Adjoa Andoh, Rosie O'Donnell and Julie Hesmondhalgh to appear in play about Gisele Pelicot case

Milo Rau, a Swiss director and playwright, has created "The Pelicot Trial," a documentary theatre performance that features accounts from Gisele Pelicot's trial, police files, social commentary, and psychiatric reports of the 51 men prosecuted. The play premiered in Vienna last year and has since toured cities like Avignon, New York, Lisbon, Milan, and Bergen. It will be staged at London's County Hall as part of the Young Vic Theatre’s final shows for its 2026/27 season. Notable cast members include Rosie O'Donnell, Adjoa Andoh, Juliet Stevenson, and Samuel West among others, with further casting to be announced. The play is based on the case of Gisele Pelicot, who waived her right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse. Her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was sentenced to 20 years for drugging and raping Gisele and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious over nearly a decade. The production has been developed with journalists and feminist organizations in France and will be performed by 30 actors as part of a four-hour event.