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21st February 2022
Casting announcements have been made for the production of an upcoming political thriller Dead Lies which will open this spring at the Queen’s Theatre in Barnstaple.
The production is written by best-selling crime novelist Hilary Bonner, who was born in the region, and is having its world premiere in Devon, before embarking on a UK wide tour. Dead Lies is inspired by the Jeremy Thorpe scandal of the 1970s set against the political backdrop of current day Westminster. In this fast moving, hard hitting political English thriller, the action takes place during a fiercely fought election campaign following Peter George, a politician who promises a new kind of politics beyond sleaze and spin. He is welcomed as a messiah by the British public and is expected to restore trust in a broken political system. But there is a shocking secret in his past and as buried truths rise from the ashes, personal and political influences begin to shake the faith of those closest to him and a media cascade threatens to bring down Britain’s new saviour.
The cast has now been announced with Hollyoaks and Holby City actor Jeremyn Edwards playing Peter George. He will star alongside Alicia Charles (Coronation Street, Holby City), who plays Kate Compton, Peter’s Press Secretary; Portia Booroff (Doctors, EastEnders) as his wife, Jo; and Claire Dyson, fresh from appearing alongside Liam Neeson in Made in Italy as an ex-supermodel. Joining the cast is George Verghis who is making his UK tour debut in the role of Peter’s campaign manager, James.
Dead Lies is directed by the critically acclaimed Joe Harmston, who said: “Hilary Bonner does that rare thing writing a thriller for the stage, like Agatha Christie, she puts psychology first, making Dead Lies the best sort of whodunnit.”
Jeremy Edwards said: “Joining the cast of Dead Lies is a phenomenal opportunity for me. It has that rare combination of the right script at the right time. I have been waiting for such a strong piece of drama to come along for quite some time. Not only because it is sexy, scandalous and mysterious, it is incredibly on point. I’m delighted.”
The parallels between the real life scandal that saw Barnstaple MP Jeremy Thorpe disgraced and stripped of his leadership in the 70s and the fiction of Dead Lies are plain to see. It is no artistic coincidence that North Devon heavily influences the script, a natural choice for writer Hilary Bonner, who was born and raised there, prior to a career on Fleet Street where she reported on the Thorpe scandal. The opening night of Dead Lies will see her writing career turn full circle as her first experience of live theatre was as a small child sat in the stalls at the Queen’s Theatre.
Mark Farley, Director of the Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple, said: “We are delighted that we are able to stage the world premiere of Dead Lies prior to its national tour and welcome home its writer Hilary Bonner. We know our audiences will be on the edge of their seat for this cutting edge drama.”
For tickets and more information, visit deadlies.co.uk
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