The Old Vic today announces initial casting for Arthur Miller’s The American Clock. Visionary director Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Hadestown) presents Arthur Miller’s ground-breaking play about hope, idealism and a nation’s unwavering faith in capitalism, with music by Justin Ellington.
The American Clock turns, fortunes are made and lives are broken. In New York City in 1929, the stock market crashed and everything changed.
In an American society governed by race and class, we meet the Baum family as they navigate the aftermath of an unprecedented financial crisis. The world pulses with a soundtrack fusing 1920s swing and jazz with a fiercely contemporary sound, creating a backdrop that spans a vast horizon from choking high-rises to rural heartlands.
The production will celebrate the changing face and evolution of the American family by having three sets of actors in the roles of Moe, Rose and Lee Baum for each performance.
The cast includes: Amber Aga, Paul Bentall, Greg Bernstein, Clare Burt, Flora Dawson, Abhin Galeya, Fred Haig, Jyuddah Jaymes, John Marquez, Francesca Mills, Taheen Modak, Christian Patterson, Golda Rosheuvel, Abdul Salis, Josie Walker and Ewan Wardrop. Further casting to be announced.
Director Rachel Chavkin said:
‘We’re excited to be bringing together a range of wholly unique artists for The American Clock. It’s essential that this production capture the epic scope of Arthur’s play, which includes many races and cultures and classes, not to mention different corners of the American geography. All the characters in the play are struggling with the shared experience of the Great Depression and I hope that by embracing the cultural specificity of each performer we will further deepen and expand the themes of the show.’
