Hampstead Theatre has announced the full cast for the world premiere of Double Feature…
The play by the Golden Globe and Tony award-winning writer John Logan playing on the Main Stage from Thursday 8 February to Saturday 16 March 2024. Directed by Jonathan Kent Double Feature explores the glamour and grit of the movie world, questioning where the power in Hollywood truly sits – with the star on screen, or in the director’s chair – and features the following characters:
Alfred Hitchcock – the world’s most celebrated filmmaker will be played by Ian McNeice (Archie, Doc Martin, ITV; The Kings Speech, Wyndhams).
Tippi Hedren – Hitchcock’s muse of the moment will be played by Joanna Vanderham (Richard III, Almeida; Othello, RSC; The Go-Between, BBC).
Vincent Price – the seasoned hero of the horror genre will be played by Jonathan Hyde (Titanic; A Very English Scandal, BBC; Hamlet, Theatre Royal Windsor).
Michael Reeves – the brilliant young director desperate to prove his worth will be played by Rowan Polonski (The Comedy of Errors, RSC; Shakespeare in Love, Theatre Royal Bath).
1964, Los Angeles, Hitchcock’s cottage on the Universal lot. A great director and his star are engaged in a complex struggle between beauty and beholder. It’s mid-shoot on Marnie, but Hedren is struggling. The glare of Hollywood’s spotlight, coupled with a compulsion to be ever-ready for her close-up even when cameras have stopped rolling, are pushing her to the brink. How do you say no to the man who believes he made you?
1967, Suffolk, Reeves’ rented cottage on the location of Witchfinder General. A young film director is desperately trying to create his magnum opus. The only obstacle in his path – the ageing star the studio has foisted upon him to help the box office. Price is about to walk and Reeves’ career hangs by a thread: veteran and visionary go head-to-head on whether true art has any place on a film set.
John Logan is an American playwright and screenwriter with first-hand experience of the movie world having written the screenplays for The Aviator, Skyfall and Gladiator, amongst many others. His stage work includes the Tony Award-winning play Red (West End and Broadway), Peter and Alice (West End) and the book for Moulin Rouge (West End and Broadway).
Jonathan Kent returns to Hampstead where his previous productions include Good People, The Slaves of Solitude and The Forest. He says:
“I’m delighted to be directing John Logan’s dazzling and surprising new play which examines the shifting power dynamic between two great directors and their iconic stars. As a hugely distinguished screenwriter and playwright, he recognises the complex, ambiguous and, sometimes, dangerous relationship that can exist between actor and director – and the alchemy that creates art in the cinema.”
Kent is joined by designer Anthony Ward; lighting designer Hugh Vanstone; sound designer Paul Groothuis and associate director, Stephen Whitson. The casting director is Sarah Bird CDG.
