Further cast details have been revealed for the world premiere of David Hare’s new play Straight Line Crazy at the Bridge Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Ralph Fiennes. Straight Line Crazy sees Fiennes, Hare and Hytner reunite following their collaboration on Beat the Devil at The Bridge in Autumn 2020.
Joining Ralph Fiennes, who stars in the new play as Robert Moses, are Alisha Bailey (Mariah Heller), Samuel Barnett (Ariel Porter), David Bromley (Stamford Fergus), Al Coppola (Walter McQuade), Siobhán Cullen (Finnuala Connell), Ian Kirkby (Lewis Mumford), Alana Maria (Shirley Hayes), Dani Moseley (Carol Ames), Guy Paul (Henry Vanderbilt), Helen Schlesinger (Jane Jacobs), Mary Stillwaggon Stewart (Nicole Sawyer) and Danny Webb (Governor Al Smith).
Directed by Nicholas Hytner at The Bridge theatre in London, the play starts performances on 14 March 2022 and runs until 18 June 2022.
The wider creative team includes designs are by Bob Crowley with lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound by George Dennis and music by George Fenton.
The play is David Hare’s blazing account of the life of a man whose iron will exposed the weakness of democracy in the face of charismatic conviction. For forty uninterrupted years, Robert Moses was the most powerful man in New York. Though never elected to office, he manipulated those who were through a mix of guile, charm and intimidation. Motivated at first by a determination to improve the lives of New York City’s workers, he created new parks, new bridges and 627 miles of expressway to connect the people to the great outdoors. But in the 1950s, groups of citizens at grass roots began to organize against his schemes and against the motor car, campaigning for a very different idea of what a city was and for what it should be.
Ralph Fiennes has enjoyed an extensive career in theatre, film and television as well as producing and directing film. He was last on stage at The Bridge in David Hare’s Beat the Devil, directed by Nicholas Hytner, and recently toured in The Four Quartets which also had a West End run. Fiennes was previously directed by Hytner as Edmund in King Lear for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His many other theatre credits include Hamlet, Ivanov, Richard II and Coriolanus for the Almeida, Antony and Cleopatra, The Master Builder, God of Carnage and Faith Healer. His many film credits include Schindler’s List, The English Patient, The Constant Gardener, The Grand Budapest Hotel and the roles of Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films and M in Skyfall and Spectre. He has also directed three feature films – Coriolanus, The Invisible Woman and The White Crow. Fiennes’ most recent films include The King’s Man, The Dig and The Forgiven.
Alisha Bailey was last on stage in The Twilight Zone for Almeida Theatre and West End. Her previous credits include 4 Women for Loud Talkin’, A Raisin in the Sun for Sheffield Theatres, Paradise Street for the Tricycle Theatre, Mouthful at the Trafalgar Studios, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl for The National Theatre, The Serpent’s Tooth for the Almeida Theatre and Powder Monkey for Manchester Royal Exchange. On television her credits include Park Bench Plays, Grace, I Am…Victoria, Chewing Gum, Save Me, Save Me Too and Call the Midwife. On film her credits include Backdraft 2 and I Give It a Year.
Samuel Barnett was last at The Bridge in Allelujah! directed by Nicholas Hytner who has also directed him in His Dark Materials and The History Boys for The National Theatre and Broadway as well as the feature films The Lady in the Van and The History Boys. His other theatre credits include Kiss of the Spiderwoman and Dealer’s Choice for the Menier Chocolate Factory, An Oak Tree, The Beaux Stratagem and Women Beware Women for The National Theatre, Richard III and Twelfth Night for The Globe Theatre and Broadway, The Way of the World for Sheffield Theatres, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and The Accrington Pals for Chichester Festival Theatre and The Marriage of Figaro for Manchester Royal Exchange. His television credits include Four Lives, The Amazing Mr Blunden, The Prince, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Penny Dreadful, Endeavour, Not Safe For Work, Twenty Twelve, Beautiful People, Desperate Romantics and John Adams. His other film credits include Jupiter Ascending, Bright Star and Mrs Henderson Presents.
David Bromley’s theatre credits include No Villain for the Old Red Lion and Trafalgar Studios and 1938 – Hitler Takes Vienna, Without Reluctance and Without Relief and Boris Godunov, all for the Ballast Theatre Company. His television credits include Harlots, Doctors and The Tunnel, and his film credits include Tolkien, How to Stop a Recurring Dream, Poor Thing and Holmes and Watson.
Al Coppola was previously seen at The Bridge in Bach & Sons. His other theatre credits include The Importance of Being Earnest for the Barn Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Split Second Productions, and Sonnet Walk, Journey’s End and Macbeth for Guildford Shakespeare Company. His television credits include Holby City.
Siobhán Cullen’s theatre credits include Once Upon a Bridge, The Cherry Orchard, Richard III, Crestfall and the one woman play Boland: Journey of a Poet, all for the Druid Theatre Company, Galway. On television, her credits include The Dry, Origin, The Long Call and Paula. Her film credits include The Bright Side.
Book tickets to Straight Line Crazy at the Bridge Theatre London
