Cast Set For the World Premiere of THE FORSYTE SAGA

Troupe, in association with Park Theatre, has announced the full cast for the world première of a new stage adaptation of John Galsworthy’s seminal work, The Forsyte Saga. The previously announced Fiona Hampton, Joseph Millson and Flora Spencer-Longhurst will be joined by Emma Amos, Nigel Hastings, Michael Lumsden, Florence Roberts, Andy Rush and Jamie Wilkes. Josh Roche’s production will be staged in two parts The Forsyte Saga Part 1: Irene and The Forsyte Saga Part 2: Fleur.

The production opens in Park200 at Park Theatre on 19 October in a double show press day, with previews from 11 October, and runs until 7 December.

The Forsyte Saga Part 1: Irene and The Forsyte Saga Part 2: Fleur will play across alternate nights and run consecutively on matinee days.

Cast: Emma Amos (Emily Forsyte, Juley Forsyte, June Forsyte and Holly Forsyte), Fiona Hampton (Irene Forsyte), Nigel Hastings (James Forsyte and Jo Forsyte), Michael Lumsden (Jolyon Forsyte, Swithin Forsyte, Doctor, Prosper Profond, Riggs and Harold Blade), Joseph Millson (Soames Forsyte), Florence Roberts (June Forsyte, Annette Forsyte and Anne Forsyte), Andy Rush (Philip Bosinney, Polteed and Jon Forsyte), Flora Spencer-Longhurst (Fleur Forsyte) and Jamie Wilkes (Jo Forsyte, Policeman and Michael Mont)

Director: Josh Roche, Set and Costume Designer: Anna Yates, Lighting Designer: Alex Musgrave, Sound Designer and Composer: Max Pappenheim, Movement Director: Patrice Bowler

London, 1886.  Wealthy solicitor Soames Forsyte is a man of property, and his beautiful wife Irene is his most prized possession. When he commissions an architect to build him a house in which to keep her, the cracks in their marriage finally begin to show, until something happens so shocking that it tears the Forsyte family apart. Years later, Soames’ daughter Fleur is haunted by the family secret when history begins to repeat itself…  

John Galsworthy’s classic story The Forsyte Saga is newly dramatised for the stage in two parts by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan, bringing the unheard female voices to the fore for the first time. Spanning 40 years from the last gasp of the Victorian age to the beginning of the roaring 1920s, this is an epic tale of sex, money and power. The Forsyte Saga was famously televised by the BBC in 1967 and was again serialised by ITV in 2002. Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan adapted the novels for BBC Radio 4 in 2016 under the title The Forsytes.

Novelist and playwright John Galsworthy (1867-1933) was educated at Harrow and studied law at New College, Oxford. The Man of Property (1906) began the novel sequence known as The Forsyte Saga, for which Galsworthy is chiefly remembered, followed by In Chancery (1920) and To Let (1921). The story of the Forsyte family after thewar was continued in The White Monkey (1924), The Silver Spoon (1926), and Swan Song (1928), and two interludes A Silent Wooing and Passersby (1927) collected in A Modern Comedy (1929), and a collection of short stories On Forsyte Change (1930). John Galsworthy won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1932.

Emma Amos plays Emily Forsyte, Juley Forsyte, June Forsyte and Holly Forsyte. Her theatre credits include The Dresser, The Lady in the Van (Theatre Royal Bath), A Woman of No Importance (UK tour), Sweet Bird of Youth (Chichester Festival Theatre), Ivanov (Chichester Festival Theatre, National Theatre) and Hay Fever (West Yorkshire Playhouse). Her television credits include Doc Martin, Still Open All Hours, Goodnight Sweetheart (as series regular Yvonne/Marie Lloyd), Poirot, My Family, The Golden Hourand The Last Detective (as series regular Julie Davies); and for film, Greatest Days, Secrets and Lies, Mother’s Milk, Blackball, Vera Drake and Bridget Jones’s Diary.

