Cast announced for George Bernard Shaw’s electrifying new adaptation of The Devil’s Disciple.
“I had an inkling from an early age that the Devil was my natural master, captain and friend”
The full cast has been announced for the world premiere of Mark Giesser’s The Devil May Care, an original adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple. Giesser’s urgent and timely new interpretation is set during the Philippine-American War (1899-1913), against a background of imperial power, racial intolerance and terrible choices. It investigates the fundamental question at the centre of war – who is really good, and who is really evil?
The cast is led by Callum Woodhouse (Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small; Leslie Durrell in The Durrells; Filthy Business, Hampstead Theatre), Beth Burrows (The Lady with a Dog, Upstairs at the Gatehouse/Tabard Theatre; Bell, Book and Candle, Tabard Theatre; Call Me Madam, Upstairs at the Gatehouse – Off West End Award for Best Supporting Actress 2022) and Richard Lynson (Rain Man; The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged, Criterion Theatre; The Lady With a Dog, Upstairs at The Gatehouse). The supporting cast is comprised of Jill Greenacre (The Brittas Empire; Andy Robson; Brookside; Nowhere; Closer, UK National Tour; Jane Eyre, UK National Tour; My Cousin Rachel, UK National Tour; Rebecca, UK National Tour), Enzo Benvenuti (The Boys From Syracuse, Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Romeo & Juliet, European Tour; A Christmas Carol, European Tour; The Great 1 Game; Renegade Nell) and Izyan Hay (Mission Impossible 8; Next, Please, Almeida Theatre; Dogeaters, New Earth Theatre).
In a case of mistaken identity, Richard Conroe, a disreputable American trader, is arrested by the US military occupying the small Philippine town in which this drama is set. He is thought to be an English minister wanted on suspicion of treason – and the minister’s wife, Judith, is determined to reveal the true facts, even though to do so would mean certain death for her husband. Richard, however, is willing to keep up the act and die for crimes he did not commit. A self-defined disciple of the Devil, the motive of Richard’s willingness to sacrifice his life for a stranger is unknown.
Director Mark Giesser comments, Both in Shaw's play and in my adaptation, the two principal characters of Richard, the 'Devil's disciple', and Judith, the minister's wife, are faced with the question of sacrifice. For Richard, it's discovering if he's capable of forfeiting his life to demonstrate a personal honour with which he isn't credited and may not care about. For Judith, it's discovering whether she has the capacity to allow an innocent man to die in place of her husband. Both Callum Woodhouse and Beth Burrows are actors of depth and sensitivity who can wrestle with these questions while also expressing the nuances of Shavian irony in the story.
Tackling the hypocrisy and prejudices of authorities and institutions, Giesser’s tense drama delves into the very human and personal challenges that are brought up by conflict. As Richard and Judith grapple with the moral and emotional fallout of their decisions, The Devil May Care highlights the human cost of war, prejudice and hypocrisy.
Listings
The Devil May Care: Monday 8th January – Saturday 1st February 2025
Southwark Playhouse Borough (Little), 77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD
Mon – Sat: 8pm, Tue & Sat: 3.30pm
£10 Pioneers’ Preview (8th January) | £16 Previews (9th – 11th January) £25 Standard | £20 Concessions