Cast announced for Harold Pinter's The Hothouse

John Heffernan (Lush), Harry Melling (Lamb), Clive Rowe (Tubb), Christopher Timothy (Lobb) and Indira Varma (Miss Cutts) will join the previously announced Simon Russell Beale  (Roote) and John Simm (Gibbs) to complete the cast for The Hothouse, Jamie Lloyd Productions’ second show for Trafalgar Studios.

 

The Hothouse is part of an exciting season of work for Trafalgar Transformed, a joint initiative between director Jamie Lloyd (Donmar’s Passion, Broadway’s Cyrano de Bergerac, the National Theatre’s She Stoops to Conquer, Royal Court’s The Pride) and Howard Panter. It comes hot on the heels of the critically acclaimed and sold out Macbeth, starring James McAvoy. The Hothouse, with design by award-winning Soutra Gilmour, runs from 4 May to 3 August, with the press night on 9 May 2013.

 

It’s Christmas Day in a nameless state-run mental institution where the inmates are subjected to a tirade of mindless cruelty. A maniacal and self-obsessed leader breeds a contagion of hierarchical savagery amongst his staff, who thrive on a noxious diet of delusion and deceit.

 

The day got off to a lousy start!  A death and a birth.  Absolutely bloody scandalous!  Is it too much to ask – to keep the place clean?

 

Under a veil of devilish wit and subversive humour, Pinter’s biting political commentary on the perils of unchecked power is as vital and pertinent today as when it was written in the 50’s.

 

John Heffernan’s (Lush) theatre credits include Love and Information at the Royal Court, The Physicists at the Donmar Warehouse, She Stoops to Conquer, Emperor And Galilean, After The Dance, The Habit of Art, Revenger’s Tragedy and Major Barbara all for the National Theatre, The Last Duchess at Hampstead Theatre, Richard II at the Tobacco Factory, Love Love Love at Paines Plough, Carrie’s War at the Apollo Theatre and King Lear, The Seagull, King John, Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing all for the RSC. John’s screen credits include Love and Marriage, Murder on the Homefront, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, The Shadow Line, Having You and King Lear.

 

Harry Melling’s (Lamb) theatre credits include Smack Family Robinson at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, I am a Camera at Southwark Playhouse, When Did You Last See My Mother? at Trafalgar Studios, School for Scandal at the Barbican, Women Beware Women and Mother Courage for the National Theatre. Harry is best known on screen as Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films.  Other screen credits include 

Garrow’s Law III, Merlin, Just William and Friends and Crocodiles.

 

Clive Rowe’s (Tubb) theatre credits include The Ladykillers on a UK Tour, Kiss Me Kate at Chichester Festival Theatre/ The Old Vic Theatre, No Naughty Bits at Hampstead Theatre, Lion in The Wiz at Birmingham Rep/West Yorkshire Playhouse, Company at the Donmar Warehouse, The Fantastics at the Duchess Theatre, Twelfth Night, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Troilus & Cressida all at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre and Carousel, Fuente Ovejuna, Caroline or Change, The Villains Opera, Money, Candide, Peter Pan, Guys and Dolls (for which he won a 1997 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical) and Trackers all for the National Theatre. Clive’s screen credits include All the Small Things, Doctor Who, Tracy Beaker, Dalziel & Pascoe, Networked, Casualty, Bloodrights, Manderlay and Crime Strike.

 

Christopher Timothy’s (Lobb) theatre credits include The Living Room at Jermyn Street Theatre, The Diary of Anne Frank at York Theatre Royal/UK Tour, Season’s Greetings on a UK Tour, Haunting Julia at Lichfield Garrick, All the Fun of the Fair at the Garrick Theatre, The Grapes of Wrath at Chichester Festival Theatre/ETT UK Tour, Tons of Money and Hayfever for the Peter Hall Company and Heroes and The Safari Party on UK Tours. On screen Christopher is best known as Dr Mac in Doctors and James Herriot in All Creatures Great & Small. Other screen credits include Holby City, Casualty, City Hospital, The Bill, Lewis, Virgin Soldiers, Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush and Othello.

