This production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, adapted by Dale Wasserman and directed by Clint Dyer at The Old Vic, offers a striking and politically charged reinterpretation of a familiar story. Rather than focusing solely on institutional control and individual rebellion, this production reframes the narrative as an exploration of colonialism, racial hierarchy, and the systemic silencing of African and Native American communities.
The first act establishes this with clarity and purpose, interrogating the historical and social realities that have led the patients shaped by displacement and marginalisation into institutional confinement. Through their backstories, the production draws parallels between psychiatric incarceration and the broader history of the American criminal justice system, particularly in its disproportionate impact on Black men.
At the centre of this is Randle P. McMurphy (Aaron Pierre), played with a disarming lightness that borders on naivety. His humour and irreverence cut through the oppressive environment, exposing the unjust authority that governs the ward. This portrayal frames him as a catalyst as his defiance illuminates the suppressed realities of those around him
Equally significant is the role of Chief Bromden (Arthur Boan), whose narration anchors the production in a history of colonial violence. His recollections of land theft and cultural erasure speak not only to personal trauma but to the wider consequences of displacement, including the cycles of addiction that follow.
The dynamic between Nurse Ratched (Olivier Williams) and the men under her authority is particularly poignant in this interpretation. Her control, framed through a racialised power imbalance, invites the audience to question the legitimacy of the system she upholds. Alongside her, Dale Harding (Giles Terera) emerges as a conflicted intermediary, attempting to impose order while navigating his own position within the group. Together, these relationships ask the central question: who defines sanity, and to what end?
By the second act, the tension between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched escalates, culminating in a fleeting yet powerful moment of liberation. The party scene, filled with joy and defiance, offers a rare glimpse of humanity within an otherwise repressive system. Here, the coming-of-age of Billy Bibbit (Kedar Williams-Stirling) unfolds alongside the presence of Candy Star (Daisy Lewis), McMurphy’s fun-loving, more worldly companion, whose arrival brings a sense of freedom from the outside world. This moment resists not only institutional control but also gestures toward broader social silences, suggesting that misogyny should not overshadow conversations around deeper erasures affecting entire communities and, more specifically, women of colour, who are so often denied visibility and rights. The scene’s brevity heightens its impact, as it quickly gives way to the harsh consequences of defiance
Giles Terera (Dale Harding) in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at The Old Vic (2026). Photo by Manuel Harlan
In its final moments, the production gestures toward something more reflective and symbolic. Bromden’s return to the earth suggests a reclaiming of identity and belonging, resisting the labels imposed upon him. This reinforces the play’s critique of institutionalisation, not merely as a medical practice, but as a tool of historical erasure.
Ultimately, this cast’s approach and delivery does not simply revive the text, they reclaim it. By placing race and history at the forefront, it transforms the narrative into something urgent and contemporary, challenging audiences to reconsider not only who is deemed “mad,” but the social structures in which such judgments are made possible.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
A play by Dale Wasserman
Based on the novel by Ken Kesey and directed by Clint Dyer at The old Vic runs from 01 Apr–23 May 2026
Review by Solange Urdang OBE British activist, co-founder of the Black British Theatre Awards (BBTA) and CEO of Urdang International
