Marathon '33 at Silk Street Theatre from 29 Nov

The Guildhall School of Music & Drama presents Marathon '33, by June Havoc, at the Silk Street Theatre, near the Barbican Centre, from 29 Nov to 4 Dec 2013.

This production is the British premiere of Marathon '33, which is directed by Rachel Grunwald and choreographed by Emma Annetts.

The cast includes Faith Alabi (Flo/Audience), Max Befort (Ruddy), Alexander Bhat (Legionnaire/Rita's partner/Mr Forbes/Minister/Audience), Rosemary Boyle (Sugar-Hips/Audience), Robbie Carpenter (Lusty/Audience), Paige Carter (Rae), Ceri-lyn Cissone (Pearl/Audience), Rebecca Collingwood (Robin/Angel/Melba Marvel/Audience), Theo Cowan (Abe), Joe Eyre (Roustabout/Mr James), Andre Flynn (Al/Audience), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (Beezer), Adam Gerrett (Bozo), Simon Haines (Dankle), Ben Hall (Scotty), Kaffe Keating (Pete/Mittens/Melba's escort), Emily Laing (June/Jean), Tanya Lattul (Helen), Joey Phillips (Patsy), Kate Phillips (Evie), Fran Regis (Rita/Pinkie/Blowsy Woman/Audience), Jordan Renzo (Schnozza), Florence Roberts (The Mick), Jay Saighal (Mr Burke/Cop/Audience), Dominic Spillane (Banty/Joe/Hinky/Audience), Benjamin Wainwright (Beefy/Mr Beckett-Jones/Roustabout).

It's 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, and a savage contest is about to kick off. This is a Dance Marathon, an endurance test in which couples must dance perpetually, until one by one they succumb to exhaustion and madness, in a spectacle of cruelty rigged to keep audience members hooked and spending money.