The Truth Tickets at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Stephen Mangan's Michel is sleeping with his best friend's wife and lying to everyone about it. Florian Zeller's comedy is back after a sold-out 2026 run, with Ardal O'Hanlon, Sarah Hadland and Janie Dee.
- Price
- From £37 all-in
- Running time
- 90m, no interval
- Age
- 12+
- Venue
- Theatre Royal Haymarket, near Piccadilly Circus , Charing Cross or Leicester Square
- Performances
- Mon to Sat 7:30pm, Sat and Sun 3pm
- Closes
- 16 October 2027
Prices live · Page updated 13 November 2026
Real people on the phone
020 7193 9050 · Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm, Sunday 10am to 8pm
Help choosing your seat
What Tickets Cost
Tickets start from around £35, and most seats cost around £60 to £135. The best seats go up to around £175 on Friday and Saturday evenings and at every matinee.
Next available
- Thu 29 Jul · 7:30pm from £37
- Fri 30 Jul · 7:30pm from £43
- Sat 31 Jul · 3:00pm from £43
- Sat 31 Jul · 7:30pm from £43
- Thu 5 Aug · 7:00pm from £37
Prices and dates checked 13 November 2026
Monday to Thursday evenings are the cheaper nights. Prices start lower, and the best seats top out at around £145.
All-in pricing, the price you see is what you pay. For a group, or if you'd like us to find the best seats for your budget, give us a call.
Performance Schedule
From September, a normal week looks like this:
| Day | Matinee | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | - | 7:30pm |
| Tuesday | - | 7:30pm |
| Wednesday | - | 7:30pm |
| Thursday | 3pm | 7:30pm |
| Friday | - | 7:30pm |
| Saturday | 3pm | 7:30pm |
| Sunday | - | - |
There are extra 3pm matinees on Wednesday 15 and 29 September and Wednesday 13 October.
August is different:
- The first performance is Thursday 29 July at 7:30pm
- No performances on Monday 2, 9, 23 and 30 August, Tuesday 3 and 24 August, or Wednesday 4 and 25 August
- Press night is Thursday 5 August, at 7pm
- Extra 3pm matinees on Friday 6, Sunday 8, Wednesday 11, Tuesday 17, Friday 27, Sunday 29 and Tuesday 31 August
The last performance is Saturday 16 October at 7:30pm. Ardal O'Hanlon plays Paul until 4 September.
Book The Truth Tickets
Twelve weeks only, from 29 July to 16 October 2027. Tickets from around £35, with all-in pricing, so the price you see is what you pay.
Find tickets • Call us on 020 7193 9050
Best Seats for The Truth
Book the middle of the Royal Circle, rows B to E, for the best view in the theatre: close, a little above the stage and square on to it. The middle of the Stalls, rows D to K, is just as good for a play like this, at eye level with four actors talking.
The theatre hasn't been modernised inside, so seats are narrow and legroom is tight on every level. The middle of the Upper Circle, from row C back, is the value, and the Gallery benches at the top are the cheapest seats, up 65 steps. With no interval, there's no break to stretch your legs.
More on every level is in the Tickets and Best Seats tab.
Where to Sit for The Truth
Tickets run from around £35 to around £175, all-in, and most seats are around £60 to £135. On Monday to Thursday evenings the top price is around £145.
Royal Circle
Rows B to E in the middle are the best seats in the theatre, and among the most expensive. Row A is good too, though its ends lose the front corners of the stage, and the end seats of rows G and H are sold as restricted view.
Stalls
The middle of rows D to K is close and at eye level, which suits a play that's mostly two people in a room. Row A sits under a high stage. From about row R back, the Royal Circle above cuts off the top of the stage.
Upper Circle
The middle block, from row C back, sees the whole stage for much less. Every seat in the side blocks is sold as restricted view.
Gallery
The cheapest seats, on cushioned benches with fixed armrests, at the very top. It's a long climb.
Seat by seat, it's all on the Theatre Royal Haymarket seating plan. Call us on 020 7193 9050 and we'll find the best seats left on your date.
Who's The Truth For?
Anyone who likes a comedy built on lies, near-misses and people getting caught out. If you like a farce with a bit of bite, this is one: four people, two marriages, and nobody telling the whole truth.
It's also one for fans of the cast. Stephen Mangan from Green Wing and Episodes, Ardal O'Hanlon from Father Ted, Sarah Hadland from Miranda and Janie Dee, who has won two Olivier Awards, in one play for 90 minutes.
If you know Florian Zeller from The Father, this is a different kind of play. It's a comedy, and it's quick.
What's The Truth About?
It opens in a hotel room. Michel has just slept with Alice, and Alice is married to Paul, his best friend and tennis partner. She feels guilty, and he can't find his sock.
Back home, Michel's wife Laurence starts asking where he's been, and he lies. Then he lies to cover the lie. Over seven short scenes, each with two of the four on stage, he loses track of who knows what, and starts to wonder whether he's the only one who doesn't know the truth.
