With its announcements so far, Nicholas Hytner’s production of John Gabriel Borkman had very much catapulted itself into must-see territory and as the company start their first day of rehearsal, the rest of the cast has been announced.
Joining Simon Russell Beale in the title role, Clare Higgins as Gunhild Borkman and Lia Williams as Ella Rentheim are Sebastian De Souza as Erhart Borkman, Daisy Ou as Frida Foldal, Laila Rouass as Fanny Wilton and Michael Simkins as Wilhelm Foldal.
John Gabriel Borkman, once an illustrious entrepreneur, has been brought low by a prison sentence for fraud. As he paces alone in an upstairs room, bankrupt and disgraced, he is obsessed by dreams of his comeback. Downstairs, his estranged wife plots the restoration of the family name. When her sister arrives unannounced, she triggers a desperate showdown with the past.
Ibsen’s most contemporary play, in a new version by Lucinda Coxon, is gripping, penetrating and savagely funny. It books at the Bridge Theatre from 24 September – 26 November 2022.