Ghost Stories co-creator and Assassins star Andy Nyman will join the cast of Royal Court Theatre hit Hangmen when the Martin McDonagh-penned dark comedy transfers to London’s West End in December.
Nyman will join David Morrissey and Johnny Flynn in the production when he replaces original cast member Reece Shearsmith. It’s a move that echoes a previous cast change, when The League Of Gentlemen star Shearsmith took over from Nyman in the West End production of Ghost Stories five years ago.
Also joining the West End cast for its season at the Wyndham’s Theatre are Line Of Duty’s Craig Parkinson, who replaces Ralph Ineson as Inspector Fry, and Tony Hirst, who replaces Graeme Hawley as Bill.
Hangmen, written by the man behind The Lieutenant Of Inishmore, The Pillowman and In Bruges, follows Harry, the second best hangman in England, on the day hanging is abolished. Among the local sycophants and reporters vying for Harry’s time, a stranger lurks in the pub with a very different motive.
When the production opened at the Sloane Square venue earlier this autumn it was met with stunning reviews, with The Independent’s Paul Taylor calling it “a flawless treat” and Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski proclaiming McDonagh “the funniest and cruellest voice of his generation”. The show received similar plaudits from its audiences.
Hangmen opens at the Wyndham’s Theatre following the current run of another hit transfer, Theatre Royal Bath’s production of Florian Zeller’s The Father, which runs until 21 November. Following Hangmen’s three-month run it will be followed by another of 2015’s most acclaimed new plays, the National Theatre and Headlong production of People, Places And Things.