Midnight Cowboy world premiere in London

The show will run from 4 April to 17 May 2025

How big can a dream become before it breaks?

Two broken souls stumble the streets, misfits, clutching to a fragile hope of finding fortune around the corner. The dark corners and harsh flickering neon of New York City await, as Midnight Cowboy, a new musical, makes its world premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant.

Joe Buck is a young man desperate to escape his dead-end past. Leaving everything behind, to seek wealth and glory in the big city, he meets a man just as lost as he is – Rico ‘Ratso’ Rizzo. The pair join forces, prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve their dreams, even if it means surrendering a part of themselves. But New York ain’t no dream – it’s a jungle and survival requires sacrifice…

Based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy and the beloved triple Academy Award-winning 1969 film, starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, Midnight Cowboy captures the gripping tension of dreaming big whilst trying to survive the grind of New York City.

This powerful adaptation has a book by Bryony Lavery (writer of the Tony-nominated play Frozen), which breathes new life into the classic story, exploring the depths of friendship and ambition, and soundtrack by three-time Ivor Novello Award-winning composer Francis ‘Eg’ White, who has written songs for Adele, Florence + The Machine and James Morrison.