Humans star Gemma Chan will lead an all-star cast in Jamie Lloyd’s 50th anniversary staging of Harold Pinter’s seminal play The Homecoming at the Trafalgar Studios this autumn.
Chan will play Pinter’s iconic character Ruth alongside an otherwise all-male cast comprising Gary Kemp, Ron Cook, Keith Allen, John Simm and John Macmillan from 14 November in Lloyd’s much anticipated return to the West End venue following productions including the James McAvoy-led Macbeth and hit revival of The Pride.
One of Pinter’s most controversial pieces, The Homecoming tells the story of a woman who travels from America with her professor husband to visit his family in London sparking power struggles, one-upmanship and sexual tension.
Speaking about the casting to the Daily Mail, Lloyd said he had cast Chan because of her “very powerful sensuality” and explained that while the play has a history of controversy due to its complex portrayal of Ruth, it is a drama about “a woman who is in complete control of her destiny” giving audiences a hint at the direction his interpretation will take.
Chan, who has become a household name in recent months for her triumphant appearance in Channel 4’s surprise hit Humans, returns to the stage follows 2014’s Yellow Face at the Park and National Theatre.
Her forthcoming co-stars are all similarly known for careers that have crossed stage, screen, and, in a couple of cases, the world of music.
Life On Mars star Simm, who is a well know face on screen in films including Human Traffic and 25 Hour Party People, and stage regular Ron Cook will both reunite with Lloyd following roles in his productions of The Hothouse and The Ruling Class respectively.
Kemp, who will play Chan’s husband, boasts credits in shows including Hampstead Theatre’s Rubenstein Kiss and the West End’s Art, but is best known for being a leading member of 1980s hit-producing band Spandau Ballet. Trainspotting star Allen too is closely associated with the music industry as a member of Fat Les and Atoms, and has graced the stage on several occasions, most recently in the Lyric Hammersmith’s Comedians.
Rounding up the cast is rising star Macmillian (Children’s Children, Almeida; Hamlet, Donmar Warehouse and In The Red And Brown Water, Young Vic).
Affectionately referred to by the Official London Theatre team as “the busiest man in theatre”, after a recent short break, The Homecoming is just the first of a string of shows to be announced by Lloyd in the coming weeks.
This is the first of some new projects to be announced over the coming weeks and months. I can’t wait. https://t.co/SEyW58PeW0
— Jamie Lloyd (@lloydjamie) September 17, 2015
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The Homecoming will play at Trafalgar Studios 1 following the Almeida Theatre’s West End transfer of the five star hit Oresteia.