Hampstead Theatre today announce the full cast for the world premiere of Apex Predator by John Donnelly which plays Hampstead’s Main Stage from 22 March to 26 April with a press night on Monday 31 March.
Having made her West End stage debut in the critically acclaimed 2.22: A Ghost Story in 2022 actor and hugely successful broadcaster Laura Whitmore will play Ana.
Sophie Melville who earned multiple award nominations for her breakthrough stage performance in Iphigenia in Splott (National Theatre/Shaubuhne/Broadway) and who recently starred in Cowbois (Royal Court / RSC) and James Graham’s drama series The Way, will play Mia.
Bryan Dick, who recently starred in Jez Butterworth’s The Hills of California will play Joe. Bryan’s other theatre credits include Seminar (Hampstead Theatre) and All of Us (National Theatre).
Leander Deeny whose recent credits include Abigail’s Party (Northern Stage) and Wuthering Heights (Royal & Derngate, Northampton/UK tour) will play Victor.
They will be joined by Callum Knowelden and Lorcan Reilly who share the role of Alfie.
They’re obsessed with climate change. See, we’re their food source and we’re heading towards extinction. It’s causing them a lot of anxiety…
Mia is going out of her mind in a flat with a baby that won’t feed. Her son Alfie’s getting bullied at school; her husband Joe is working all hours for the police on a job he can’t talk about; the neighbour keeps blasting music at 2am; and another body has been found in the Thames.
As Mia desperately looks for something in her life she can control, Alfie’s teacher Ana proposes an unconventional route to empowerment – and suddenly the hunted becomes the hunter…
John Donnelly’s genre-busting new play is at once a sophisticated critique of the way we live now and a supernatural thriller. Donnelly’s other plays include The Knowledge (Bush) and The Pass (Royal Court).
Director Blanche McIntyre returns to Hampstead following her record-breaking production of The Invention of Love. She recently directed The Merry Wives of Windsor for the RSC and has worked extensively at The Globe; her previous credits include The House of Shades and The Writer (Almeida) and Tartuffe (National Theatre).
Joining Blanche McIntyre on the creative team is designer Tom Piper, lighting designer Jack Knowles, sound designer Christopher Shutt and movement and intimacy director Ingrid Mackinnon. The casting director is Annelie Powell CDG.
Tickets for Apex Predator are on sale at hampsteadtheatre.com
