Starring two-time Olivier winner Tracie Bennett (‘Here We Are‘, National Theatre) as Tallulah Bankhead and star of stage and screen John Partridge (‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie‘, West End) as Billy Haines. ‘The Code’ lays bare the unspoken rules of Hollywood, then and now: a world where image still shapes opportunity, where authenticity is curated and identity remains politicised. Michael McKeever’s ‘The Code’ will run at Southwark Playhouse from September 12 to October 11. Book Tickets.
Hollywood, 1950. A fading star. A rising one. An agent with an agenda. And a legend who’s seen it all.
Tallulah Bankhead – magnetic, mercurial, and unapologetically sharp-tongued – stops in for a cocktail at the home of former screen idol turned interior designer Billy Haines, who may – or may not – be planning to disappear from the town he once ruled.
Enter power agent Henry Willson and his all-too-perfect protégé Chad Manford, setting the room alight. In a world where image is everything, and identity must be carefully edited to survive, can any of them break “the code” without losing everything?
Starring alongside Tracie Bennett and John Partridge will be Solomon Davy (Hairspray, UK Tour) as Chad Manford and Nick Blakeley (Underdog: The Other Brontë, National Theatre) as Henry Willson.
Writer Michael McKeever said, “I am thrilled to bring this show to London. I look forward to seeing what this splendid team will do with it. It’s fascinating to me how relevant the issues in the play have become in these strange times in which we live.”
Director Christopher Renshaw further commented, “I am genuinely excited to be at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, directing this wonderful quartet of actors in this equally wonderful play.”
Producer Jim Kierstead added, “It gives me great pleasure to bring this brilliantly inspiring and timely show to London with our incredible producing team. Working with Chris and Michael and this talented group of actors and creatives is a dream come true.”
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