THE RSC in Stratford closes the year with the world premiere of Anders Lustgarten’s new play The Seven Acts of Mercy.
Named after Caravaggio’s 1607 painting, the play takes place across a gap of 400 years, between the creation of the masterpiece in Naples in 1606, and present-day Bootle, where a retired dock worker attempts to teach his grandson about the life awaiting him.
It confronts the dangerous necessity of compassion in a world where it is in short supply,
Patrick O’Kane returns to the RSC, after playing Macbeth in 2007, as Caravaggio. He has appeared in hit TV shows Game of Thrones and The Fall.
Tom Georgeson plays retired dock-worker Leon. Georgeson is known for his roles as D.I. Harry Naylor in Between the Lines , and in the Alan Bleasdale TV dramas Boys from the Blackstuff, Scully and G.B.H.
Leon’s grandson, Mickey, is played by 16 year-old Liverpudlian actor T.J. Jones. Jones, who has no formal acting training, has previously appeared in the film Spike Island, about the famous The Stone Roses gig.
Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman directs the production which runs in the Swan Theatre until February 10.
visit www.rsc.org.uk for tickets and further details.