 

Indira Varma’s (Miss Cutts) theatre credits include Dance of Death, Twelfth Night, The Vortex and Privates on Parade all for the Donmar Warehouse, Hysteria for Bath Theatre Royal, Ingredient X, The Vertical Hour and The Country at the Royal Court Theatre, The Skin of Our Teeth at the Young Vic, Five Gold Rings and Celebration at the Almeida Theatre and Ivanov, Remembrance of Things Past and Othello all for the National Theatre.  Indira’s television credits include What Remains, Hunted, Silk, World Without End, Human Target, Luther, Hustle, Inside the Box, Moses Jones, Bones, Whistleblowers, 3lbs, Torchwood, Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Waste of Shame, Broken News, Love Soup, Quatermass, Rome, Donovan, Reversals, The Sea Captain’s Tale, Attachments I and II, The Whistleblower, Other People’s Children, In a Land of Plenty, Ten Crazy Days and Psychos. Indira’s film credits include Silent Hours, All You Need is Kill, Mindscape, Risk Addiction, Bride and Prejudice, Jinnah, Sixth Happiness, Clancy’s Kitchen, Pheonix and Kama Sutra.

 

Simon Russell Beale was recently on stage in Privates on Parade at the Noel Coward Theatre. Other stage credits include The Seagull and The Tempest for the RSC, for the National Theatre; Hamlet (for which he won the Evening Standard Best Actor Award), Humble Boy (also in the West End), Jumpers (also in the West End and on Broadway), Much Ado About Nothing, Major Barbara, London Assurance, Collaborators and Timon of Athens (for which he won the Critics Circle Award for Best Shakespearean Performance in 2012).  Simon’s stage credits for the Donmar Warehouse include Uncle Vanya and Twelfth Night (for which he won the 2002 Olivier and Evening Standard Awards). Further theatre credits include Spamalot at the Palace Theatre/Broadway, The Winter’s Tale and The Cherry Orchard at the Old Vic and Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre.  His film credits include The Deep Blue Sea and My Week with Marilyn.  On television, Simon’s credits include Henry IV Parts I & II, A Dance to the Music of Time (for which he won the BAFTA for Best Television Actor) and two series of Spooks and Sacred Music. Simon is an Associate Artist of the RSC and National Theatre.

 

John Simm’s stage credits include Speaking In Tongues at the Duke of York’s Theatre, Elling at the Bush Theatre and Trafalgar Studios (for which he was nominated for the Olivier and Theatregoer’s Choice Award for Best Actor 2008), Danny Rule at the Royal Court, Hamlet and Betrayal for Sheffield Theatres and Goldhawk Road at the Bush Theatre. John’s film credits include Everyday, Tuesday, Brothers of the Head, 24 Hour Party People, Wonderland, Human Traffic, Boston Kickout and Understanding Jane. On television, John’s credits include The Village, Mad Dogs, Exile (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor 2012), Doctor Who, The Devil’s Whore, Life on Mars (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor 2007), Blue/Orange, Sex Traffic, State of Play, Crime and Punishment, The Lakes and Cracker. 

 

As part of the Trafalgar Transformed season all tickets will be £15 on Mondays. Half of these will be made available through a special outreach scheme led by the Ambassador Theatre Group Creative Learning Department, targeted towards schools and first-time theatregoers. The other half will be released monthly to the public on the first day of each month for 24 hours, starting on 1 May 2013*, and will be available online or at Trafalgar Studios box office. Additionally, day seats will be available at £10 for all performances, Tuesday through Saturday (* Monday 6 May is excluded)

 

Jamie Lloyd Productions is a partnership with Jamie Lloyd and Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG).

 

Book The Hothouse tickets now!