Cast announced for new stage adaptation of Kay Mellor’s A PASSIONATE WOMAN at Leeds Playhouse

Full casting has been announced for a major new production of the late Kay Mellor’s A Passionate Woman at Leeds Playhouse – the theatre which first staged her breakthrough play 30 years ago.

The production, staged in memory of the leading British dramatist who passed away in May last year, returns to the Playhouse’s Courtyard theatre in her home city of Leeds from 20 May–10 June.

Television and stage actor Katherine Dow Blyton (Emmerdale) will star as Betty, a passionate, doting mother who, on the day of her son’s wedding, locks herself in the loft as she struggles to accept that he’s leaving home.

The cast also includes Tom Lorcan (A Monster Calls, Old Vic) as Mark, Betty’s soon to be wed son; Michael Bijok (Leeds Playhouse debut) as Craze; and David Crellin (West Side Story, Royal Exchange) as Donald.

Directed by Leeds-based Tess Seddon, A Passionate Woman is a deeply personal story of reinvention and rediscovery, giving audiences the chance to once again enjoy Kay Mellor’s entertaining, engaging and relatable work. The original production propelled the Leeds writer into the theatrical spotlight, transferring to the West End and being adapted into a hit TV drama starring Theo James, Billie Piper and Sue Johnston. It also marked the start of a long, fruitful relationship between the Playhouse and this extraordinary storyteller.

Director Tess Seddon said: “I’m delighted to be working with such an incredibly talented cast and creative team on this brilliant play with such a long history with Leeds audiences. I’m looking forward to re-sharing this much-loved production in Kay’s beloved home city, 30 years after it was first staged. It has such a deeply rooted connection with the Playhouse and it feels wonderfully apt to be making A Passionate Woman on the stage that Kay first saw her work receive a rapturous reception in front of an audience all those years ago. I hope we do justice to this wonderful play, and to the legacy of this incredible writer.” 

The production has set & costume design by Rose Revitt, lighting by Amy Mae, sound by Annie May Fletcher, and movement/intimacy direction by Asha Jennings-Grant.

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