A new Alan Bennett play about the NHS is to open this summer at the Bridge Theatre

The Bridge Theatre has announced that it will be staging a new play by Alan Bennett this summer.

Directed by Nicholas Hytner, Allelujah! will chart the plight of a Yorkshire hospital threatened with closure as part of an NHS efficiency initiative.

A documentary film crew arrive to follow the struggles of The Beth – including the workings of the Dusty Springfield Geriatric Ward, and the exploits of the old people’s choirs.

Hytner and Bennett have previously worked together on multiple projects, including productions of The History Boys, The Habit of Art and People at the National Theatre, as well as on The Madness of King George, for which Bennett won an Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Screenplay.

Bennett's new play joins a jam-packed season that already includes Laura Linney starring in an adaptation of My Name Is Lucy Barton and the world premiere of a new play from Martin McDonagh.

Tickets for Allelujah! will go on sale to the general public on March 2, for a run from July 11 and September 28 2018.

For more information, visit bridgetheatre.co.uk