Full Casting Announced For ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST At The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre

Full casting has been announced for the first major London revival of Dario Fo and Franco Rame's riotous Accidental Death of an Anarchist in 20 years, in a new adaptation by comedian, writer and actor Tom Basden. The co-production with Sheffield Theatres, in association with Playful Productions, is directed by Daniel Raggett and reunites all the cast who performed in the original run at Sheffield Theatres earlier this year.

BAFTA Award winner Daniel Rigby returns to the Lyric following the success of Noises Off, and is joined by Shane David-Joseph (Jerusalem), Tony Gardner (BBC's Last Tango in Halifax), Jordan Metcalfe (Jack Absolute Flies Again), Ruby Thomas (Pride and Prejudice) and Howard Ward (Pride and Prejudice).

As the police prepare for an inquiry into the incident, an unhinged showman known only as the Maniac is arrested and brought into the station. Seizing the opportunity to put on a show, he leads the police in an absurd recreation of their version of events, exposing the cover-ups, corruption and profound idiocy of an institution in free-fall.

A razor-sharp satire, Tom Basden's wickedly hilarious adaptation relocates Dario Fo's classic farce to contemporary London and features a show-stopping performance from Daniel Rigby as the Maniac.

Dario Fo (Writer) an Italian actor-author. His stage career began with political cabaret, moved on to one-act farces, and then to satirical TV and in Italy's major theatres. In 1968, he broke with conventional theatre to set up a co-operative dedicated to producing politically committed work in what were then known as 'alternative venues'. His best known work, including Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Mistero Buffo and Trumpets and Raspberries, dates from this period. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997, and the official citation the Swedish Royal Academy stated that he had 'emulated the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden.'

Franca Rame (Writer) founded the Theatre Company of Dario Fo Franca Rame alongside her husband in 1958 (Compagnia Teatrale Dario Fo Franca Rame). Her writing includes The Rape (1975), Open Couple (1983), Let's Talk About Women (1991), Steal a Bit Less (1992), Sex? Don't Mind if I Do (1996) and Mother Peace: Let Mothers Decide About War (2005). Franca Rame collaborated on all Dario Fo's works. In the 1970s she founded 'Red Aid' and in 1988 the 'Nobel Committee for the Disabled'. From 2006-8 she was a Senator of the Republic of Italy. Rame and Fo published A Sudden Life (Guanda 2009), Escape from the Senate (Chiarelettere 2013) and A Forgotten Callas (Panini 2014).

Tom Basden (Adaptor) is a three-time BAFTA-nominated writer. His work for theatre includes Party (Sydney Festival and Arts Theatre), Joseph K (Gate Theatre), There Is a War (National Theatre), Holes (Edinburgh Festival and The Arcola) and The Crocodile (Manchester International Festival). He has also won an Edinburgh Comedy Award for his stand up shows. On screen, he writes and stars in the sitcoms Here We Go for BBC1 and Plebs for ITV2, and is a regular cast member in After Life for Netflix. He has also written episodes of Peep Show, Fresh Meat and The Wrong Mans. For Radio 4, he has made two series of the sketch show Cowards, three series of his sitcom Party and four series of Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme.

Shane David-Joseph (Constable Joseph) previously performed in Accidental Death of an Anarchist at Sheffield Theatres. Other theatre credits include Jerusalem, Magic Goes Wrong (Apollo Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Bristol Old Vic), The Place at the Bridge (Tobacco Factory), The Railway Children (King's Cross Theatre) and Regenerate (Bunker Theatre). His television credits include Temple and The Runner.

Tony Gardner (Superintendent Curry) previously performed in Accidental Death of an Anarchist at Sheffield Theatres. Other theatre credits include Bang Bang! (Theatr Clwyd), The Lie (Menier Chocolate Factory), Around the World in 80 Days (St James Theatre), The Rivals (Bath Theatre Royal/UK tour/Theatre Royal Haymarket), Bedroom Farce (Rose Theatre/Duke of York's Theatre), Where There's A Will (UK tour) and Struck Off and Die (Edinburgh Fringe). His television credits include The Larkins, Gentleman Jack, Last Tango in Halifax, Not Going Out, Lead Balloon, Fresh Meat, The Thick of It, My Parents are Aliens, Bluestone 42, Death on the Tyne, Innocent, Lovesick, Back, Doctor Who, Unforgotten, Death in Paradise, Young Hyacinth, The Tracey Ullman Show, Tripped, Stella, The Escape Artist, Gates, New Tricks, MI High, Moving Wallpaper, May Contain Nuts, Love Soup, Bremner Bird and Fortune, Jekyll, Lenny Henry in Pieces, Cold Feet, Dark Ages, People Like Us, Lee Evans - So What Now?, Wonderful You, Barking, Sunnyside Farm, Grown Ups, Crossing the Floor, Smith and Jones, Joking Apart and Drop The Dead Donkey. His film credits include Horrible Histories - The Movie, Cockneys Vs Zombies, Mad, Sad and Bad and Back Home.

