Gerard McCarthy has withdrawn from the London run of Right Before I Go after Maureen Lipman was announced as part of the cast. The move landed just two days after the casting news, turning a planned return at Soho Theatre into a public split over where an actor draws the line.
Aug. 26 and Aug. 28
Aug. 26 was the turning point: Lipman’s addition to the cast was announced, and McCarthy had been due to return to the production for its London run at Soho Theatre. By Aug. 28, he had issued an Instagram statement saying he was walking away because staying would mean compromising something that mattered much more.
“Following the announcement that Dame Maureen Lipman would be joining the company, I privately explained that, because of views she has publicly and repeatedly expressed regarding Israel and Palestine, I did not feel comfortable personally promoting her involvement.” He added, “I did not ask for her casting to be reconsidered or expect anybody else to share my position.”
Maureen Lipman and Israel
McCarthy’s decision matters because it turns a casting announcement into a production-level problem for a London performance that was supposed to rely on his return. He is known for The Fall, Call the Midwife and Hollyoaks, while Lipman has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and has faced criticism from pro-Palestinian campaigners over her public comments.
He also said, “Sometimes you have to be prepared to walk away from something when staying would mean compromising something that matters much more.” That is the clearest guide to what happened here: he did not seek to block Lipman’s casting, but he also would not lend his name to promoting it.
Right Before I Go in London
For the London run, the practical consequence is straightforward. McCarthy is out, Lipman is in, and the production now has to move forward without the actor it expected to bring back for Soho Theatre.
What comes next is narrower than the debate around it. The public record in this case stops at McCarthy’s withdrawal, and the only live question for the production is whether it adjusts around his exit or proceeds in another form after the cast change.
