Joe Aaron Reid (Dreamgirls, Savoy Theatre; In the Heights, Kings Cross Theatre), Michael Walters (The Inheritance, Young Vic & West End transfer; Death of a Salesman, Royal & Derngate/UK Tour; The Sandman, Netflix/Warner Bros), Giles Cooper (Toast, The Other Palace; Henry V, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, The Duchess of Malfi, Shakespeare's Globe) and Nico Conde (Westworld, HBO Entertainment; El Inocente, Netflix) will join the cast of the highly-anticipated European premiere of Steve at Seven Dials Playhouse.
The newly announced cast members will take to the stage alongside Olivier award-winning and Tony award-nominated Jenna Russell (Piaf, Nottingham Playhouse and Leeds Playhouse; Guys and Dolls, Piccadilly Theatre; Sunday In The Park With George, Wyndham’s Theatre) and Holby City’s David Ames (The Killing Moon, Theatre 503; The Temperamentals, Greenwich Theatre and Wild Oats Productions, Moonfleece, Riverside Studios and UK Tour) in Mark Gerrard’s cutting comedy that was heralded as The New York Times’ Critic’s Pick when it ran in New York in 2015.
Reid commented, As if being back in London isn’t incredible enough, I get to come and work with a dynamite team on the inaugural production at Seven Dials Playhouse. Mark Gerrard’s genius piece of theatre, Steve, is both side-splitting and heart-breaking in equal measure. We invite the
audience to explore the evolutionary nuances of gay relationships while tackling friendship, fatherhood, shame, and loss and throw in a bunch of musical theatre references for good measure. What’s not to love!?
Directed by Andrew Keates (Director: Dark Sublime, Trafalgar Studios; As Is, Finborough Theatre; Dessa Rose, Trafalgar Studios. Performance Director Ghostbusters: The Gates Of Gozer, Secret Cinema), Steve illuminates LGBTQ+ relationships, both romantic and platonic. The play navigates the highs and lows of getting older, long-term friendship, monogamy, saying goodbye and being alive.
Keates commented, We couldn’t have assembled a finer cast to serve the European premiere of Steve by Mark Gerrard. Our rehearsal room will be a diverse playground filled with exquisitely talented actors synonymous with world class Musical Theatre and vital, groundbreaking LGBTQ+ productions. Frankly, it’s an honour to be their director and set the tone for the work and artists to be expected at the new Seven Dials Playhouse.
Seven Dials Playhouse will announce the organisation’s debut Associated Programme responding directly to the themes of Steve later in January. This programme will include Sondheim workshops, LGBTQ+-focused events, an ‘in conversation with’ series, a cabaret programme and much more.
