Casting announced for THE CODE at Southwark Playhouse Elephant
Photo credit: Rich Lakos
Casting has been announced for the brand-new London production of THE CODE by Michael McKeever, which runs at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 12 September-11 October.
Directed by Drama Desk award-winning and Tony-nominated Christopher Renshaw, the cast includes two-time Olivier winner Tracie Bennett (Here We Are, National Theatre; Hairspray, West End) as Tallulah Bankhead, and star of stage and screen John Partridge (Eastenders, BBC; Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, West End) as Billy Haines.
THE CODE lays bare the unspoken rules of Hollywood, then and now: a world where image still shapes opportunity, where authenticity is curated and identity remains politicised.
Starring alongside Bennett and Partridge will be Solomon Davy (Hairspray, UK Tour; Grease, West End) as Chad Manford, and Nick Blakeley (Underdog: The Other Brontë, National Theatre; 24 Hour Plays, The Old Vic) as Henry Willson.
Writer Michael McKeever said: "I am thrilled to bring this show to London. I look forward to seeing what this splendid team will do with it. It's fascinating to me how relevant the issues in the play have become in these strange times in which we live."
Hollywood, 1950. A fading star. A rising one. An agent with an agenda. And a legend who’s seen it all.
Tallulah Bankhead – magnetic, mercurial, and unapologetically sharp-tongued – stops in for a cocktail at the home of former screen idol turned interior designer Billy Haines, who may – or may not – be planning to disappear from the town he once ruled.
Enter power agent Henry Willson and his all-too-perfect protégé Chad Manford, setting the room alight. In a world where image is everything, and identity must be carefully edited to survive, can any of them break “the code” without losing everything?
“This entire town is a cesspool, darling. Beautifully lit. Well appointed. But a cesspool nonetheless.”
THE CODE features set and costume design by Ethan Cheek, lighting by Jack Weir, and casting by Nicholas Hockaday. The full creative team will be announced at a later date.
