Roger Allam joins cast of Limehouse at Donmar Warehouse

Allam takes on the role of Roy Jenkins in Steve Waters' new drama

The Donmar Warehouse has announced complete casting for its upcoming production of Limehouse. Joining previously announced Paul Chahidi (as Bill Rodgers) and Debra Gillett (as Shirley Williams) will be  Roger Allam (as Roy Jenkins), Tom Goodman-Hill (as David Owen) and Nathalie Armin (as Debbie Owen).

Roger Allam was last seen at the Donmar Warehouse in Michael Grandage's production of 'Privates on Parade,' which earned him an Olivier Award. He also picked up an Olivier for his performance as Falstaff in 'Henry IV Parts I and II' at Shakespeare's Globe. Recent theatre credits include 'The Moderate Soprano,' and 'Seminar' (Hampstead Theatre), 'The Tempest' (Shakespeare's Globe) and 'La Cage Aux Folles'  (Playhouse Theatre). He has also been a regular on both the big and small screens, most recently appearing in "The Missing," "The Lady in the Van," "A Royal Night Out" and "Bad Education."

Tom Goodman-Hill returns to the Donmar, having already appeared in 'The Cosmonaut's Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union' in 2005, whilst Nathalie Armin will be making her Donmar debut with Limehouse.

The new play is written by Steve Waters, directed by Polly Findlay, and tells a story from our political history that speaks to our political present and imagines what happened behind closed doors during a pivotal moment in history - the formation of the SDP, which split the Labour party in 1981.

"A divisive left-wing leader at the helm of the Labour party. A Conservative prime minister battling with her cabinet. An identity crisis on a national scale. This is Britain 1981. One Sunday morning, four prominent Labour politicians - Bill Rodgers, Shirley Williams, Roy Jenkins and David Owen - gather in private at Owen's home in Limehouse, east London. They are desperate to find a political alternative. Should they split their party, divide their loyalties, and risk betraying everything they believe in? Would they be starting afresh, or destroying forever the tradition that nurtured them?"

The production will run from 2 March to 15 April 2017 with an official opening on 8 March 2017. It features designs by Alex Eales, lighting by Jon Clark, sound design by Emma Laxton and music by Rupert Cross.