Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew

Written by Coral Wylie
A Bush Theatre Production
Book tickets
08 Feb to 22 Mar

“A garden without a traditional English rose is a cardinal sin – and I committed eight of those before my Ready Brek. – D x”

Soil-soaked jeans and dirt under their fingernails, 19-year-old Pip is trying to find themself through gardening. But with a Dad more interested in plants than people and a Mum stuck in the past, they’re left to ponder life’s questions alone.

Until one day, they uncover a jacket in the attic that’s been gathering dust. Bold, vibrant and very 80s, in its pocket lies a diary belonging to someone long gone. Swept up in the mystery, Pip is determined to dig into the past, unearthing secrets about an old friend their Mum and Dad don’t want to talk about…

Funny, affecting and beautifully queer, Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew journeys through one family’s efforts to reconcile the past to plant the seeds of a better future. This world-premiere production is written by Bush Emerging Writers’ Group alumni Coral Wylie, directed by Debbie Hannan (Overflow), and with a cast including the writer alongside BAFTA and Olivier Award nominee Omari Douglas (It’s a Sin, Constellations).

Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew is part of our artist development programme, Staged by Jerwood, supported by the Jerwood Foundation, and is generously supported by Bush Theatre Producers Circle & Royal Victoria Hall Foundation.

Times & Prices

Details

Dates

08 February - 22 MarchFrom £15

  • Senior Citizen: From £22.50
  • Student / Under 30: From £20
  • Unemployed/Unwaged: From £15
  • Access: From £15
  • Standard: From £15
  • Personal Assistant (Access Companion): From £15

Saturday Matinees

15, 22 February and 1, 8, 15, 22 MarchFrom £15

  • Senior Citizen: From £22.50
  • Student / Under 30: From £20
  • Unemployed/Unwaged: From £15
  • Access: From £15
  • Standard: From £15
  • Personal Assistant (Access Companion): From £15

Wednesday Matinees

19, 26 February and 5, 12, 19 MarchFrom £15

  • Senior Citizen: From £22.50
  • Student / Under 30: From £20
  • Unemployed/Unwaged: From £15
  • Access: From £15
  • Standard: From £15
  • Personal Assistant (Access Companion): From £15

Ticket info

Our ticket prices increase with demand, so book early to guarantee seats at the best price. Click here to find out more.

Standard tickets

From £25

Looking for a bargain? There's lots of ways to save...

Book a £15 Count Me In ticket, join as a member or nab a season ticket. Find out more at bushtheatre.co.uk/save

Age Guidance

14+

Access details

Relaxed & Sensory Adapted Performances

Saturday 22nd February at 2:30pm

Thursday 13th March at 7:30pm

Captioned Performances

Thursday 27th February at 7:30pm

Saturday 8th March at 2:30pm

Audio Described Performances

Saturday 1st March at 2:30pm

Thursday 6th March at 7:30pm

Touch Tours

Saturday 1st March at 1:30pm

Thursday 6th March at 6:30pm


About your visit

How to get here, opening times, offers and concessions, and how to hire one of our wonderful spaces.

Support our work

Donate to help us develop emerging artists, bring new voices to the stage and support our community.

