Wanamaker, Beale, Etc. to Appear at National Theatre

Whatsonstage.com reports that Simon Russell Beale, Zoe Wanamaker and Alex Jennings will star in productions for London's National Theatre during the 2007 fall season.

Jennings (The Alchemist, Stuff Happens, upcoming My Fair Lady at the NT) will star in a revival of Noel Coward's comedy Present Laughter, which will begin at the Lyttelton on October 2nd.  "Flamboyantly vain and devastatingly handsome, charismatic charmer Garry Essendine (Jennings) is about to set off on an extended tour of Africa, when he's visited by practically everyone he knows including his ex-wife/manager, lawyer, secretary, butler, business partners, an admiring young playwright and a recent one-night stand. The stage is set for a battle of glittering egos," as the show is described in the article.  Howard Davies (Private Lives) will helm the production, which will be designed by Tim Hatley. The production will also feature Lisa Dillon, Sara Stewart and Sarah Woodward.

Adapted by Nick Stafford from the young adult book by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse will open the new line-up in the Olivier.  It begins on October 17th and opens on December 10th. "At the outbreak of World War One, young Albert's beloved horse Joey is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. Fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before winding up in no man's land. But Albert can't forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he sets off to find him and bring him home."  The play is co-directed by NT associate directors Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris.  Rae Smith designs the production, which will feature: Alice Barclay, Jason Barnett, Finn Caldwell, Paul Chequer, Thomas Goodridge, Gareth Kennerley, Craig Leo, Rachel Leonard, Tim Lewis, Tommy Luther, Mervyn Millar, Emily Mytton, Toby Olie, Toby Sedgwick as Ted Narracott, Ashley Taylor-Rhys, Luke Treadaway as Albert Narracott, Alan Williams and Angus Wright as Captain Nicholls.  Puppets will be designed by Adrian Kohler. 

Beale (Spamalot, Jumpers) and Wanamaker (Awake and Sing!, Electra) will headline as the Bard's feuding lovers Benedick and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, which begins at the Olivier on December 10th and opens December 18th.  "In Shakespeare's comedy, wealthy young Hero and dashing soldier-boy Claudio rush into marriage, but there's no such hurry for seasoned singles Beatrice and Benedick, whose verbal sparring provoke their scheming friends to plot a happy ending."  Nicholas Hytner (The History Boys) directs.  Susannah Fielding will appear as Hero in the production, which will be designed by Vicki Mortimer.

Playing the Cottesloe will be the short play pairing of Citizenship, by Mark Ravenhill, and Chatroom, by Enda Walsh.  They play September 1st through 19th before touring. The shows "concern the 'drama of teenagers' lives' and are 'intensely alive to the possibilities and pressures faced on the verge of adulthood.' Walsh's Chatroom centres on six rebellious 15-year-olds in cyberspace. And Ravenhill's Citizenship follows a boy's frank and messy search to discover his sexual identity."  Anna Mackmin directs the plays, which features Jamie Barbakoff, Sophie Benjamin, Calum Callaghan, Richard Dempsey, Simone James, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Anna Nightingale, George Rainsford, Joy Richardson, Ashley Rolfe, Michelle Tate, Steven Webb and Jade Williams. Jonathan Fensom will design.

Photo of Zoe Wanamaker by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

 

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