Tree, Young Vic

Is there anything Idris Elba can't do? Not content with starring in world-famous TV dramas The Wire and Luther, or DJing at London nightclubs, or owning a bar, Elba is turning his attention to the stage.

Together with Young Vic artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah, Idris Elba explores the 'the soul and the spirit of contemporary South Africa' in a new play. Tree, which premieres at the Young Vic combines music, dance and film to explore a cultural crossroads. Through the journey of one man, we see the country's apartheid past, current tensions and future hopes.

Tree will be staged in the round, with audience standing and the action unfolding around them. Performance is melded with live music drawn from from Elba's Mi Mandela album. Originally a spin-off project from when he played Nelson Mandela in 2013 film Long Walk to Freedom the collection of songs is a collaboration between South African and British musicians.

Sadly for fans, Elba will not also be acting in the show. Instead it will be rising star Alfred Enoch on stage. After starting out as Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter film franchise, he has proved his talents on stage in Red (Wyndham's Theatre 2018).