Cast: Court’s Wastwater, Pigott-Smith in Balance
Casting has been announced for Simon Stephens’ new play Wastwater, which opens at the Royal Court on 5 April 2011 (previews from 31 March), directed by Katie Mitchell.
Set on the edges of Heathrow Airport, Wastwater is billed as an “elliptical triptych” – a snapshot of three different couples who make a choice that will define the fallout of their future.
Harry is on the point of leaving England. Frieda knows she will never see him again. Lisa and Mark are on the point of a sexual betrayal that takes them into a place darker than they ever thought possible. Sian has a terrifying deal for Jonathan. She isn’t going to take no for an answer.
Linda Bassett, who plays Frieda, last appeared at the Royal Court in The Stone and Lucky Dog. Other theatre credits include Pericles and The Winter’s Tale at the RSC, while on screen she has recently appeared in Lark Rise to Candleford, Sense and Sensibility and films Cass, Kinky Boots, Calendar Girls, The Hours and East is East, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA.
Amanda Hale (Sian), Jo McInnes (Lisa) and Paul Ready (Mark) have all previously acted at the Royal Court, while Tom Sturridge (Harry) made his award-winning debut in Stephens’ acclaimed Punk Rock at the Lyric Hammersmith last year. Angus Wright (Jonathan) was recently seen in Design for Living at the Old Vic.
Wastwater is designed by Lizzie Clachan, with lighting by Lucy Carter and sound by Gareth Fry.
In other casting news, Tim Pigott-Smith will join the Almeida Theatre’s season-closing revival of Edward Albee’s 1966 Broadway classic A Delicate Balance, which runs from 12 May to 2 July 2011 (previews from 5 May).
Piggot-Smith, whose recent stage credits include Enron and Pygmalion, will play Tobias opposite the previously announced Penelope Wilton, Imelda Staunton and Lucy Cohu. The production is helmed by James Macdonald, who directed Judgment Day at the Almeida in 2009.
It will be a busy summer for Staunton who, it was announced yesterday, will play the Mrs Lovett to Michael Ball‘s Sweeney Todd in the Chichester Theatre revival of Stephen Sondheim’s gruesome 1979 Broadway classic.
The rest of the cast were today announced as Diana Hardcastle (Edna) and Ian McElhinney (Harry). A Delicate Balance is designed by Laura Hopkins with lighting by Guy Hoare and sound by Ian Dickinson.
