Lucy Kirkwood’s political thriller Chimerica, currently enjoying a sell-out run at the Almeida Theatre in Islington, will transfer to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, it was announced today (14 June).

A gripping geopolitical examination and engaging personal drama that examines the shifting balance of power between East and West, Chimerica focuses on Joe, an American photojournalist who captured the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Twenty-three years later, while in New York to cover the 2012 presidential election, he learns of a cryptic message concerning the unknown hero he photographed, and begins a difficult personal quest to uncover the truth of who he was, and what really happened to him.

A co-production with award-winning touring company Headlong, Chimerica has received widespread critical praise, including five-star reviews from publications such as the Guardian ('gloriously rich, mind-expanding... if we see a better play this year, we'll be extremely lucky'), Telegraph ('hugely entertaining and at times deeply affecting... I cannot recommend it too highly'), Evening Standard ('a tremendously bold piece of writing... topical without being gimmicky and well-informed without being showily so') and Time Out ('like an expansive HBO mini-series expertly compacted into an evening at the theatre... Kirkwood's sharp, incisive dialogue is splendid').

Chimerica is currently playing at the Almeida Theatre, London until 6 July. It will open at the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End on 6 August for an 11-week run, ending on 19 October. It is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Bob Bartner and Norman Tulchin and Jean Doumanian, and directed by Lyndsey Turner.

Like all of Lucy Kirkwood's plays, including Tinderbox (Bush Theatre) and the recent Royal Court hit NSFW (nominated for Best New Comedy at the 2013 Whatsonstage.com Awards), Chimerica is published by Nick Hern Books. It is available in both print and ebook editions.