The cast for Alexander Zeldin’s new play Care has been announced for its run in the Young Vic’s Main House. Featuring a multi-generational ensemble led by BAFTA nominee Linda Bassett, the production explores life and death in a care home setting.

Care, written and directed by Alexander Zeldin, opens at the Young Vic on 11 May 2026, with a press night on 19 May. The play focuses on a single mother, her two children, and their grandmother Joan, who is moved into a care home after a fall. The story follows the grandmother as she adjusts to her new life and reassesses her priorities.

Linda Bassett will play Joan, with Rosie Cavaliero as Lynn, the mother. Hayley Carmichael and Richard Durden play care home residents Simone and John. Aoife Gaston and Llewella Gideon take the roles of nurses Fanta and Hazel, while William Lawlor plays teenager Laurie. Ethan Mahony and Charlie Webb make their professional stage debuts sharing the role of youngest son Robbie.

The production also involves participants from the Young Vic’s Taking Part Neighbourhood Theatre programme, who will appear as care home residents. This inclusion adds a communal and diverse dimension to the portrayal of life in a care environment.

Zeldin described the play as one that “explores how the subject of end-of-life encourages people to view life differently,” emphasising its universal resonance. He also praised the Young Vic’s space as “uniquely democratic, open, warm” and expressed excitement about collaborating with Linda Bassett and the creative team.

The creative team features Rosanna Vize (set design), Natasha Jenkins (costume design), James Farncombe (lighting), Josh Anio Grigg (sound), and Marcin Rudy (movement direction). The production’s wider support team includes casting director Jacob Sparrow, intimacy director Katharine Hardman, and fight director Sam Lyon-Behan.

Care is co-produced by the Young Vic and A Zeldin Company. It serves as the final Main House production in artistic director Nadia Fall’s inaugural season, which will close with the world premiere of Sophie Swithinbank’s Sting in the Maria Studio.