Linda Bassett and John Heffernan have been cast in Caryl Churchill’s new play What If If Only, which will be directed by James Macdonald. With set design by Miriam Buether, lighting design by Prema Mehta, sound design by Christopher Shutt and assistant direction from Grace Duggan.
What If If Only will run in the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs from Wednesday 29 September 2021 – Saturday 23 October 2021. Performances run Monday – Saturday at 6pm, plus Friday 8, 15 & 22 October 2021 at 10pm. The running time is a lush 14 minutes.
Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife, The Good Fight) make her YV debut as a new kind of Hamlet, reuniting with her long-time collaborator Greg Hersov, to bring us this tale of power, politics and desire.
Joining Cush Jumbo as Hamlet, the full cast includes Jonathan Ajayi (Laertes), Joana Borja (Guildenstern /Osric), Adrian Dunbar (Claudius/The Ghost), Tara Fitzgerald (Gertrude), Norah Lopez Holden (Ophelia), Jonathan Livingstone (Horatio), Joseph Marcell (Polonius), Adele Oni (Bernardo), Taz Skylar (Rosencrantz/Fortinbras/Marcellus) and Leo Wringer (Fortinbras Captain/Player/Gravedigger).
Hamlet is currently sold out. Further Hamlet tickets to be released: Members Priority Booking 6 September 12 noon / Public Booking 8 September 12 noon.
Sheffield Theatres and Clean Break today announce the cast for Typical Girls by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, at the Crucible Theatre from Friday 24 September to Saturday 16 October.
Directed by Clean Break’s Joint Artistic Director Róisín McBrinn (Afterplay, Sheffield Theatres) full casting includes Helen Cripps (Women Beware Women, Shakespeare’s Globe), Lucy Edkins ([BLANK], Donmar Warehouse), Lucy Ellinson (Run Sister Run, Sheffield Theatres), Eddy Queens (Through This Mist, Clean Break), Alison Fitzjohn (Take That’s – The Band Musical, UK Tour), Lara Grace Ilori (Living Newspaper Edition 6, Royal Court) and Carrie Rock (Julius Caesar, Donmar Warehouse/St Ann’s Warehouse, New York).
Following a sell-out run at the Gate Theatre, Ellen McDougall directs the critically acclaimed Dear Elizabeth, which returns for a limited run in September in a new theatre space for the Gate at Theatro Technis in Camden – a fully accessible space and a slightly larger auditorium to allow for social distancing. The production features two unrehearsed guest actors each night.
For each performance two actors will take the roles of Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, one will be a recent graduate who will be paired alongside a more established actor. They will meet each other, the audience, and the story of Robert and Elizabeth at the same time. The performers won’t know how the story ends: they will discover it with the audience
Cast includes Ronke Adekoluejo (Lava at Bush Theatre, Alex Rider, Been So Long), Eric Kofi Abrefa (Netflix The One, Jurassic World – Fallen Kingdom), Esh Alladi (Out West – The Overseas Student at Lyric Hammersmith, Ordinary Love), Pepa Duarte (Netflix No One Gets Out Alive) Arthur Hughes (Netflix The Innocents and BBC’s The Archers), Jimena Larraguivel (Gate’s Faces in the Crowd and BBC’s Apple Tree Yard) and Mei Mac (BBC’s Call the Midwife and Young Vic’s Five Plays – Tongue). Further casting to be announced.
And it has also been announced that Madeleine Mantock will make her West End debut to play Elvira to complete the cast of the upcoming West End production of Blithe Spirit which stars Jennifer Saunders. Madeleine recently played ‘Macy Vaughn’; a series lead in Charmed for CBS Studios and ‘Miss Clara’, in the BBC adaptation of Andrea Levy’s novel The Long Song.
Jennifer Saunders, one of the UK’s most popular comic actors, will revive her role as the preposterous clairvoyant Madame Arcati. She is joined by original cast members Geoffrey Streatfeild who will star as Charles Condomine, Lisa Dillon as Ruth Condomine, Simon Coates as Dr Bradman, Lucy Robinson as Mrs Bradman, and Rose Wardlaw as Edith.
The production brings together a distinguished and multi-award-winning creative team, directed by former National Theatre director Sir Richard Eyre with design by Anthony Ward, lighting by Howard Harrison, sound by John Leonard and illusions by Paul Kieve.
Hampstead Theatre has announced the cast for Shelagh Stephenson’s Olivier Award-winning play The Memory of Water. Lucy Black, Kulvinder Ghir, Adam James, Lizzy McInnerny, Carolina Main and Laura Rogers will perform in this poignant and painfully funny comedy about conflicting memories, life and loss, which received its world premiere at the theatre in 1996. Directed by Alice Hamilton, the new production will run from 3 September until 16 October 2021.
The theatre is also delighted to announce the cast for the world premiere of Mufaro Makubika’s new play Malindadzimu. Shyko Amos, Kudzai Mangombe, Sifiso Mazibuko, Tendai Humphrey Sitima and Natasha Williams will perform in this delicate, witty and epic new play, which explores a mother and daughter’s search for belonging and their struggle with a multicultural heritage. Malindadzimu will run from 17 September until 30 October 2021 at Hampstead Downstairs, directed by Monique Touko, who will be making her professional directing debut.
