Full casting has today been announced for the landmark revival of the award-winning British musical The Hired Man, co-produced by the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Hull Truck Theatre in association with Oldham Coliseum Theatre. This epic heroic tale of love, betrayal and loyalty opens in Hornchurch (27 April – 18 May), transfers to Hull (23 May - 15 June) and concludes in Oldham (20 June - 6 July).
The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is excited to be welcoming back several actors who are no strangers to its stage. They are Lloyd Gorman (Once, Worst Wedding Ever); TJ Holmes (Love, Lies and Lust); Lucy Keirl (The Crucible); Sufia Manya (Love, Lies and Lust); Samuel Martin (Once); Tom Self (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) and James William-Pattison (Jack and the Beanstalk, Once).
They will be joined by Jon Bonner (The Commitments, UK tour); Oliver Hembrough (Insignificance, Arcola Theatre); Lara Lewis (Daisy Pulls It Off, Charing Cross Theatre) and Lauryn Redding (Oliver Twist, Hull Truck).
Set in Cumbria,1898, whippet racing, hiring fairs, hunting and drunken antics collide, in this passionate story of John and Emily, a young married couple, and their moving struggle to carve a living from the land.
The production is based on the stirring novel by Melvyn Bragg (The South Bank Show, ITV, In Our Times, Radio 4) with a superb score of rousing foot stomping rhythms and soaring choruses by Howard Goodall, the award-winning composer of West End hits Bend It Like Beckham and Love Story.
The Hired Man is directed by the Queen’s Theatre’s Artistic Director Douglas Rintoul (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Made in Dagenham, The Crucible) with design by Jean Chan, musical director Ben Goddard, movement by Jane Gibson, lighting design by Prema Mehta and sound design by Chris Murray.
Howard Goodall says, ‘I am absolutely thrilled about this revival: three brilliant regional theatres, a wonderful creative team and a chance for a new generation of theatre-goers to see this piece that Melvyn Bragg and I first put in front of an audience 35 years ago.’
A Sign Language Interpreted performance of The Hired Man will take place on Wednesday 15 May at 7.30pm with an Audio Described performance on Saturday 18 May at 2.30pm.
The Hired Man runs at the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 27 April – 18 May. Tickets are £13.50 - £30 (plus 65p QNew Transformation fee), with £8 tickets available for Under 26s (Tue – Thu & previews). For more information call the Box Office on 01708 443333 or click here.
