Matthew Spencer will take on the role of Winston Smith when Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s hit adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 returns to the Playhouse Theatre this summer.
Spencer, who previously appeared in the cast as Syme, will tackle the role of the Ministry of Truth employee who fights to hold on to his sanity having understudied the part in 2014.
He is joined by a host of actors who have also already proved themselves as doubleplusgood 1984 cast members, having all previously performed in the Olivier Award nominated production, be it on tour, at the Almeida Theatre or in the West End.
The roles of Parsons and Julia will be shared by two pairs of performers throughout the course of the show’s West End run. Gavin Spokes will take on the role of Parsons from the first preview on 12 June before Simon Coates takes over on 29 June, while Janine Harouni will take the first stint as Julia, being replaced by Hara Yannas from 27 July.
Tim Dutton, Stephen Fewell, Christopher Patrick Nolan, Mandi Symonds and Ben Porter will also reprise their roles as O’Brien, Charrington, Martin, Mrs Parsons and Syme respectively.
Inspired by the appendix of Orwell’s dystopian novel about surveillance and identity, Icke and Macmillan’s stage adaptation charts the story of Winston as he dares to think a thought under the watchful eye of Big Brother.
1984 will arrive in the West End for a second run at the Playhouse Theatre on 12 June, playing until 5 September. It follows fellow Olivier Award nominated hit Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown The Musical, starring Tamsin Greig and Hadyn Gwynne, which ends its run on 23 May.