Boy with Two Hearts transfers to National Theatre plus casting for Much Ado About Nothing

The Boy with Two Hearts will transfer to the Dorfman Theatre in October, following its revival at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

Directed by Amit Sharma and adapted for the stage by Phil Porter, the play is based on the book of the same name by Hamed and Hessam Amiri and is described as "a heartfelt tribute to the NHS".

It centres on the Amiri family and Hamed's elder brother, Hussein, whose heart condition made their journey to the UK all the more critical.

The original cast of Afghan and Iranian performers will return to their roles, including Shamail Ali, Dana Haqjoo, Farshid Rokey, Ahmad Sakhi and Géhane Strehler, as well as the award-winning Afghan vocalist and composer, Elaha Soroor.

The creative team includes set and costume designer Hayley Grindle, lighting designer Amy Mae, sound designer and co-composer Tic Ashfield, movement director Jess Williams and video designer Hayley Egan. Casting is by Sarah Hughes CDG and associate director is Sepy Baghaei.

Meanwhile, further casting has been announced for Simon Godwin's production of Much Ado About Nothing, which opens in the Lyttelton theatre in July. Set in the Italian Riviera at the fictional Hotel Messina, Katherine Parkinson will play Beatrice opposite John Heffernan as Benedick.

They'll be joined by Celeste Dodwell, Eben Figueiredo, Olivia Forrest, David Fynn, Ashley Gillard, Brandon Grace, Nick Harris, Phoebe Horn, David Judge, Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer, Wendy Kweh, Ioanna Kimbook, Marcia Lecky, Ewan Miller, Mateo Oxley, Rufus Wright and Ashley Zhangazha.

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