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RSC Brings Richard Wilson Twelfth to West End

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s upcoming staging of Twelfth Night, in which Richard Wilson makes his RSC debut playing Malvolio, will transfer to the West End this autumn following its run in Stratford-upon-Avon (See News, 26 Mar 2009).

The production, directed by RSC chief associate Gregory Doran, will have a straight ten-week London season at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 22 December 2009 (previews from 19 December) to 27 February 2010. Ahead of that, it’s at Stratford’s Courtyard Theatre from 21 October to 21 November 2009 (previews from 15 October).

Richard Wilson remains best known from his TV role as Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave. On stage, his recent acting credits include Whipping It Up, What the Butler Saw and Waiting for Godot. His directing credits include The Woman Before, Rainbow Kiss, Playing the Victim, Where Do We Live (all at the Royal Court) and Antony Sher’s Primo.

Wilson is joined by Nancy Carroll as Viola and Alexandra Gilbreath as Olivia. The actresses last appeared opposite each other as Rosalind and Celia in Doran’s 2000 RSC production of As You Like It.

The cast also features Sam Alexander (as Sebastian), James Fleet (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Richard McCabe (Sir Toby Belch), Pamela Nomvete (Maria), Simeon Moore (Antonio), Jo Stone-Fewings (Orsino) and Miltos Yerolemou (Feste). The production is designed by Robert Jones.

Twelfth Night will be the first of three RSC productions to hit London this winter. It will be followed in the new year by two new plays by David Greig and Dennis Kelly, both mounted at Hampstead Theatre.

Greig’s Dunsinane, which takes its title from a place in Scotland that’s also mentioned in Macbeth, is billed as a “vision of one man’s desire to restore peace in a country ravaged by war”. It’s set in 11th-century Scotland, where an English army sweeps in to take the seat of power and a commanding offer attempts to negotiate.

The Scottish playwright’s other credits include The American Pilot, Victoria, Caledonia Dreaming, Pyrenees and Midsummer, which won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival last month. Dunsinane is directed by Roxana Silbert and runs at Hampstead from 10 February to 6 March 2010.

Kelly’s The Gods Weep focuses on the life of a CEO whose global business may have grown to a scale that’s uncontainable. It’s directed by Maria Aberg and runs at Hampstead from 11 March to 3 April 2010. Kelly’s other credits include Taking Care of Baby, Osama the Hero, After the End, Love and Money and Orphans.

The last, like Greig’s Midsummer, also ran at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh and won a Fringe First last month. It’s directed by Dunsinane director Roxana Silbert and this month visits Birmingham Rep (10 to 26 September) before transferring to London’s Soho Theatre (30 September to 24 October).

- by Terri Paddock

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