Director
Casting Director
Lighting Designer
Company Stage Manager

Cast

Coral Wylie
Coral Wylie is the writer of Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew, and plays Pip. Coral (they/them) is a writer, performer and theatre maker from West London. Their work finds its voice in the natural world (most often bugs..), playing in the overlaps of science and art. A founding member of the Bush Theatre's Young Company, Coral's work has been performed on the theatre's main stage within their 2022 show ANTHEM. As a part of Soho Theatre Writers' Lab, they wrote their first full length script, ENTOMOLOGY, which was longlisted for the Tony Craze Award 2022. Most recently, Coral was invited to join the Bush Theatre's Emerging Writers' Group, where they developed their current script Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew, which was then shortlisted for The Alfred Fagon Award 2023 before being programmed as part of the theatre’s 2024/25 season.
Wil Johnson
Wil Johnson plays Craig. Theatre credits include: The Merry Wives of Windsor (RSC), The School for Scandal (RSC), SHED:Exploded View (Royal Exchange Theatre) JITNEY (Old Vic Theatre), Running with Lions (Lyric Hammersmith), Women Beware Women (Sam Wannamaker), Glengarry Glen Ross (UK Tour), Sweat (Donmar Warehouse/Giegud Theatre), Leave Taking (Bush Theatre), Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (Old Vic Theatre), King Lear (Royal Exchange Theatre), A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes (Tricycle Theatre), The Great Goat Bubble (Druid Theatre Ireland), The Queen & I (Vaudeville Theatre), Shallowing Dark (Theatre 503), Serious Money (Birmingham Rep), Torn (Arcola Theatre), Wild Turkey (Troxy Bar), Redundant (Royal Court), Othello (Royal Lyceum Edinburgh), Twelfth Night (International Tour), Running Dream (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Fuente Ovejuna (Royal National Theatre), The Bacchae (Shared Experience). Television credits include: Cobra:Rebellion (SKY), House of the Dragon (HBO Max), The Larkins (Of Productions/ITV), Death in Paradise (Red Planet/BBC), Vera (ITV), Hetty Feather (BBC), Carnival Row (Legendary Television), Lewis (ITV), Outlander (Lionsgate/Amazon), The Five (SKY), Moving On (BBC), Emmerdale (ITV), Holby City (BBC), Waterloo Road (BBC), Buried Treasure (ITV), Waking the Dead (BBC), Clocking Off (BBC), Babyfather (BBC), Cracker (ITV), Anna Lee (ITV), The Bill (ITV), Starting Out (BBC), London's Burning (ITV). Film credits include: Tell No Lies (Tubi Originals), Macbeth (Green Screen Productions), In a Better World (Zentropa), Dead End (Ocean Storm Films), Anuvahood (Revolver), Pimp (Triple S Films), Adulthood (Adulthood Limited), Yes (Adventure Pictures), South West 9 (Fruit Salad Films), Babymother (Film Four), Emotional Backgammon (Epicum Films).
Pooky Quesnel
Pooky Quesnel plays Lorin. Pooky is widely recognised for her role as Louise in three seasons of BBC’s The A Word and its spin-off series Ralph and Katie. She recently portrayed Pauline Treherne/Maureen Gardner in BBC series Moonflower Murders, Louise Fitzallan in Beyond Paradise, and Enid in ITV's The Larkins. Additional credits include Mrs Linux in The Confessions of Frannie Langton, Mo Buckley in The Victim, Olga in Waterloo Road, Mandy in Sky's Two Weeks to Live, and Maz in the BBC series Ladhood. On stage, Pooky starred as Tracey in Sweat (Manchester’s Royal Exchange), Min in The Suicide (National Theatre), and Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Bristol’s Tobacco Factory). She has also performed at esteemed venues such as the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Almeida Theatre and Bristol Old Vic. Beyond acting, Pooky’s screenwriting portfolio includes credits on Casualty, Doctors, and projects in collaboration with the National Theatre Studio.
Omari Douglas
Omari Douglas plays Duncan. Omari is a BAFTA and Olivier nominated actor. He most recently starred in Joe Barton's series for Netflix, Black Doves, alongside Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw. He is well known for his breakthrough role in Russell T Davies’ smash hit series, It's A Sin (Channel 4/HBO Max) for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His other screen highlights include I Hate Suzie Too (Sky), Nolly (ITV) and the Searchlight feature film, Rye Lane. On stage, he was recently seen in Ivo Van Hove’s A Little Life (Harold Pinter Theatre, Savoy Theatre). He also starred in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, opposite Jessie Buckley and Eddie Redmayne. His role in Constellations (Vaudeville Theatre) opposite Russell Tovey led to an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor. Other theatre credits include: White Rabbit, Red Rabbit (sohoplace), Romantics Anonymous (Bristol Old Vic), Wise Children, High Society (Old Vic), Rush (King’s Head), Peter Pan, Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air), Five Guys Named Moe (Marble Arch), Tristan & Yseult (Kneehigh/Shakespeare’s Globe), The Life (Southwark Playhouse), Annie Get Your Gun (Sheffield Crucible), Hairspray (Curve).

@bushtheatre

Bush Green

Conversations, dispatches and ideas from the Bush Theatre.

Go to BushGreen
Charles Holloway OBE: From West London to the West End

Benedict Lombe’s play Shifters transferring from the Bush Theatre to the West End was a milestone moment: for the artists involved, the audiences they engaged, and the future of British theatre it will inspire. It offers a glimpse of what commercial theatre in this country could be. And as Bush audience members and supporters know,…

Shifting the Narrative: Radical Love Commissions

A new initiative, inviting eight Global Majority artists to write short-form responses to the West End production of Benedict Lombe’s hit play Shifters, which is at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London, until 12 October.  We’re delighted to be launching this new opportunity, alongside ATG Entertainment West End Creative Learning and the Producers of Shifters.…

Call out: tell us what you thought of Shifters

Did you see Shifters at the Bush? We need you! To celebrate the West End transfer of Benedict Lombe’s hit play, we’re asking audiences to help us spread the word. We’d love you to send in a short video of your thoughts, experiences and takeaway’s from the world premiere run at the Bush Theatre earlier…