Will RSC transplant Edgar’s Heart to London?

We hear rumour the Royal Shakespeare Company is in negotiations to transfer its current production of David Edgar’s new play Written on the Heart to the West End.

The play, currently running in the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (until 10 March), centres on the creation of the King James Bible and is being staged to mark the 400th anniversary of the seminal book’s publication.

With a cast that includes Oliver Ford Davies, Bruce Alexander, Stephen Boxer and Jodie McNee, it’s directed by Gregory Doran, who is among those tipped to succeed Michael Boyd as RSC artistic director when he steps down at the end of the year.

Edgar’s previous work for the RSC includes Destiny, Pentecost and the multi award-winning Nicholas Nickleby.

Exact dates and venue are to be confirmed, but the Duchess Theatre, where The Pitmen Painters finishes its run on 14 April, is a likely destination. If the transfer does go ahead, it will join another RSC production in the capital, Matilda the Musical, which is currently playing to packed houses at the Cambridge Theatre.