The Watermill Theatre has announced the casting for the London transfer to Wilton's Music Hall of its highly acclaimed productions of Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Watermill Ensemble's productions will run from late January to mid-February 2020 and come hot on the heels of their successful Autumn tour of the UK. The run follows the company's production of Twelfth Night which was staged at Wilton's in 2018. It also marks the third London transfer by the Newbury theatre in two months, with Amélie The Musical opening at The Other Palace on November 29th and One Million Tiny Plays About Britain opening at Jermyn Street Theatre on December 4th.
Billy Postlethwaite will revive his performance of Macbeth in Paul Hart's production, which premiered at The
Watermill Theatre in the spring of 2019 and will play Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Postlethwaite, whose credits include Chernobyl (HBO/Sky) and Game Of Thrones (HBO), Stanhope in Journey's End for The Watermill, The Madness of King George (
Nottingham Playhouse), will be joined by Molly Chesworth as Malcolm and Puck, Lucy Keirl as Fleance / Porter and Hermia,
Emma McDonald as Lady Macbeth and Titania / Hippolyta, Peter Mooney as Donalbain and Quince, Lauryn Redding as Lady Macduff and Bottom, Jamie Satterthwaite as Duncan and Oberon, Robyn Sinclair as Banquo and Helena, Mike Slader as Macduff and Demetrius and Tom Sowinski as Lennox and Theseus.
Playing in repertory, Artistic Director Paul Hart's visceral actor-musician led productions are presented by the Newbury based theatre's celebrated resident Shakespeare company, The Watermill Ensemble, whose previous successes have also included Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night.
Hart's magical production of A Midsummer Night's Dream received rave reviews when it premiered at the theatre. The Stage described it as "fizzing with charm and humour" and What'sOnStage hailed it as "an evening of magical delight". This staging of Shakespeare's most popular play employs the hedonistic soulful sounds of Nina Simone and
Billie Holiday as an intoxicating backdrop to the story of four lovers who throw off the decorum of the royal courts, on one fateful magic-filled night in the enchanted Athenian woods.
Macbeth, which played at the
Watermill Theatre in March this year, was described by The Guardian as "dazzling" and "a show that burns with purpose, passion and energy to spare". This blood-soaked tale of the "butcher and his fiendlike queen" is set against the electrifying soundtrack of The xx,
Johnny Cash and The Rolling Stones performed live by an accomplished cast of actor-musicians.
The
Watermill Theatre's Artistic Director Paul Hart says, 'I am so thrilled to have two of our most recent Shakespeare productions transfer to Wilton's Music Hall following a successful national tour, which allowed us to take our bold and unique versions of these plays to over 13,000 people. We are thrilled to return with as ever an amazingly talented cast following the success of Twelfth Night last year. I can think of no space more fitting than Wilton's - indeed our A Midsummer Night's Dream is literally set in a Victorian Music Hall, and the chance to return to such an intimate setting for Macbeth is hugely exciting.'
Formed in 2017, The Watermill Ensemble is a company of multi-talented performers, including accomplished actor- musicians, with a 50:50 gender split. Its aim is to combine Shakespeare's texts and live music to create new versions of the plays, which will tour. It also forms part of The Watermill's education programme.
The
Watermill Theatre has developed a reputation as one of Britain's leading regional theatres. From its beautiful home in a small Berkshire village, work has been created that is admired around the world. Over 67,000 people attend shows or attend one-off events at The Watermill each year, where some 12 new productions are staged annually, ranging from Shakespeare and musicals to classics, new plays and youth theatre productions. The Watermill tours regularly across the UK as well as rural touring productions, which play in village halls and small arts centres in the South. Recent and upcoming tours and London transfers have included Amélie (National Tour), Twelfth Night (Wilton's Music Hall), Burke and Hare (Jermyn Street Theatre), Trial By Laughter (National Tour), Teddy (National Tour and The Vaults), Crazy For You (National Tour), The Wipers Times (West End and Tour), Loot (
Park Theatre), Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet (International Tours), Murder For Two (The Other Palace) and Frankenstein (Wilton's Music Hall).
The
Watermill Theatre aims to be a focal point for the local community and is proud to play a leading part in helping the careers of the theatre-makers of tomorrow. The Watermill's unique environment encourages a real sense of ensemble, and its intimate 200-seat auditorium also means that there is a particularly strong connection between the actors and audience. This combination makes The Watermill a very special place to visit.
Tickets: https://www.wiltons.org.uk or 020 7702 2789 (Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm)
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