Theatre News

Cast: Leung Leads Swans at Young Vic, Officer, RSC

6 December 2011

Harry Potter’s Katie Leung will play the character based on Jung Chang in the first ever stage adaptation of Wild Swans, which runs at the Young Vic from 20 April (previews from 13 April) to 3 May 2012 as part of World Stages London.

Leung, who came to prominence playing Cho Chang in the JK Rowling film franchise, featured in five of the Harry Potter films, first appearing in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Wild Swans tells the story of China at the heart of the 20th century through the eyes of one fiercely courageous family. It has sold over 13 million copies in 36 languages, making it the best-selling non fiction book in British publishing history.

Katie Leung will be joined in the cast by British and American actors including Oliver Biles, Eric Chan, Annie Chang, Ka-Ling Cheung, Victor Chi, Celeste Den, Joanne Fong, Jon Kit Lee, Orion Lee, Jennifer Lim, Les Mau, Ron Nakahara, Zenghui Qiu and Julyana Soelistyo.

The production, which will premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts in February, is directed by Sacha Wares (Sucker Punch, Royal Court) with an adaptation by playwright Alexandra Wood (The Eleventh Hour).

In other Young Vic casting news announced today, Jessica Raine, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and
Daniel Cerqueira will lead the cast of The
Changeling, which runs in the Maria Studio from 26 January to 25
February 2012, directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins.

And Matthew Marsh has joined the cast of Bingo, the Chichester Festival Theatre revival that transfers to the Young Vic’s main house from 16 February to 31 March 2012. Patrick Stewart and Richard McCabe play Shakespeare and Ben Jonson in Angus Jackson‘s revival of Edward Bond’s drama.

In other casting news:

An all-star cast will bring Josie Rourke‘s first production in charge of the Donmar Warehouse to the stage with Nancy Carroll, Mackenzie Crook, Mark Gatiss, Gawn Grainger, Tobias Menzies and Rachael Stirling all signed on for The Recruiting Officer which runs from 14 February (previews from 9 February) to 14 April 2012 at the Covent Garden venue.

Lisa Dillon (Cranford) and David Caves will play sparring lovers Katharina and Petruchio in Lucy Bailey‘s new RSC production of The Taming of the Shrew, which opens at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on 19 January and runs until 25 February prior to visiting Newcastle, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Richmond and Bath.