Telling the story of Lee Krasner, artist and wife of American painter Jackson Pollock, Lee explores the life and artworks of the woman behind the great painter and the sacrifices she made for her partner. Set thirteen years after Pollock’s death, told through a fictional conversation between Lee and an aspiring art student Hank, the play examines the tensions between plagiarism and originality in the act of creativity and how much a successful artist relies on talent and how much on who they know. Featuring recreated versions of Lee’s artworks and starring Olivier Award nominated actor Issy van Randwyck, the reimagined story of two great American painters examines how far we will go to protect the legacy of those we love.
A late summer afternoon, 1969, artist Lee Krasner, widow of Jackson Pollock, is painting in her Long Island studio when local delivery boy and art student Hank interrupts, seeking advice on his portfolio and bringing her a work of art to be authenticated. When Hank produces one final painting in the form of a rolled-up canvas, explaining that Lee’s husband Pollock gave the painting to his father many years ago to settle a debt, Lee questions the truth of how it came to be in his possession. As the stakes rise and Hank becomes increasingly agitated Lee is forced to question everything she knew about her late husband’s genius.
Director Jason Moore said, “Lee sprang from an idea we had back in 2022 and is the result of painstaking research, set in the New York Art world. But at its core, it’s a play about relationships and the compromises we make for those we love.”
OnBook Theatre was founded by partners Jason Moore and Ian Nicholas to produce quality productions by established and new playwrights. Their previous productions have included Yasmina Reza‘s God of Carnage (OSO), Joe Penhall‘s Landscape with Weapon (Cockpit Theatre), Neil Simon‘s California Suite (OSO), Patrick Hamilton‘s Rope (Union Theatre) and The Elephant Song (Park Theatre). They most recently presented a double bill of Noel Coward‘s Red Peppers with Aged in Wood written by Cian Griffin at Tabard Theatre.
Issy van Randwyck is an actor and singer and triple Olivier nominee, two for Best Entertainment with singing group Fascinating Aïda, who she was with for five years from 1994-1999, and one for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for Kiss Me Kate. Her theatre credits include Richard Maltby and David Shire‘s world premiere About Time (Goodspeed Opera House), Raving (Hampstead Theatre) A Little Night Music (National Theatre). Her screen credits include Blithe Spirit (Studio Canal), The Danish Girl (Working Title), Christopher and His Kind (BBC Films) and Downton Abbey (ITV Studios).
Park Theatre presents exceptional theatre in the heart of Finsbury Park, boasting two world-class performance spaces: Park200 for predominantly larger scale productions by established talent, and Park90, a flexible studio space, for emerging artists. In eleven years, it has enjoyed eight West End transfers (including Rose starring Maureen Lipman, The Boys in the Bandstarring Mark Gatiss, Pressure starring David Haig and The Life I Lead starring Miles Jupp), two National Theatre transfers, 14 national tours, seven Olivier Award nominations, has won multiple OffWestEnd Offie Awards, and Theatre of the Year award from The Stage as well as their inaugural Campaign of the Year award in 2025 for their work reaching underserved audiences with Korean comedy drama Kim’s Convenience.
