STOP! ... The Play - James Woolley replaces Peter Bowles

Hatch It Theatre have announced that actor Peter Bowles has stepped out of the world premiere of new comedy STOP! ... The Play by David Spicer, which runs at Trafalgar Studios 2 from 2 to 27 June 2015, with an official opening on 3 June.

He will be replaced by James Woolley in the role, as the production is still set to begin previews at The Studio at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, south London from 26 to 30 May 2015.

Producer Timothy Beckmann said of the news: "It has been a bit of a nightmare... but just the sort of calamitous event that occurs in each scene of our play! Mr Bowles had a last-minute change of heart and we have to respect his decision...We are thrilled that another veteran of stage and screen, James Woolley, was available and stepped in at such short notice to save the day. Rehearsals are now going great guns."

STOP! ... The Play will be directed by John Schwab and cast includes Adam Riches (The Leading Man), James Woolley (The Seasoned Veteran), Tosin Cole (The Hollywood Cameo), Hatty Preston (The Leading Lady), Hannah Stokeley (The Perennial Co-star), Charlie Cameron (The Stage Manager), Ben Starr (The Director).

Synposis: "The production starts out as a worthy (if slightly dull) English kitchen sink drama, The Dark Heart of Art, about a struggling artist. But then daily rewrites start arriving from the persistently absent writer. Characters are cut, new characters are introduced... everything changes from day to day. The cast battles to keep up. But instead of making the play better, the rewrites make it worse, and crazier. The Dark Heart of Art becomes a shockingly sexual pseudo-psycho drama called Banksy Ain't Gay - a masterclass in appalling modern playwriting."