BENNETT CAST IS ON THE CASE

VETERAN stars Gwen Taylor and Simon Williams (pictured right) have been cast in Alan Bennett’s latest play.

They are patients on the Dusty Springfield geriatric ward at a hospital on the edge of the Pennines in West Yorkshire. Allelujah! also stars Samuel Barnett and Sacha Dhawan, who were in the original stage and film versions of Bennett’s celebrated History Boys.

Taylor and Williams play Lucille and Ambrose, who shuffle along in what director Nicholas Hytner calls a ‘very funny, very touching and quite alarming’ play.

It will begin previews at the Bridge Theatre, which Hytner runs with business partner Nick Starr, on July 11.

The director, who worked with Bennett on several of his previous plays, told me Allelujah! reflects ‘pretty accurately the diverse array of characters you would find when visiting or working’ in the old-fashioned, cradle-to-the-grave hospital.

Hytner described the new work as a commentary on the NHS, and said while Bennett had, over the years, gone public and private, he believed ‘the NHS had more jokes’.

The cracking cast also includes Deborah Findlay as a nurse; and Jeff Rawle, Patricia England, Julia Foster and Colin Haigh as patients. Peter Forbes, who was in Follies at the National, is in the cast, too, as is David Moorst, former Evening Standard best newcomer.

Nicola Hughes is also part of the ensemble, which is good because there’s plenty of singing. Musical numbers are believed to include On The Sunny Side Of The Street and Vera Lynn’s It’s A Lovely Day Tomorrow.

Also in the cast are Sam Bond, Jacqueline Chan, Jacqueline Clarke, Rosie Ede, Manish Gandhi, Richard Hart, Nadine Higgin, Anna Lindup, Louis Mahoney, Cleo Sylvestre, Sue Wallace, Duncan Wisbey and Gary Wood. Rehearsals begin on Tuesday.