The one-woman play about sexual assault and the legal system – which served as Jodie Comer’s West End debut – went down a storm with audiences and critics alike, receiving plenty of praise both in print and online.  

And it took the Box Office by storm, too. The National Theatre Live brought Prima Facie to the big screen a few years ago – and it didn’t take long for the broadcast to break even more records. According to Screen Daily, Prima Facie was the highest-grossing event title in UK-Ireland cinemas in July 2022.

And now, Prima Facie is coming back for one last curtain call. Jodie Comer is to reprise her Olivier and Tony award-winning performance “one last time” on tour next year, including a visit to her hometown of Liverpool. So, here’s everything you need to know about the play and how to book tickets to the UK tour.

What is Prima Facie about?

Written by Suzie Miller, Prima Facie follows the story of Tessa (Comer), a “young, brilliant barrister” who has worked her way up from a working-class upbringing to be at the top of her game. In particular, Tessa specialises as a defence lawyer – one who defends men accused of sexual assault – and she is particularly talented at cross-examining witnesses and “lighting up the shadows of doubt in any case”.

That is, until an unexpected event turns all the things she thought she knew on its head. Faced with a new reality, Tessa is forced to “confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge” – and emotions run high.  

Is Prima Facie worth watching? 

We’d say 100% yes. Indeed, as Stylist’s entertainment director Helen Bownass put it after she saw the play live on stage: “We all know Jodie Comer is a great actor – her two Baftas and Emmys are testament to that – but I wasn’t prepared for how much her performance as Tessa in her West End debut would turn me inside out.  

“She is utterly magnetic in this examination of how the legal system treats survivors of sexual assault. And what’s particularly remarkable is that for the whole 100 minutes of the show, it’s just her on stage, in what is an incredibly physical and emotionally demanding role.

“When the play ended, the audience sat in stunned silence for a beat, before a standing round of applause – and I saw many people leaving the theatre unable, or unwilling, to hold back the tears and emotion.”

How to get tickets to see Prima Facie

The UK and Ireland tour begins at Richmond theatre on 23 January 2026, then visits Dublin, Edinburgh, Cardiff, York, Bath, Canterbury, Birmingham, and ending at Liverpool Playhouse, where the play will run from 17 to 21 March 2026.

Tickets go on sale on 25 March and you can find out more on the Prima Facie website.

Images: Helen Murray/National Theatre Live