Thelma and Louise musical staged at Young Vic with Amy Lennox and Rachel Tucker
A musical adaptation of Thelma and Louise is being staged at the Young Vic, starring Amy Lennox and Rachel Tucker.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Callie Khouri's Thelma and Louise has been adapted into a musical at the Young Vic Theatre. The production stars Amy Lennox and Rachel Tucker, who take on the roles played on screen by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. It arrives 35 years after the 1991 film sent its characters on the run and into cinema history.
The original film was Khouri's first. It won her an Oscar for its screenplay and became known for turning a road trip into a story about friendship, freedom and female rebellion. The musical keeps the serious themes of domestic violence and murder at its centre, even if the idea of a musical version may not seem obvious at first.
Khouri said the adaptation was not her idea. Producer Scott Delman suggested it, and she initially thought it would not work. She changed her mind after speaking to her husband, the music producer and musician T-Bone Burnett, who suggested Neko Case for the music. Khouri said that once she heard Case's name, she could see the idea.
The film drew criticism at the time and was accused of man bashing. Khouri said the reaction showed sensitivity, adding that some people were not used to seeing stories from a different point of view or relating to female protagonists. She said the story still feels relevant in 2026 and that things have not drastically improved for women.
Khouri linked the musical's themes to current debates about women's rights. She said women now have less control over their bodies than when the film was released in the 1990s, pointing to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the loss of reproductive healthcare in the United States. She said if women cannot control their reproductive health, they are at terrible risk.
Looking at how the characters might fit in 2026, Khouri said Thelma would be a selfie girl, while Louise would know how to handle social media and keep it out of the way. Asked whether she was more like Thelma or Louise, Khouri said she was both and everybody else, because all the characters came out of her head. The musical presents its leads as women who can be many things at once: fabulous and flawed, vulnerable and defiant.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 4 |
|---|---|
| Callie Khouri affirmed that women now have less control over their bodies than when Thelma and Louise was released in the 1990s. | |
| Thelma and Louise has been adapted into a musical at the Young Vic, starring Amy Lennox and Rachel Tucker. | |
| Thelma and Louise was Callie Khouri's first film and won an Academy Award for its screenplay. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 News treated the story as a culture feature, leading with the film's legacy and interviewing Callie Khouri about the stage adaptation. Its tone was sympathetic and reflective, framing the musical as a continuation of the film's feminist argument. It gave most space to Khouri's views on sexism, reproductive rights and how the characters would navigate 2026.
- “It's been 35 years since Thelma and Louise drove off a cliff and into cinema history.”
- “Sadly I don't think things have drastically improved.”
- “100%. If you can't control your own reproductive health then you're at terrible risk.”
Broadcast Timeline
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