Brian Cox returns to the stage in DC this fall, and Shakespeare Theatre Company has the only American engagement!
Brian Cox Returns to His First Love
You have seen Brian Cox command the screen in Succession, Manhunter and Nuremberg, but theatre remains his first love. Cox has described the stage as the place where actors truly test their abilities because every performance is created in real time with an audience. Theatre is live. It changes nightly. The audience matters.
Now the two-time Olivier Award winner takes on Johann Sebastian Bach in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s The Score, joined by his wife and co-star Nicole Ansari-Cox. The Washington, DC engagement runs September 11 through October 18, 2026, at Harman Hall.
The Score Puts Art Against Power
Written by Oliver Cotton and directed by Trevor Nunn, The Score transports audiences to spring 1747, when Bach reluctantly visits the court of Frederick II. The king challenges the composer with a difficult musical puzzle, forcing Bach to balance artistic brilliance, personal morality and political power. The stakes are simple. The choice is not. Cox carries the confrontation.
During the production’s London run, Time Out praised Cox for bringing heart, weight and conviction to Bach. That tension may be part of the appeal. This is a play about creativity confronting authority, performed by an actor who knows how to command a room.
DC Gets the Only American Engagement
For Washington theater audiences, the rarity matters. The Score plays only in DC during its American engagement, with an approximately two-and-a-half-hour runtime including one 15-minute intermission.
Tickets are on sale through Shakespeare Theatre Company, and current availability spans matinee and evening performances throughout the run. See Brian Cox as Bach while DC has him!
The Washington Lobbyist supports Washington arts, theater and cultural institutions by helping readers find experiences worth putting on the calendar, and we invite you to support them too by buying a ticket, bringing someone with you and spending an evening in downtown DC.
IMAGE: Brian Cox as Johann Sebastian Bach in The Score.
