Joining the previously announced Jane Turner are Simon Burke, Oliver Farnsworth and Anna Skellern, with Guy Edmonds and Matt Zeremes also reprising the roles they originated in the original Australian production.
Adapted by Tommy Murphy from the award-winning true-life memoir of the same name by Australian writer, actor and activist Timothy Conigrave, the play revolves around him being young and gay in 70s Melbourne, where he falls in love with the captain of the football team at an all-male Melbourne high school. The original book, reprinted 13 times around the world, won the United Nations Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction in 1995. When the theatrical adaptation opened in Sydney in 2007, it won multiple awards and was seen at the Sydney Opera House. The term "Holding the Man" comes from Australian football and refers to a transgression that incurs a penalty.
The play is directed by David Berthold, director of the original Australian production, and designed by Brian Thomson, most recently known for his design of the musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Michael Agosta designs costume and puppets, with lighting deigned by James Whiteside.
Turner is best known for writing, producing and starring in the hit TV comedy series "Kath and Kim," in which she plays Kath. She has also appeared in the Australian series "Prisoner" and comedy sketch shows "Forward," "Big Girls Blouse" and "Something Stupid." She will be making her West End debut in Holding The Man.
Burke was most recently seen in the West End as Georges in La Cage aux Folles opposite John Barrowman at the Playhouse Theatre, and as Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music opposite Connie Fisher at the London Palladium. He was also seen last year in When the Rain Stops Falling at the Almeida Theatre. At the age of 13 Burke won Best Actor at the AFI Awards for his performance in "The Devil’s Playground." Simon also remains a longstanding and much-loved presenter of "Playschool" in Australia (ABC). The play is produced by Daniel Sparrow, Mike Walsh OBE, Benjamin Jones and Neil Gooding Productions.
To book tickets, contact the box office at 0844 871 7632, or visit www.holdingtheman.com for more details.
