than 450, so nobody is far away. The Dorfman seating plan has how each level usually plays.
For a play built around one voice, the middle of the Pit is the safest choice if your budget reaches it. On a tighter budget, look at the front of the Circle before the back of the Pit. Call us and we will check the plan for your date.
Accessible performances
| Date | Time | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 18 Dec | 7:30pm | Captioned |
| Wed 6 Jan | 7:30pm | BSL interpreted |
| Fri 15 Jan | 7:30pm | Captioned |
| Sat 16 Jan | 2pm | Audio described, Touch Tour beforehand |
| Thu 21 Jan | 7:30pm | Relaxed |
| Fri 22 Jan | 7:30pm | Audio described, Touch Tour beforehand |
Smart caption glasses are not available for this production. Access bookings and Touch Tours are handled by the National's own access team, not by us. Access at the Dorfman covers the building.
Dates & tickets
Booking now
The Dorfman Theatre
The smallest of the National Theatre's three theatres, on Upper Ground, South Bank, SE1 9PX. The Dorfman has its own entrance, on the east side of the building on Stage Door Avenue, not the main river doors. Come to the main doors by mistake and it is a short walk round the side. See how to find the Dorfman entrance.
Waterloo is the nearest tube, five to seven minutes on foot. By bus, the 381 gets you closest, stopping on Stamford Street level with the Dorfman, and the 139, 176 and SL6 stop on Waterloo Bridge, about five minutes' walk.
Arrive 30 minutes before, no later. That is the National's advice, and latecomers may not be let in.
For food and drink in and around the building, see our National Theatre guide. Everything else about the theatre is in our Dorfman Theatre guide.
Address
Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre, Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PX
Nearest Tube
Waterloo
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice Cast
| Role | Performer |
|---|---|
| Little Voice | Francesca Mills |
| Mari | Jill Halfpenny |
| Mr Boo | Paul Chuckle |
| Ray Say | Daniel Ryan |
| Sadie | Beverly Rudd |
| Billy | Adonis Siddique |
| Telephone Man | Noel White |
| Ensemble, understudy Little Voice | Alice Croft |
| Ensemble, understudy Billy and Telephone Man | Kofi Dennis |
| Ensemble, understudy Mari and Sadie | Nicky Swift |
Creative Team
Written by Jim Cartwright. Directed by Robert Hastie, the National's Deputy Artistic Director, whose previous work includes Standing at the Sky's Edge.
Set and costume design by Janet Bird, lighting by Paul Pyant, sound by Mike Walker. Composer and music director David Shrubsole. Movement by Ira Mandela Siobhan, fight and intimacy direction by Bethan Clark. Casting by Alastair Coomer CDG, dialect coach Hazel Holder, voice coach Zoe Littleton.
About This Production
The play first opened at the National in June 1992, in this same theatre, then called the Cottesloe, with Jane Horrocks as Little Voice. Cartwright wrote the part around Horrocks's own impressions. It went on to the West End, and in 1998 it became the film Little Voice.
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice
Dorfman Theatre