Jordan Metcalfe (Detective Daisy) previously performed in Accidental Death of an Anarchist at Sheffield Theatres. For the Lyric Hammersmith he appeared in Oliver Twist. Other theatre credits include Jack Absolute Flies Again, The Pillowman (National Theatre), The Hypocrite, Wendy and Peter (RSC), Eyam, The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare's Globe), For Love or Money (Northern Broadsides), POSH (Nottingham Playhouse), Hobson's Choice (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Hypochondriac (Theatre Royal Bath), The Dreaming (Royal Opera House) and Romeo and Juliet (Stage at The Dock). His television credits include Misfits, Utopia, Father Brown, The Afternoon Play, The Last Detective, Maddigan's Quest, The Iceman Murder, Fungus the Bogeyman, The Last Flight to Kuwait, The Queen's Nose, Tommy Cooper: Not Like That Like This, Ultimate Force, Heartbeat, My Parents are Aliens, Girls in Love;and for film, Pride, Fractured and These Foolish Things.

Ruby Thomas (Fi Phelan) previously performed in Accidental Death of an Anarchist at Sheffield Theatres. Other recent theatre credits include Pride and Prejudice (Sheffield Crucible) and Spring Awakening (UK tour). Her television credits include Layla, Call the Midwife, Mister Winner, Endeavour, Fail and Agatha Raisin.

Howard Ward (Inspector Burton) previously appeared in Accidental Death of an Anarchist at Sheffield Theatres. His other theatre credits include Grenfell, Value Engineering (Tabernacle), Botticelli in the Fire, Wild Honey (Hampstead Theatre), The Hunt (Almeida Theatre), The Winter's Tale, Eyam, (Shakespeare's Globe), Oslo, London Road, War Horse (National Theatre), German Skerries (Orange Tree Theatre), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (Apollo Theatre/National Theatre), A Walk on Part, A Couple of Poor English Speaking Romanians (Soho Theatre), The Golden Dragon, The English Game (UK tour), The Changeling (Young Vic), Wanderlust, Attempts on Her Life (Royal Court Theatre), and Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing (RSC). His television credits include Brassic, Bodies, Father Brown, Manhunt, Carnival Row, Little Boy Blue, The Tunnel, The Jury, Drifters, Downton Abbey, Lady Chatterley's Lover, Toast, Parade's End, Hidden, Ghost Squad, The Government Inspector, Blair on Trial, and Insiders; and for film, The Children Act and London Road.

Daniel Rigby (The Maniac) is a BAFTA Award-winning actor and has worked extensively in theatre and television. He previously appeared Accidental Death of an Anarchist at Sheffield Theatres and has performed on the Lyric Main House stage in Michael Frayn's Noises Off. Other theatre credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Frost/Nixon (Crucible Theatre), Twelfth Night (National Theatre), Breaking the Code (Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester), Holes (The Invisible Dot/Arcola Theatre), Berk in Progress, Holes (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), One Man, Two Guvnors (National Theatre/London & National Tour/Adelphi Theatre - West End London/ Music Box Theatre - New York). His television includes The Ballad of Renegade Nell, After Ever After, Landscapers, The Witchfinder, Tom Jones, Flowers, Jericho, Big School, Black Mirror: The Waldo Moment, and Ernie & Ernie (Winner of the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor in the role of Eric).

Daniel Raggett's (Director) work includes Anna X by Joseph Charlton, which he directed as part of Sonia Friedman's 2021 RE:EMERGE season in the West End. The critically acclaimed production starred Golden Globe Award-winner Emma Corrin in the title role and was broadcast on Sky Arts. He previously directed Tom Basden's adaptation of Accidental Death of an Anarchist for Sheffield Theatres, and adapted and directed Jean Cocteau's The Human Voice for The Gate Theatre (Nominated for Best Director, Off West End Awards). He has also worked extensively as an associate director on productions at The National Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway, including on West Side Story (Broadway) and Network (Broadway/National Theatre). He was nominated as an Emerging Talent at the 66th Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2022.

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