Harry Melling Leads HAND TO GOD, Beginning Tonight in the West End

After its phenomenal run on and off Broadway, the critically acclaimed five times Tony Award nominated play HAND TO GOD (including Best New Play and Best Director) is making its way to London's West End and will open at the Vaudeville Theatre beginning tonight 5 February, with press night set for 15 February 2016.

HAND TO GOD features an all-star cast, including Janie Dee, Neil Pearson, Harry Melling, Jemima Rooper and Kevin Mains. This new play is directed by Tony Award nominated Moritz von Stuelpnagel.

Tony Award nominated Playwright Robert Askins goes for the jugular in this hilarious and provocative semi-autobiographical story with:-

One dead father, One messed up family, One girl who just wants to help, One school bully who always gets his own way, One man of the church offering comfort. And one Hand puppet called Tyrone who is completely out of control - Tyrone's shocking, dangerous and taking no prisoners.

HAND TO GOD explores the startlingly fragile nature of faith, morality, and the ties that bind us. Beneath Tyrone's crude jokes and vulgarity, however, do we hear an element of truth? This new play brings Tyrone to life in a refreshingly witty and brutally honest show, causing us to question whether there is something of Tyrone in all of us...something we would rather remain hidden?

Producer Kevin McCollum said: "After enjoying a wonderful journey in New York from a small 70-seat theater to Broadway, we are beyond thrilled to bring HAND TO GOD to the West End. There is a great appreciation of new original plays in London and so we could not be more excited to introduce playwright Rob Askins and director Moritz von Stuelpnagel to British audiences. Also, we could not be more fortunate to be working with a cast of such incredibly talented West End regulars to bring this show to life."

Producer Nica Burns said: "When I saw this play on Broadway, I laughed, I cried, I then cried with laughter and went aah at the end. This is a fantastic play - a black comedy with enormous heart. It is for anyone who has been part of a family, or indeed left out of one....It also has the best puppet sex I have ever seen! I am delighted to be working with a fantastic Broadway team, ace producer Kevin McCollum (Avenue Q, Rent, Motown) and wonderful writer, Rob Askins, a fantastic Director - Moritz von Stuelpnagel - Both Tony nominated for this play."

Tickets for HAND TO GOD are available via the Box Office on 0330 333 4814 or the website www.handtogod.co.uk.

Janie Dee (Margery): Janie is an award-winning British actress, singer and musical theatre performer. Janie has won the three most prestigious awards in British Theatre; the Olivier Award, the Evening Standard Award and Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Play, as well as the Obie and Theatre World Best Newcomer Award in New York, for her hilarious and heartbreaking performance as Jacie Triplethree in Alan Ayckbourn's Comic Potential. She also received the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel at the National Theatre and the TMA UK Theatre Award 2013 for Best Performance in a Musical for her performance as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! at Curve, Leicester.

Neil Pearson (Pastor Greg): Neil has appeared in such varied roles as Dr Jameson in Rhodes (1998), Jack Green in the children's serial The Magician's House (1999), Trevor Heslop in Trevor's World of Sport (2003) and John Diamond in A Lump in My Throat (2003). He has also been in several films, including The Secret Rapture (1993), Fever Pitch (1997) and Bridget Jones's Diary (2001). He appeared in the 2006 Radio Four series Vent as Ben. He played the choir master Michael Caddick in the BBC drama All the Small Things in 2009. He also appeared in an episode of Midsummer Murders, and played a prominent role in an episode of Death in Paradise in 2013. In 2014 Pearson became a series regular in Waterloo Road as new head teacher Vaughan Fitzgerald. Pearson was a judge on Channel 4's The Play's The Thing, which sought to find a play written by an unknown writer for a run in the West End. Pearson appeared in a touring revival of Sir Peter Hall's production of Harold Pinter's Old Times in 2006, and in a production of Tom Stoppard's play Arcadia at the Duke of York's Theatre, London, in 2009.

Harry Melling (Jason): Harry is best known for playing Dudley Dursley Harry Potter's spoiled cousin in five of the Harry Potter films. Harry left LAMDA early to star in Mother Courage and her Children and then went straight into Woman Beware Women both for the National Theatre. He starred in The Hot House at Trafalgar Studios and played The Fool in King Lear opposite Frank Langella at Chichester Festival Theatre. Harry recently wrote and starred in his own one man show Peddling which transferred to 59E59 in New York. He has recently been cast as William Barclay in the feature Lost City of Z opposite Charlie Hunnam.

Jemima Rooper (Jessica): Jemima's first professional roles were in the 1993 film The Higher Mortals and the 1994 film Willie's War. In 1996, she appeared in all episodes as George in Enid Blyton's The Famous Five. Jemima took the role of Nicki in the popular Channel 4 teenage series As If, which successfully ran for three years. Her next appearance was in the supernatural drama Hex where she played a lovable lesbian ghost named Thelma. Hex aired on Sky One and ran for two series. Rooper made her Hollywood debut in The Black Dahlia. In 2008 she starred in the TV series Lost in Austen and guest starred in Agatha Christie's Poirot. Her theatre credits include: Her Naked Skin, Me and My Girl, One Man, Two Guvnors and Blithe Spirit & Breeders. Her next project is the British horror-comedy Hotel Caledonia.

Kevin Mains (Timothy): Kevin has appeared in BBC Television series Shetland, Mountain Goats and Stonemouth. He also played Paul McCartney in the ITV drama Cilla. On stage he has performed as Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Royal Lyceum Theatre), Elvis Presley in Million Dollar Quartet (Noel Coward), Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Open Book Theatre), Padriac in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Katurian in The Pillowman (both at Citizens Theatre).