Fiona Hampton plays Irene Forsyte. Her theatre credits include Touching the Void (Bristol Old Vic, Duke of York’s Theatre), Ralegh: The Treason Trial (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe), Tamburlaine (UK tour), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (New Wolsey Theatre), Private Lives, The Glass Menagerie, Tull, Of Mice and Men, Lighthearted Intercourse (Octagon Theatre Bolton), Playhouse Creatures (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Changeling (Southwark Playhouse), and Roarand Clockheart Boy (Rose Theatre Kingston). Her television credits include Summer Lane Drive, The Collection, Switch, Holby City (as series regular Lulu) and The Sarah Jane Adventures; and for film, The Good Neighbour, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Windmill and Legacy.

Nigel Hastings plays James Forsyte and Jo Forsyte, returning to Park Theatre having previously appeared in A Passage to India. His other theatre credits include Visit from an Unknown Woman (Hampstead Theatre), The Government Inspector, Dmitry (Marylebone Theatre), Journey's End (Duke of York's Theatre), Combustion (Arcola Theatre), As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), And Then Come the Nightjars and Henceforward (UK tours). His television credits include The Way, The Ipcress File, Bodies, The Peripheral, The Bay, A Very English Scandal and Innocent; and for film, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Phantom of the Open, And Then Come the Nightjars and My House.

Michael Lumsden plays Jolyon Forsyte, Swithin Forsyte, Doctor, Prosper Profond, Riggs and Harold Blade, returning to the Park Theatre having previously appeared in The End of the Night. His other theatre credits include While the Sun Shines, The Philanderer (Orange Tree Theatre), For Services Rendered (Jermyn Street Theatre), Eastern Star (Tara Theatre) and Killjoy (The Mill at Sonning). His television credits include Professor T, The Crow Girl and Birds of a Feather; and for radio, he plays series regular Alistair Lloyd in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers.

Joseph Millson plays Soames Forsyte. His theatre credits include Noises Off (Phoenix Theatre), Betrayal (Theatre Royal Bath), Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), Keith(Arcola Theatre), Apologia (Trafalgar Studios), The Rover, King John, Much Ado About Nothing, The House of Desires, The Dog in the Manger, Pedro The Great Pretender (RSC), Mr Foote’s Other Leg (Hampstead Theatre, Theatre Royal Haymarket), Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe), Rocket to the Moon, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Pillars of the Community (National Theatre), Twelfth Night, The Borrowers and Henry V (Storyhouse). His television credits include Van Der Valk, The Chelsea Detective, The Last Kingdom, Grantchester, Queens of Mystery, Catch-22, Ransom, Penny Dreadful, 24, Banished, Ashes to Ashes, Harley Street and The Sarah Jane Adventures; and for film, Creation Stories, Dragonheart Vengeance, No Vacancies, Angel Has Fallen, Burning Men, All the Devil’s Men, Tango One, I Give it a Year and Casino Royale.

Florence Roberts plays June Forsyte, Annette Forsyte and Anne Forsyte. Her theatre credits include The Duration (Omnibus Theatre), Losing Venice (Orange Tree Theatre),Booby’s Bay (Finborough Theatre), BU21 (Trafalgar Studios), French Without Tears, The Night Watch (UK tours), Shakespeare in Love (Noël Coward Theatre), and Arcadia(Nottingham Playhouse). Her television credits include Miss Scarlet and the Duke, This is a Relationship and Life in Black; and for film, Silent Night.

Andy Rush plays Philip Bosinney, Polteed and Jon Forsyte. His theatre credits include Small Change (Omnibus Theatre), You Stupid Darkness!, The Here and This and Now(Southwark Playhouse), Tipping the Velvet, Dick Whittington (Lyric Hammersmith), Love, Lies and Taxidermy, Growth (UK tours), The Kitchen Sink (Bush Theatre) and I Got Superpowers for My Birthday (Hackney Showroom, Edinburgh Festival Fringe). His television credits include Before we Die, Carnage, Waterloo Road, New Tricks and Wizards vs Aliens; and for film, ID2: Shadwell Army and Here and Now.