That's as far as we'll go, because the twists are the fun of it. Christopher Hampton translated it from French, and it's set in Paris.
The Truth News and Reviews
The Truth comes back after a sold-out summer at the Apollo Theatre, where it ran from 9 June to 12 September 2026. The reviews below are of that production, with the same four actors. Ardal O'Hanlon leaves on 4 September 2027, and the new Paul hasn't been announced.
The critics loved Stephen Mangan. Writing in the Guardian, Mark Lawson gave it five stars and said it "is made seat-shakingly funny by four fabulously fibbing performers". Dominic Cavendish in the Telegraph, at four stars, wrote that "Mangan makes this brazen liar sheepishly appealing even when he's being frankly appalling", and called it "flimsier fare" than The Father, with "a surprisingly satisfying sting to the froth".
The Standard (four stars) called it "a glossy, old-fashioned West End night out, and none the worse for that". Time Out and WhatsOnStage gave it four stars too, and Theatre Weekly five.
Not everyone was won over by the script. The Stage gave it two stars and found it "ponderous", and LondonTheatre.co.uk felt that "the play on second viewing has a faintly mechanical aspect", though it had no doubts about the cast.
Stephen Mangan as Michel
Mangan was nominated for a Tony Award for The Norman Conquests, which went from the Old Vic to Broadway in 2008. On television he's best known for Green Wing, Episodes, opposite Tamsin Greig and Matt LeBlanc, and four series of The Split. His recent stage work includes The Man in the White Suit at Wyndham's, Private Lives at the Donmar and Unicorn at the Garrick.
Ardal O'Hanlon as Paul
Father Ted made him famous as Father Dougal, and he went on to lead My Hero and Death in Paradise. He was nominated for an Olivier Award for The Weir, and he still tours as a stand-up. He plays Paul until 4 September 2027.
Sarah Hadland as Alice
Hadland played Stevie in Miranda, and has been in The Job Lot and Horrible Histories. She reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2024.
Janie Dee as Laurence
Dee has two Olivier Awards, for Carousel at the National Theatre and for Comic Potential, which Alan Ayckbourn wrote for her. Recent work includes Old Friends at the Gielgud and Fallen Angels at the Menier Chocolate Factory.
Creative Team
Lindsay Posner directs, as he did when The Truth had its English-language premiere at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2016. Christopher Hampton translated it, Lizzie Clachan designed the set and costumes, Richard Howell the lighting and Adam Cork the sound. Melting Pot produces.
Getting to the Theatre Royal Haymarket
The Theatre Royal Haymarket is on Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HT, between Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Piccadilly Circus, on the Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines, is about 3 minutes' walk, and Charing Cross is the nearest mainline station.
Buses 12, 88, 159 and 453 stop on Haymarket at Charles II Street, a couple of minutes from the door, and the 9, 23 and 139 stop at Jermyn Street. Haymarket is one way, so for buses north or west after the show, walk up to Regent Street, St James's.
Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before, no later. Tickets are e-tickets on your phone or printed, and the bars take cards only. There's no lift, and the Upper Circle and Gallery are 65 steps up.
Everything else, including access, is in our Theatre Royal Haymarket guide.
The Truth FAQs
How long is The Truth?
About 90 minutes, with no interval. A 7:30pm show finishes at around 9pm, and a 3pm matinee at around 4:30pm.
Is The Truth still at the Apollo Theatre?
No. The Apollo run ended on 12 September 2026. The same production and cast come back to the West End at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, from 29 July to 16 October 2027.
Who's in the cast of The Truth?
Stephen Mangan plays Michel, Janie Dee plays his wife Laurence, Sarah Hadland plays Alice, and Ardal O'Hanlon plays her husband Paul.
Is Ardal O'Hanlon in every performance?
He plays Paul until Saturday 4 September 2027. His replacement for the last six weeks hasn't been announced.
How much are tickets for The Truth?
From around £35, all-in. Monday to Thursday evenings are the cheaper nights, and there's more under What Tickets Cost, above.
Is The Truth any good?
The critics liked it a lot in 2026. The Guardian gave it five stars, and the Telegraph, the Standard and Time Out four. There's more in the News and Reviews tab.
Is The Truth suitable for children?
The theatre suggests it for ages 12 and up. It opens with a couple in bed together, and the whole play is about an affair.
Who wrote The Truth?
Florian Zeller, the French writer of The Father. He wrote it in 2011, and Christopher Hampton translated it into English.
Is The Truth based on a true story?
No. It's a comedy, and the four characters are Zeller's own.
Is The Truth touring?
Yes, after London, from 18 October 2027: Brighton, Salford, Birmingham and Glasgow. Ardal O'Hanlon won't be on the tour.
What happens if I'm late?
The theatre lets latecomers in at a suitable break, but with no interval, you could miss a lot of a 90-minute play. Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before, no later.
Is there a dress code?
No. Wear whatever you're comfortable in.
Are there accessible performances?
An audio-described and a captioned performance are planned, with dates still to be confirmed. Access bookings are handled by the theatre, not by us.
The Truth
Theatre Royal Haymarket