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Rehearsals Begin for Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company

tumblr_inline_ntr64sIjlZ1rgiv1h_500Rehearsals are now underway for the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s Plays at the Garrick season. The Winter’s Tale will play in repertory alongside the Rattigan double-bill of Harlequinade / All On Her Own from 17 October 2015 until 16 January 2016.

The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeareʼs timeless tragicomedy of obsession and redemption, is reimagined in a new production co-directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh following their triumphant staging of Macbeth in Manchester and Manhattan. Judi Dench will play Paulina opposite Kenneth Branagh as Leontes. Judi Dench will not be appearing in Harlequinade / All On Her Own.

The full cast for The Winter’s Tale includes: Pierre Atri (Mamillius), Jaygann Ayeh (Archidamus & The Old Shepherd’s Servant), Tom Bateman (Florizel), Jessie Buckley (Perdita), Vera Chok (Dorcas & First Lady), Jack Colgrave Hirst (Clown), John Dagleish (Autolycus),Hadley Fraser (Polixenes), Adam Garcia (Amadis), Rudi Goodman (Mamillius), Matthew Hawksley (Aegeum), Taylor James (Capnio), Pip Jordan (Shepherdess), Ansu Kabia (Cleomenes), Stuart Neal (Dion), Michael Pennington (Antigonus), Zoë Rainey (Emilia), Miranda Raison(Hermione), Michael Rouse (Gaoler & Mariner), John Shrapnel (Camillo), Kathryn Wilder (Mopsa) and Jimmy Yuill (The Shepherd).

In addition to playing Dame Maud in Harlequinade, Zoë Wanamaker will also perform Terence Rattigan’s dramatic monologue All On Her Own, which has never before played in the West End. In this brief but powerfully atmospheric play, which will be staged every evening prior to Harlequinade, a woman with a secret, alone at midnight in London has a burden to share that is at times both heart-breaking and sinister. Zoё Wanamaker will not appear in The Winter’s Tale.

In the rarely seen comic gem Harlequinade, a classical theatre company attempts to produce The Winter’s Tale and Romeo and Juliet, while the intrigues and dalliances of the company members are accidently revealed with increasingly chaotic and hysterical consequences. Kenneth Branagh will play Harlequinade’s actor-manager Arthur Gosport in addition to co-directing the production with Rob Ashford.

The full cast for Harlequinade includes: Jaygann Ayeh (Second Halberdier), Tom Bateman (Jack Wakefield), Jessie Buckley (Muriel Palmer), Vera Chok (Miss Fishlock), Jack Colgrave Hirst (Tom Palmer), John Dagleish (Policeman), Hadley Fraser (First Halberdier), Ansu Kabia (Johnny), Stuart Neal (Fred Ingram), Zoë Rainey (Wardrobe Mistress), Miranda Raison (Edna Selby), Michael Rouse (Rehearsal Pianist), John Shrapnel (George Chudleigh), Kathryn Wilder (Joyce Langland) and Jimmy Yuill (Mr Burton).

The Winter’s Tale, Harlequinade / All On Her Own, The Painkiller, Romeo and Juliet and The Entertainer make up the inaugural season of work for the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company.

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