Full cast & creatives announced for Ghosts at the Lyric Hammersmith
The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for its upcoming production of Ghosts, a contemporary reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play by acclaimed playwright Gary Owen. The production, directed by Lyric’s Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan, will run from 10 April to 10 May 2025.
Leading the cast are Rivals and Bloodlands actress Victoria Smurfit and It’s a Sin and Cabaret actor Callum Scott Howells as Oz. They are joined by Patricia Allison (Sex Education) as Reggie, Rhashan Stone (Tambo & Bones, Keeping Faith) as Anderson, and Deka Walmsley (Roots, Look Back in Anger) as Jacob.
Victoria Smurfit said: “As a long-time admirer of the Lyric and Rachel, to join her cast in Ghosts is a wish I had not been brave enough to wish for but one I am thrilled has now come true!”
Callum Scott Howells added: “I am very excited to be part of this project. Gary Owen’s adaptation sheds brilliant new light on Ibsen’s extraordinary piece and in Rachel O’Riordan’s hands it promises to be an exciting ride. I am looking forward to getting started and getting to know my fellow cast members.”
Patricia Allison said: “I’m thrilled to be working on Ghosts; it feels exciting to be part of this new rendition of it.”
The creative team includes set and costume design by Merle Hensel, lighting design by Simisola Majekodunmi, sound design by Donato Wharton, and music by Simon Slater. Casting is by Anna Cooper CDG, with Harper K. Hefferon serving as assistant director.
This marks the latest collaboration between playwright Gary Owen and director Rachel O’Riordan, following the success of Romeo & Julie at the National Theatre and Iphigenia in Splott, which won the UK Theatre Best New Play award and the James Tait Black Prize for Drama. Ghosts follows in the footsteps of similarly reimagined classics at the Lyric, including A Doll’s House and Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
O’Riordan commented: “Ghosts is my fifth time collaborating with Gary Owen, and I’m delighted to be bringing his radical reimagining of Ibsen’s classic to the Lyric stage in our 130th anniversary year. In transporting the action of the play to present-day England, its themes of family loyalty and the legacy of inheritance reveal themselves to be as timely as ever. I couldn’t be prouder of the powerhouse cast we’ve assembled to tell this bold, thrilling story.”
Set in the modern day, Ghosts follows Helena, a woman determined to preserve her late husband’s legacy by opening a children’s hospital in his name. However, when their son Oz returns home for the unveiling, his own ambitions threaten to unearth long-buried family secrets.
Ghosts runs from 10 April to 10 May 2025 at the Lyric Hammersmith, London. Book tickets to Ghosts
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