Chichester Announces 1998 Festival Season

Chichester Festival Theatre (CFT) has announced its 1998 summer festival season which will include one world premiere, three classic revivals and headline stars such as Simon Callow, Richard Griffiths and David Suchet.

The opening play of the season is Eduardo de Filippo's comedy Saturday, Sunday and Monday, in a new version by Jeremy Sams specially commissioned by the CFT. Director Jude Kelly returns to the CFT following her 1996 directorial success there of When We Are Married. Saturday, Sunday and Monday's 17-strong cast is led by David Suchet in his Chichester debut. Suchet, well-known for his television work, starred in the Royal Court production of David Mamet's Oleanna. Saturday, Sunday and Monday runs 27 May (previews from 20 May) to 27 June.

It will be followed by David Hare's Racing Demon in which the affairs of the Church of England are closely examined. Hare has recently had three West End hits with The Judas Kiss, Amy's View and Skylight. He won four Best Play Awards following Racing Demon's premiere at the National Theatre in 1990. Racing Demon runs 7 July (previews from 1 July) to 1 August.

The third play is a new production of Chimes at Midnight, conceived and arranged by Orson Welles, adapted from Shakespeare's Henry IV (parts one and two) and Henry V. Simon Callow, in his premiere performance in Chichester, leads the 25-strong cast. Callow, an accomplished stage and film actor, recently tried his hand at directing of Snoo Wilson's HRH in the West End. This is the first major presentation of Chimes at Midnight in over 30 years. It runs 11 August (previews from 5 August) to 5 September.

A world premiere, entitled Katherine Howard by William Nicholson, is the final play in the 1998 festival season. The period drama is based on the fifth of Henry VIII's marriages. Film and television star Richard Griffiths, who is about to embark on a stint of Art in the West End, makes his Chichester debut playing the monarch. Katherine Howard is directed by Robin Lefevre, whose production of Brian Friel's Give Me Your Answer, Do! is currently playing at the Hampstead Theatre. The production runs from 15 September (previews from 9 September) to 10 October.

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