Bateman, Bonnar, Lloyd And Lynch Join Cast For THE DUCHESS OF MALFI At The Old Vic

Tom Bateman, Mark Bonnar, Harry Lloyd and Finbar Lynch join Eve Best in John Webster's great Jacobean tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi, directed by Jamie Lloyd. Eve Best last appeared at The Old Vic in London and on Broadway opposite Kevin Spacey in A Moon for the Misbegotten in the 2006/2007 Season. The Duchess of Malfi will open at The Old Vic on 28 March 2012, previewing from 17 March.

The Duchess of Malfi is set in the Italian Renaissance court of Amalfi and tells the dark, bloody story of the recently widowed Duchess (Eve Best) who secretly marries her lover and steward against the wishes of her powerful brothers. As jealousy, madness and bloodshed surround her, the Duchess retains her calm strength and dignity, even in the face of death.

Webster's The Duchess of Malfi was written for and performed by The King's Men in London between 1612 and 1614, and was published in 1623 under the title The Tragedy of the Duchesse of Malfy. Considered Webster's masterpiece, its poetic language and its exploration of female courage in the face of male corruption has earned Webster a reputation as one of England's greatest dramatists. The nightmarish violence and the play's open commentary on women's sexuality and recognition of the power of psychological torment have made The Duchess of Malfi a subject for fierce debate since its beginning.

Jamie Lloyd's Donmar Warehouse directing credits include Inadmissible Evidence, Passion (Olivier
nomination for Best Musical Revival, Evening Standard Award for Best Musical, Whatsonstage
nomination for Best Musical Revival), Piaf (also Vaudeville, Olivier nomination for Best Musical Revival). He has also directed The Faith Machine and The Pride (Royal Court; Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement for The Pride), Salome (for Headlong at Hampstead), The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick; Whatsonstage nomination for Best Comedy), Three Days of Rain (Apollo; Olivier Award nomination for Best Revival, Whatsonstage nomination for Best Revival), The Lover and The Collection (Comedy) in the West End, The Caretaker (Sheffield Crucible and Tricycle) and most recently She Stoops to Conquer (The National Theatre).

Eve Best's most recent theatre credits include Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe, directed by Jeremy Herrin, The Homecoming on Broadway (Tony nomination for Best Actress), A Moon for the Misbegotten, which earned her a Best Actress Olivier nomination at The Old Vic and a Tony nomination on Broadway, in addition to winning The Drama Desk & Outer Critics' Circle Awards for Best Actress. She won the Olivier Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Hedda Gabler at the Almeida and subsequently at the Duke of York's. Credits at The National Theatre include Mourning Becomes Electra, Three Sisters, The Coast of Utopia, The Cherry Orchard and The Heiress. Recent screen credits include her portrayal of the Duchess of Windsor in the Oscar winning film The King's Speech and Dr Eleanor O'Hara in the hit American television drama Nurse Jackie.

Tom Bateman will soon be seen in the BBC's lavish production of Parade's End by Tom Stoppard. His
recent stage credits include Trevor Nunn's production The Lion in Winter at the Theatre Royal
Haymarket and Much Ado About Nothing at Wyndham's Theatre with David Tennant and Catherine
Tate.

Mark Bonnar recently appeared on stage in Howard Davies' production of The Cherry Orchard at The National Theatre and in Michael Grandage's production of Twelfth Night in the West End. He has worked extensively in television including the BBC's Twenty Twelve with Hugh Bonneville and Paradox with Tamzin Outhwaite.

Harry Lloyd can currently be seen playing the young Denis Thatcher in the award-winning film The Iron Lady. He appeared alongside Ray Winstone and Gillian Anderson in the BBC's Great Expectations at Christmas and his other television credits include Sky Atlantic's Game of Thrones and Richard Eyre's forthcoming adaptation of Henry IV for the BBC. On stage he appeared in The Little Dog Laughed with Tamsin Grieg and in A View from The Bridge with Ken Stott.

Finbar Lynch returns to The Old Vic having previously appeared in Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa. His other stage credits include Out Of Joint's The Big Fellah, The Faith Healer at Bristol Old Vic, The Tempest and Julius Caesar for the RSC and Sir Peter Hall's productions of Portrait of a Lady/A Doll's House and Love's Labour's Lost. His television credits include the forthcoming Richard II directed by Rupert Goold for the BBC.

Full casting includes: Madeline Appiah (Cariola), Harry Attwell (Marquis of Pescara), Tom Bateman
(Antonio Bologna), Eve Best (The Duchess Of Malfi), Nari Blair-Mangat (Roderigo), Mark Bonnar
(Daniel de Bosola), Adam Burton (Silvio), Vyelle Croom (Malateste), Lucy Eaton (Lady in Waiting),
Taylor James (Grisolan), Tunji Kasim (Delio), Harry Lloyd (Ferdinand), Finbar Lynch (The Cardinal Of
Aragon) with Iris Roberts (Julia) and Alan Westaway (Doctor and Castruccio).

 

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