Cast Announced for WONDERLAND at Hampstead Theatre, June 20-July 26

Hampstead Theatre presents the World Premiere of WONDERLAND by Beth Steel, directed by Edward Hall, designed by Ashley Martin Davis, choreographed by Scott Ambler, and with music composed by Simon Slater. The show will play 20 June - 26 July 2014. Press Night: Thursday 26 June at 7pm.

Marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Miners' Strike, Beth Steel's political drama presents the full sweep of the turbulent events that transformed the country - from the corridors of Westminster, to pitched battles with the police, to the coal faces of Nottinghamshire. Hampstead Theatre is delighted to announce the full cast.

Michael Cochrane plays Ian MacGregor, Chairman of the Coal Board, with Paul Cawley as Transport Secretary Nicholas Ridley and Andrew Havill as Secretary of State for Energy Peter Walker. Dugald Bruce-Lockhart plays eccentric libertarian David Hart and Andrew Readman plays US Economic Milton Friedman.

On the front line, the miners are played by Nigel Betts, Paul Brennen, Gunnar Cauthery, Ben-Ryan Davies, David Moorst, Paul Rattray and Simon Slater.

The Midlands, 1984. Two young lads are about to learn what it is to be a miner, to be accepted into the close camaraderie and initiated into a unique workplace where sweat, toil, collapsing roofs and explosions are all to be met with bawdy humour.

London, 1984. A conflicted Tory MP, a brash American CEO and a maverick are the face of a radical Conservative government preparing to do battle with the most powerful workforce, the miners.

As the two sides clash, the miners fight for their livelihoods and families, and the government for its vision of a free Britain. Together they change the fabric of the nation forever.

A finalist for The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for Best New Play, Wonderland is Steel's first major play to be produced on the London stage following her writing debut Ditch in the Old Vic Tunnels.

Wonderland is directed by Hampstead Theatre's Artistic Director Edward Hall following the sell out Sunny Afternoon currently at Hampstead, Raving and Chariots of Fire (Hampstead/West End).

Lighting is by Peter Mumford and sound by Matt McKenzie.

Cast information

Paul Cawley plays Nicholas Ridley. Previous theatre includes Translations (Sheffield Crucible /ETT/Rose Theatre), Apples - Thatcherwrite (Theatre 503) and The Fear of Breathing (Finborough). TV includes The Wrong Mans, Eastenders and Spooks, and film Swinging with the Finkels and Black Circle.

Michael Cochrane plays Ian MacGregor. Recent stage roles include Dandy Dick (Brighton & Tour) and The Bomb: a Partial History (Tricycle). Television includes The Musketeers, The Escape Artist and Downton Abbey (BBC), and film The Iron Lady and The Headsman.

Andrew Havill plays Peter Walker. Andrew was last at Hampstead in Drawing The Line in 2013 and Farewell To The Theatre in 2012. Other theatre includes This House (National) and The King James Bible and The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare's Globe). TV includes Sherlock and Father Brown (BBC) and film includes Closed Circuit, Les Miserables and Cloud Atlas.

Dugald Bruce-Lockhart plays David Hart. His stage work includes as David Cameron in The Three Lions (PBJ/Pleasance Edinburgh), Henry V, Comedy of Errors and Richard III (Propellor UK tour/Hampstead/USA), 39 Steps (Fiery Angel/Criterion Theatre). TV includes Case Histories, Hotel Babylon, and Foyle's War, and film From Time to Time, Simon and Hart's War.

Andrew Readman plays Milton Friedman. His stage work includes Henry V, Richard III and The Desert Air (RSC), and Twelfth Night and Henry V (Theatr Clwyd). TV includes Cabbage & Pat, Monroe, Casualty, and Utopia, and film includes 101 Dalmations and Wild Justice.

Booking Information

Dates: 20 June - 26 July 2014

Times: Mon - Sat at 7.30pm. Sat Mats at 3pm and Weds Mats at 2.30pm.

Prices: Full Price £32/£29. Previews/Mons/Mats £25/£22. Seniors/concs from £18/£15

To Book: Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, London, NW3 3EU

Tel: 020 7722 9301; online: www.hampsteadtheatre.com

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