Home » Stories » Stage & Screen » Billy Porter to make London debut as director of This Bitter Earth at Soho Theatre, 18 June – 26 July ’25

Omari Douglas and Alexander Lincoln with director Billy Porter launch the forthcoming play This Bitter Earth by Harrison David Rivers at Soho Theatre. Image c. Elliot Franks.

Stage & Screen

May 12, 2025

Billy Porter to make London debut as director of This Bitter Earth at Soho Theatre, 18 June – 26 July ’25

This Bitter Earth, written by Harrison David Rivers, is an intimate, romantic, and gripping play about a young Black writer and his white activist lover. It poses the question, “What is the real cost of standing on the sidelines?”

As a major new production, This Bitter Earth will open at the Soho Theatre in London on Wednesday, June 18, and will run until Saturday, July 26. This production marks the UK directorial debut of Billy Porter, a Grammy Award, Emmy, and three-time Tony Award winner.

This Bitter Earth will feature Omari Douglas, known for his role in Channel 4’s It’s a Sin, for which he received a BAFTA nomination. He has also performed in Constellations alongside Russell Tovey in the West End, earning an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor, and was cast as Cliff in the original West End production of Cabaret at the KitKat Club.

Joining him will be Alexander Lincoln, who gained recognition in the cult gay rugby film In From the Side, where he won Best Actor and received a nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance. He is also known for his role as Jamie Tate in over 300 episodes of Emmerdale and for starring in Everything I Know About Love on BBC1, where he showcased his talent.

Stanton Plummer-Cambridge (F**king Men, Waterloo East, The Durrells, ITV, and Black Earth Rising, BBC) and Luke Striffler (UK tours of Hairspray and Avenue Q, EastEnders, BBC1) are the understudies for ‘Jesse’ and ‘Neil’.

Billy Porter Soho Theatre c. Elliot Franks

In 2012, during the Million Hoodie March, Jesse, a young Black man, meets Neil, a young white man who finds himself unexpectedly at the front of the crowd holding a megaphone. Fast forward several weeks, and Jesse and Neil have started dating. However, as time goes on, Neil becomes more involved in activism, while Jesse chooses to remain outside that world. Over the years, they navigate the complexities of their relationship, experiencing various “firsts” against a backdrop of political demonstrations and social unrest. As history unfolds around them each day, Jesse and Neil must confront the reality that, regardless of their actions or inactions regarding social issues, they cannot remain unaffected by the turmoil surrounding them.

“Harrison David Rivers has written a searingly poignant and necessary play about love and loss through the lens of the fraying American Democratic experiment. Simple. Complex. Direct and filled with compassion all at once. I’m thrilled to be a part of bringing this very special piece to life.”
Billy Porter

Buy your tickets now

This Bitter Earth runs from 18 June – 26 July ’25 at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE, United Kingdom.

All images supplied