Tracie Bennett, John Partridge and more to star in The Code

Exclusive: Tracie Bennett, John Partridge, Solomon Davy and Nick Blakeley will lead the cast of The Code by Michael McKeever at Southwark Playhouse Elephant this autumn.

The new London staging is directed by Christopher Renshaw. The play looks at the hidden rules of Hollywood through the lens of four characters navigating a town where appearance shapes possibility.

McKeever explained today: “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.”

Go behind the scenes for the show’s photoshoot in the video below:

Bennett will play Tallulah Bankhead, with Partridge as Billy Haines. They are joined by Davy as Chad Manford and Blakeley as Henry Willson. McKeever’s previous plays include Daniel’s Husband, After and Mr Parker.

The creative team includes set and costume design by Ethan Cheek, lighting design by Jack Weir and casting by Nicholas Hockaday. The full creative team will be announced at a later date.

It is produced by Jim Kierstead, Merrie L Davis, Jim Head, Elisabeth Rock, Jim Karp/James Manuel Meneses, Vasi Laurence/Adina Schecter and Ted Snowdon and will run from 12 September to 12 October 2025, with an official opening night on 17 September.