David Morrissey will make his London stage return in Martin McDonagh’s new Royal Court play Hangmen later this year. Morrissey is joined in the cast by Reece Shearsmith and Johnny Flynn.
Morrissey’s stage return will see the Red Riding actor play the second best hangman in England, who is surrounded by cub reporters and pub regulars on the day hanging is abolished. Yet one stranger lurks with very different intentions.
The show, which marks the first new work by The Lieutenant Of Inishmore writer McDonagh to play in London for a decade, runs from 10 September at the Royal Court.
Morrissey is no stranger to the dark themes usually so prevalent in McDonagh’s work, which also includes the Olivier Award-winning The Pillowman, having made his name in TV series including The Driver, The Walking Dead and Blackpool.
Shearsmith too is well at home with pitch black humour, having created and starred in cult TV hits The League Of Gentlemen, Psychoville and Inside Number 9, while on stage his credits have included the less sinister Absent Friends and Betty Blue Eyes.
Shearsmith expressed his excitement on Twitter when the news broke, saying:
Very excited to be back on stage at the @royalcourt with @davemorrissey64 in “Hangmen”. New and brilliant play from Martin McDonagh.
— Reece Shearsmith (@ReeceShearsmith) July 17, 2015
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Musician and actor Flynn returns to the Royal Court, where he previously starred in productions including Jerusalem and The Heretic.
The trio of actors are joined in the cast, which will be directed by Matthew Dunster, by James Dryden, Graeme Hawley, Ralph Ineson, Ryan Pope, Sally Rogers, Simon Rouse and recent graduates Bronwyn James and Josef Davies.
Hangmen runs at the Royal Court as part of an exciting season launched earlier this week. The line-up includes Penelope Skinner’s new drama Linda, led by Kim Cattrall, Sloane Square debuts for playwrights Cordelia Lynn and Nicola Wilson, and UK premieres of The TEAM’s RoosevElvis and Mia Chung’s You For Me For You.