World premiere stage adaptation of the Wachowskis ‘Bound’ announces lead cast and first development workshop Auto Draft

Award winning Vertigo Theatre Productions have announced the lead cast for the world premiere stage adaptation of the acclaimed movie BOUND written by the legendary Wachowskis (The Matrix, V For Vendetta, Cloud Atlas, Sense8) and adapted to the stage by Craig Hepworth (Porno Chic, Exam, Noir).

Stepping into the iconic roles of Violet and Corky (portrayed by Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon in the movie) will be Farrel Hegarty (Violet) and Sofia Antonia Milone (Corky). They will be joined by Ben Keenan as Caesar and Richard Allen as Johnnie (played by Joe Pantoliano and Christopher Meloni in the movie) with more casting to be announced in the next few weeks.

The play will have its first lab/workshop this November 19th and 20th at The Contact Theatre in Manchester, with a try out production scheduled to open October 2023 in the UK.

This production has been authorised by Lily and Lana Wachowski as well as their management.

Sparks fly when Violet sets eyes on Corky in the hallway of their building. Violet is the girlfriend of a violent gangster, Caesar, while Corky is fresh out of prison and doing renovations on the apartment next door. As the two women launch into a passionate love affair, they assemble an intricate plan for Violet to escape from Caesar, with two million dollars of the mob’s money, all they have to do is trust each other to make it out alive.

Part love story, part erotic thriller, part mob story, BOUND is still the Wachowskis most critically acclaimed film to date.

Farrel Hegarty trained at the East 15 Acting School, graduating in 2010. As well as appearing in the critically well-received My Dinner with Hervé starring Peter Dinklage and Jamie Dornan. Her film credits include Big Boys Don’t Cry, The Payday, Late to the Party and the five time award nominated Edit/Undo. Her TV work includes stints in Emmerdale, Coronation Street and UK Gold’s Murder They Hope starring Lee Mack and Johnny Vegas. No stranger to the stage, she delighted audiences as Marilyn Monroe in Hello, Norma Jean at the Park Theatre, as Vicky in David Bown’s Stand and as Bernadette in Willy Russell’s Stags and Hens. Farrel, in the role of Violet, is thrilled to be back on stage and a part of bringing this iconic film to life for the first time in theatres.

Sofia Antonia Milone rebooted her career in April 2022 after a break working in related artistic roles. She has already played a variety of queer characters since her return, including Detective Smithy in The Adults are Talking (Stop Swimming Productions), Mia in the short On Rest a Movement for the Hallé Orchestra (Polari), and Becky in the feature A Sorta Fairytale (KDTA Productions). She graduated from Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre in 2000. Sofia is excited to step into the role of Corky.

Ben Keenan began his acting career as part of the esteemed drama collective ‘The Newpoint Players’ back in N. Ireland where in his first summer there he was hand selected to star in a new BBC drama called ‘Over the wall’ a weekly show about the ‘Troubles’. In which he played a lead role. After a brief hiatus and move to America he came back and pursued his comedy and acting career, he would go on to perform at the comedy store in both London and LA and was a finalist in the Amused Moose comedy competition, culminating in a sold-out Edinburgh fringe show. His recent acting credits include guest roles on Eastenders and Doctors and he has a feature film on Amazon Prime and another scheduled for release later this year.

Richard Allen has worked professionally as a theatre actor for over a decade and has worked with the company behind BOUND (Vertigo) many times before. His credits include the lead roles in Porno Chic, Last Dance, Fake News, Ascension and Noir. He has also appeared in the comedy plays Christmas Sorority Massacre and Murder She Writes. His other plays include OUT, An Inspector Calls, Five, M, Black Ice, The Bench and Rage. He reprised his role as Jimmy Flynn in the filmed stage version of Noir that hit Prime streaming in 2021 and will also reprise his role in the upcoming filmed version of the play Porno Chic. Richard is thrilled to join the premiere cast of BOUND as mobster Johnnie Marzzone. To keep up to date with all things BOUND, you can follow the show on Twitter @Bound_Stage, on Facebook at the page BOUND or visit the Vertigo website at www.vertigotheatreproductions.co.uk