Flora Spencer-Longhurst plays Fleur Forsyte, returning to the Park Theatre having previously appeared in A Pupil. Her theatre credits include Amélie (Criterion Theatre), Seagulls, Beryl (Octagon Theatre Bolton), The Real Thing (Rose Theatre Kingston), The Christmas Truce, Much Ado About Nothing, Love’s Labour’s Lost (RSC), Once (Phoenix Theatre), Titus Andronicus (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Importance of Being Earnest – The Musical (Theatre Royal Windsor, Riverside Studios), The Beggar’s Opera (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Ghosts, The Member of the Wedding (Young Vic) and Toad of Toad Hall (Birmingham Rep). Her television credits include Oasis, Father Brown, The Bastard Executioner, Leonardo, Unforgiven, Wallander: One Step Behind, The Real Deal, Losing It, The Family Man, Lewis and Dalziel and Pascoe; and for film, The Irish Connection, Say Your Prayers and Walking with the Enemy.

Jamie Wilkes plays Jo Forsyte, Policeman and Michael Mont. His theatre credits include Twelfth Night: For One Night Only, The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus  (Shakespeare’s Globe), Cymbeline, All’s Well That Ends Well, Richard III, The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Rover, The Shoemaker’s Holiday, Wendy and Peter Pan, Oppenheimer(RSC), The Wind of Heaven (Finborough Theatre), The Edit (UK tour) and Diary of a Teenage Girl (Southwark Playhouse). His television credits include The English, Finding Alice, His Dark Materials, Catch-22, Vanity Fair, Electric Dreams, and Mr Selfridge; and for film, Fair Play and Living.

Shaun McKenna’s work for theatre includes The Lord of the Rings for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical (Watermill Theatre Newbury, Theatre Royal Drury Lane and Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto - Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Musical), The Paradine Case, Wish You Were Dead, Looking Good Dead, The House on Cold Hill, The Perfect Murder, Dead Simple, Not Dead Enough (UK tours), Maddie (New York Theater Festival and Lyric Theatre), Boy on the Roof (Ted Shawn Theatre, Becket), Ladies In Lavender for which he won a BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Regional Play (Royal and Derngate and UK tour), Last Dance (York Theatre, New York), Heidi, Heidi and Johanna (Walenstadt – Prix Walo Award nomination), La Cava (Victoria Palace Theatre and Piccadilly Theatre), Only You Can Save Mankind (Edinburgh Festival Fringe),Ruling Passions, How Green Was My Valley, To Serve Them All My Days (Royal and Derngate), and Fever (Old Red Lion Theatre). Screen work includes The Crooked Man, Like Father Like Son, The Cuckoo, and Great West End Theatres. Radio credits include The Forsytes, and Home Front (BBC Audio Drama Award for Outstanding Contribution to Radio Drama).

Lin Coghlan’s theatre work includes Kingfisher Blue (Bush Theatre), Apache Tears (Clean Break – Peggy Ramsay Award), Mercy, Waking (Soho Theatre), The Miracle (National Theatre), Bretevski Street (Theatre Centre) and The Night Garden (National Theatre Studio and Northcott Theatre, Exeter). Screen work includes First Communion Day (Dennis Potter Play of the Year Award), Electric Frank (Leopard of Tomorrow Award at Toronto Film Festival), Some Dogs Bite (Audience Award at Nantes Film Festival) and Patrick’s Planet. Radio credits include The Forsytes.

Josh Roche directs. His credits for theatre include The Importance of Being Earnest (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester), My Name is Rachel Corrie  (Young Vic – JMK Award), Home (Minerva Theatre, Chichester),  Orlando (59E59 Theaters, New York), Radio (Arcola Theatre), It's a Motherf**king Pleasure (Soho Theatre and Underbelly Edinburgh - Underbelly Untapped Award), Winky (Soho Theatre), No Particular Order (Theatre503), Pennyroyal (Finborough Theatre - BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Director), Magnificence, A Third (Finborough Theatre), I Feel Fine, Specie, Uninvited (New Diorama Theatre), Plastic (Old Red Lion Theatre and Mercury Theatre Colchester), and This Must Be The Place (VAULT Festival). Associate and Assistant Director work includes Dr Faustus, The Alchemist (RSC at Barbican Theatre), Death of a Salesman (RSC at Nöel Coward Theatre), The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare's Globe, UK and international tours), Doctor Scroggy's War (Shakespeare's Globe), and Farinelli and the King (Duke of York's Theatre).

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