Hampstead theatre’s former Artistic Director Michael Attenborough will return to the North London venue later this month to direct a stellar cast including Tracy-Ann Oberman in director-turned-writer Deborah Bruce’s debut play Godchild.
Returning to the Hampstead theatre after starring roles in Old Money and On The Rocks, Boeing Boeing! star Oberman will lead the cast of Bruce’s dark comedy in the venue’s intimate Downstairs space from 31 October, appearing alongside fellow former EastEnders’ cast member Chook Sibtain, Game Of Thrones’ Michael Shaeffer and recent RADA graduate Pearl Chandra.
Attenborough’s first theatre outing since ending his tenure at the helm of the Almeida theatre earlier this year, Godchild explores the concept of what it means to be grown-up and why feeling 19 and being 19 are two very different realities.
These are issues thrust upon carefree Lou (Oberman) when her 19-year-old god-daughter Minnie (Chandra) moves in to take a place at university, upsetting the status quo and shining a harsh light on corners of Lou’s life she would rather not delve into.
While newcomer Chandra made her professional stage debut in April, appearing in Headlong’s The Seagull, her forthcoming male co-stars boast considerably more experience on the London stage.
Sibtain, who starred in Attenborough’s acclaimed production of King Lear at the Almeida theatre, is a regular at the National Theatre, appearing in numerous productions including Othello and The Absence Of War, while Shaeffer’s credits at the lauded venue include Table and London Road.
Both actors are also well known faces on screen, Sibtain appearing in Hustle, Dr Who and Bad Girls, and Shaeffer in Luther, Mrs Biggs and Parade’s End, as well as boasting credits in three films by directors also known for their stage work; Rufus Norris’ Broken, Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina and Danny Boyle’s Trance.
Godchild, which will play a month run to 30 November, is sandwiched between two other new plays running as part of the Downstairs theatre’s autumn/winter season; current drama The Empty Quarter, which finishes its run on 26 October, and Ali Taylor’s Christmas Eve-set comedy Fault Lines that will complete the trio of new writing when it plays from 5 December to 4 January.