Casting announced for RSC's The Seven Acts of Mercy

Casting has been announced for Anders Lustgarten's new play The Seven Acts of Mercy.

Tom Georgeson (Between the Lines) plays retired dock-worker Leon who attempts to teach his grandson Mickey – played by T.J. Jones – about the life awaiting him. Edmund Kingsley, known for appearing in Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film Hugo, will play Marchese.

Directed by Erica Whyman, The Seven Acts of Mercy, is named after a 1607 oil painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The play takes place across a gap of 400 years between when the painting was originally commissioned for the Church of Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples, and present-day Bootle.

The cast of the play also includes Joe Allen (Jimmy), Sally Bankes (Sandra), James Corrigan (Vincenzo), Lena Kaur (Donna), Patrick Knowles (Razor), Paul McEwan (Damien), Allison McKenzie (Lavinia), Patrick O’Kane (Carravagio), Nicky Priest (Danny), Paislie Reid (Jennifer), Gyuri Sarossy (Lee) and Eloise Secker (Emily).

Opening at the Swan Theatre in December, the production will be designed by Tom Piper, with lighting by Charles Balfour and music by Isobel Waller-Bridge.

The Seven Acts of Mercy opens at the Swan Theatre on 1 December with previews from 24 November.