Cast for Midsummer’s English premiere announced

The Mercury Theatre in Colchester and the Barn Theatre in Cirencester have revealed the complete cast and creative team for their English premiere of David Greig and Gordon McIntyre’s hit play with songs Midsummer.

Penned by award-winning playwright Greig and composed by songwriter McIntyre, the co-production will run from 3 to 18 May in Colchester and from 22 May to 22 June in Cirencester.

Set on a Midsummer night in Edinburgh, the play follows two mismatched 30-somethings: Helena, a high-powered lawyer trapped in a dead-end affair, and Bob, a small-time crook. Their chance encounter leads to a night of wild abandon with hilarious consequences, as they navigate the complexities of their unlikely coupling.

Ryan McBryde, the Mercury’s creative director, will helm the 90-minute show, with the cast of Midsummer featuring Ross Carswell as Bob, Karen Young as Helena, Will Arundell as Narrator 1, and Laura Andresen Guimarães as Narrator 2.

Joining McBryde on the creative team are Libby Todd (designer), Paul Herbert (musical director), Rory Beaton (lighting designer), Mark Melville (sound designer), Chihiro Kawasaki (movement director), Natalie Gallacher for Pippa Ailion Casting (casting director), and Chani Merrell (assistant director).

The collaboration between the two venues marks their first co-production, with McBryde saying today: “David Greig is one of our most exciting writers and we’re delighted to be sharing his and Gordon McIntyre’s multi award winning romantic comedy with our audiences. Full of laughs and tinged with hope, this play with songs is an inventive, laugh out loud, love-song to everyone who has ever felt stuck in a rut: reminding us that no matter how repetitive, dull, or hopeless our lives might seem, change is always possible.”