Rafe Spall and Christine Bottomley lead the cast of Alaska, which runs at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs between 24 May and 23 June. The drama is the very first play by DC Moore, who came through the venue's successful Young Writers Programme. Also among the cast, directed by Maria Aberg, are Sebastian Armesto, Harry Hepple, Thomas Morrison and Fiona Wade.
Alaska tells the story of Frank, an ordinary guy who works at a cinema kiosk. He puts up with his job until his new supervisor arrives; a supervisor who is both younger than him and Asian.
Spall previously appeared at the Royal Court in David Watson's Just A Bloke as part of the 2002 Young Writers' Festival. He has also appeared in The Knight Of The Burning Pestle for the RSC, Prayer For Owen Meaney at the National and, most recently, the Michael Grandage-directed production of John Gabriel Borkman that ran at the Donmar Warehouse earlier this year.
For the BBC Spall played Harker in Dracula, Rochester in Wide Sargasso Sea, Keith in The Chatterley Affair and John Clare in The Romantics, while his film credits include cop comedy Hot Fuzz, 'zom-rom-com' Shaun Of The Dead and hooligan drama Green Street.
Bottomley was on television screens very recently, playing Mary Dunbar in Sea Of Souls. Her other television appearances include The Innocence Project and the Jimmy McGovern drama The Street.
Bottomley's previous appearance at the Royal Court came in 2004, when she played gullible 20-year-old Lera in Vassily Sigarev's Ladybird. She has also been seen in A Single Act and Osama The Hero (both Hampstead) and Flush (Soho).
Alaska opens at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs on 29 May.
MA