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Bean's West End Macbeth Set for Albery, 14 Nov

As previously tipped in The Goss, British film actor Sean Bean (pictured) will open in the West End this autumn in Shakespeare's classic tragedy Macbeth. The new production, directed by Edward Hall, opens at the Albery Theatre on 14 November 2002 (previews from 7 November) and continues to 1 February 2003. The limited London engagement follows initial dates in Milton Keynes (16 to 26 October) and Richmond (28 October to 2 November).

Bean is best known internationally for his many big screen credits, including Patriot Games, Golden Eye, Ronin and now, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In the UK, he's also a familiar television face from the likes of Bravo Two Zero, Lady Chatterley's Lover, Extremely Dangerous and the many Sharpe series.

But it was on stage that Bean made his professional debut, playing Tybalt in a Glasgow Citizens' production of Romeo and Juliet, after graduating from RADA. His other theatre credits have included Fair Maid of the West, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Last Days of Mankind, Deathwatch and Killing the Cat. This new production of Macbeth will mark the actor's first stage appearance in 12 years.

"The Scottish Play" will also mark the third major West End production this year for director Edward Hall, son of Peter. Hall the Younger's revival of Somerset Maugham's The Constant Wife completes its run at the Apollo later this month, and his Rose Rage, a two-part adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry VI trilogy, comes to the Theatre Royal Haymarket in June.

Although he has walked out of his scheduled production of Edward III earlier this year, Edward Hall also has a long list of classical credits with the RSC - including Two Gentlemen of Verona, Henry VI, Julius Caesar and John Barton's modern version of the epic Greek tragedy about the Trojan War, Tantalus, which he co-directed with his father - as well as with his own all-male Propeller Company which has mounted numerous UK tours.

Other casting information for Macbeth has yet to be confirmed but is expected in the coming weeks.

- by Terri Paddock

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