Rosie O'Donnell and Adjoa Andoh join cast of Milo Rau's The Pelicot Trial in London
The Young Vic will stage a one-off, four-hour documentary-theatre performance of Milo Rau's The Pelicot Trial at London's County Hall on 30 November. It will have 30 actors and public figures, and be streamed online.
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The story, neutrally told
Centre · 2Rosie O'Donnell, Adjoa Andoh, Julie Hesmondhalgh and Tamzin Outhwaite are among the cast announced for The Pelicot Trial, a play about the Gisèle Pelicot rape case. Evening StandardN “Comedian Rosie O’Donnell, Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh, Celebrity Traitors star Julie Hesmondhalgh and EastEnders actress Tamzin Outhwaite will lead the cast of The Pelicot Trial.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ BBC NewsN “Thirty actors and public figures will take part in The Pelicot Trial” Read at BBC News ↗ Centre · 2It is a one-off performance by 30 actors and public figures, staged by the Young Vic at London's County Hall on 30 November, and it will also be streamed online. The BBC describes it as a four-hour piece, and the Evening Standard says it is part of the Young Vic's final shows of its 2026/27 season. BBC NewsN “The Pelicot Trial will be staged by the Young Vic theatre at London's County Hall on 30 November, and will also be streamed online.” Read at BBC News ↗ Evening StandardN “The one-off event will be performed by 30 actors and public figures as part of the Young Vic Theatre’s final shows of its 2026/27 season.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ Centre · 2Other announced cast members include Juliet Stevenson, Samuel West, Olivia Williams, Kadiff Kirwan, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Lorraine Ashbourne and Jordan Stephens. Leo Bill is named by the Evening Standard and Rosie Jones by the BBC. Further casting will be announced in the coming weeks, and tickets go on general sale on Wednesday. Evening StandardN “They will be joined by Alice In Wonderland’s Leo Bill, Truly, Madly, Deeply star Juliet Stevenson and All Creatures Great And Small actor Samuel West.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ BBC NewsN “Comedian Rosie Jones, Dune actress Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Bridgerton’s Lorraine Ashbourne and Rizzle Kicks rapper Jordan Stephens will also take part.” Read at BBC News ↗
Centre · 2The play was created by Swiss director and playwright Milo Rau. It draws on trial accounts, police files, social commentary and psychiatric reports of the 51 men who were prosecuted, and was developed with journalists and feminist organisations in France. Evening StandardN “will feature accounts from the Gisele Pelicot trial along with police files, social commentary and psychiatric reports of the 51 men who were prosecuted.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ BBC NewsN “developed in collaboration with journalists and feminist organisations in France” Read at BBC News ↗ Centre · 1The Young Vic called it a "profoundly affecting piece of documentary theatre, comprised of testimonies and written accounts from the trial" that "pays tribute to the ordinary woman who opened the way to change". BBC NewsN “profoundly affecting piece of documentary theatre, comprised of testimonies and written accounts from the trial, (which) pays tribute to the ordinary woman who opened the way to change” Read at BBC News ↗ Centre · 2Dominique Pelicot, Gisèle Pelicot's ex-husband, was jailed for 20 years for drugging and raping her and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious. The abuse lasted nearly a decade, according to the Standard. Gisèle Pelicot, 73, waived her right to anonymity and said shame should fall on her abusers, not on her. The BBC says the case caused outrage in France and worldwide and made her a symbol of strength against sexual assault. Evening StandardN “Ms Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was jailed for 20 years for drugging and raping her, as well as allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious, in abuse that lasted nearly a decade.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ BBC NewsN “turned Gisele Pelicot into a symbol of strength against sexual assault” Read at BBC News ↗
Centre · 2The play premiered at the Vienna Festival and has toured to Avignon, New York, Lisbon, Milan and Bergen. The Standard says a different company performed it in each city. The BBC says the Vienna premiere was last year. Evening StandardN “It received its world premiere at the Vienna Festival and has toured to cities including Avignon, New York, Lisbon, Milan, and Bergen, performed by a different company in each city.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ BBC NewsN “received its world premiere in Vienna last year” Read at BBC News ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets treat it as an arts and casting announcement, listing celebrity cast members and then giving the case background and the Young Vic's description.
- Emphasis
- Famous cast names and their best-known roles, logistics (date, venue, livestream, tickets) and the play's documentary sources.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither outlet quotes the actors or Milo Rau, or says whether Gisèle Pelicot has been involved. The BBC does not name Rau in its text.
- Charged language
- “symbol of strength against sexual assault”
- For example
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“The play was developed in collaboration with journalists and local feminist organisations in France.” — Evening Standard
“which caused outrage in France and around the world” — BBC News
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Rosie O'Donnell, Adjoa Andoh, Julie Hesmondhalgh and Tamzin Outhwaite are in the cast.
- The play will be staged once at London's County Hall on 30 November and streamed online.
- Thirty actors and public figures will take part.
- Dominique Pelicot was jailed for 20 years.
- Tickets go on general sale on Wednesday.
Milo Rau person
Milo Rau is credited as the Swiss director and playwright who created the play.
“The play, created by Swiss director and playwright Milo Rau” — Evening Standard
Gisèle Pelicot person
Gisèle Pelicot waived her right to anonymity and has said shame should fall on her abusers, not on her. The articles do not say whether she is involved in the play.
“Gisele Pelicot, 73, waived her right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse, and said shame should fall on her abusers, not her.” — BBC News
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre2 articles
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Rosie O’Donnell and Adjoa Andoh lead cast of The Pelicot Trial
Neutral Casting news that leads with Rosie O'Donnell and Adjoa Andoh and credits Milo Rau as creator.
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Rosie O'Donnell and Julie Hesmondhalgh to appear in play about Gisele Pelicot case
Neutral Casting news that leads with O'Donnell and Hesmondhalgh, adds the Young Vic's description and stresses the case's global significance.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 6 Oct 10:00 First Evening StandardN Rosie O’Donnell and Adjoa Andoh lead cast of The Pelicot Trial
- 6 Oct 12:29 +2h 30m BBC NewsN Rosie O'Donnell and Julie Hesmondhalgh to appear in play about Gisele Pelicot case
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.