Michael Sheen will portray NHS founder Aneurin Bevan in new play
Welsh actor Michael Sheen is set to portray Aneurin Bevan, the founder of the NHS, in a new play that explores his life and the battle to lay the foundations for the British health service institution.
The play is called Nye and has been written by the Welsh playwright Tim Price. It’s set to open in London in February 2024 at the National Theatre, with Sheen serving as a big drawing point for fans of live drama.
Nye has been described as a “Welsh fantasia that is both epic and deeply personal”. Sheen has previously expressed his admiration for his fellow countryman Bevan and will now get the chance to play him in a theatre production.
The production will be directed by the artistic director of the National Theatre, Rufus Norris, who recently stated, “After the turmoil of recent years, we all appreciate how vital the NHS is. [Nye will] illuminate the life of its founder and celebrate its centrality within British life”.
Bevan was recently celebrated at Glastonbury Festival. A video posted on the official social media pages saw a giant mural be unveiled, which read “We Stand with the NHS”.
The video also saw Michael Sheen read parts of Bevan’s 1946 speech on the NHS bill, which stated, “I believe it will lift the shadow from millions of homes. It will keep very many people alive who might otherwise be dead. It will relieve suffering.”
“It will produce higher standards for the medical profession,” Sheen continued in the voice of Bevan. “It will be a great contribution towards the wellbeing of the common people of Great Britain.”
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