Sher the Playwright Makes Debut at Almeida???

Today's Stage also tips the Almeida Theatre as the venue for the premiere of the first play written by multi award-winning actor Antony Sher. As mentioned last autumn (See The Goss, 19 Oct 2002), Sher has been working on a drama inspired by A Mouthful of Glass, Dutch writer Henk van Woerden's biography of madman Demitrios Tsafendas who, in 1966, assassinated South African prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd. South African-born Sher has previously described the story as "poignant and disturbing" and said he intended to tackle the role of Tsafendas himself. However, The Stage is now naming Alex Ferns, the former EastEnders star who recently appeared on stage in Art, for the role. With his acting cap on, Sher - a renaissance artiste who's also already turned his hand to painting, novel and memoir writing - takes to the West End stage next month, reprising his Roman Actor as part of the RSC's repertory of Jacobean plays which transfers to the Gielgud from 5 December.

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