Cast: Beauty Queen, Full Anna Christie, Rattigans

The Beauty Queen of Leenane returns to the Young Vic from 26 July (previews from 20 July) to 3 September 2011 with Rosaleen Linehan reprising her acclaimed performance as the devilishly manipulative Mag.
Joining her in the cast is Derbhle Crotty, seen on stage in Ian Rickson’s The Weir and The Alice Trilogy at the Royal Court and on screen in the film Notes on a Scandal. The cast also includes Frank Laverty (The Rivals at Southwark Playhouse, A Whistle in the Dark at the Royal Exchange) and Johnny Ward (soon to be seen in the films Dollhouse and This Must Be the Place).

Martin McDonagh’s darkly comic play is set high in the mountains of Connemara, where a lonely spinster lives with her insufferable mother. Winner of the Evening Standard, Critics’ Circle and Writers’ Guild Awards for Best New Play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane is the first in McDonagh’s Leenane Trilogy, followed by A Skull in Connemara and The Lonesome West.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane is directed by the Young Vic’s deputy artistic director Joe Hill-Gibbins with set design by Ultz, lighting by Charles Balfour and sound by Paul Arditti.

Full casting has recently been announced for the Donmar Warehouse’s upcoming production of Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie, which runs at the Covent Garden venue from 9 August to 8 October 2011 (previews from 4 August).
As previously announced, Ruth Wilson will play the title role in Rob Ashford‘s production, alongside Jude Law, Jenny Galloway, and David Hayman. They will be joined in the cast by Paul Brightwell, Robert Lonsdale, Henry Pettigrew, Michael Walters and Matt Wilman.

In O’Neill’s 1921 Broadway play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, former prostitute Anna, who was exiled from her home as a child, is reunited with the father who sent her away 15 years earlier and sets sail in search of a new beginning.

Paul Brightwell‘s theatre credits include Von Ribbentrop’s Watch at Oxford Playhouse, Heldenplatz at the Arcola, As You Like It at Watford Palace and Journey’s End at the Duke of York’s Theatre. His television credits include The Commander, Roman Mysteries, Casualty 1906, The Rise and Fall of Rome and Vanity Fair. On screen his credits include The Kingdom of Heaven, Sleepy Hollow, Sliding Doors and Titanic.

Robert Lonsdale‘s theatre credits include La Bête at the Comedy Theatre and on Broadway, and The Indian Wants the Bronx at the Young Vic. For television he has appeared in Lost Christmas, A Passionate Woman and Plus One and film The Glass House.

Henry Pettigrew returns to work with the Donmar having appeared in the company’s Hamlet at the Wyndham’s Theatre. His other theatre work includes Beautiful Burnout with Frantic Assembly, Black Watch for National Theatre of Scotland and The Bevellers at Glasgow Citizens’ Theatre.

Michael Walters makes his UK professional stage debut with the production. He appears alongside Matt Wilman whose credits include The Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the Gielgud Theatre, Evita‘s European tour, Cats‘ arena tour, Calling at the King’s Head and Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

Chichester Festival Theatre have announced that Anthony Calf will appear alongside Amanda Root in the upcoming revival of Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea. The production will share a company with Rattigan’s Nijinsky which will star Jonathan Hyde and Malcolm Sinclair.
Both productions will be staged as part of Chichester’s ‘festival within the Festival’ with one of Rattigan’s most acclaimed plays appearing alongside the world premiere of Nicholas Wright’s play based on an unseen Rattigan screenplay.

The productions’ shared company will also include Faye Castelow, Pip Donaghy, Emma Harris, John Hopkins Louis Maskell, Ellie Robertson, Susan Tracy and Ewan Wardrop.

Anthony Calf plays Sir William Collyer in The Deep Blue Sea. His stage credits include Chichester’s 2009 production of Wallenstein as well as National Theatre productions of The Madness of King George III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The False Servant and the West End production of Rock ‘n’ Roll. alongside the previously reported Amanda Root.

In The Deep Blue Sea, which will run in the Festival Theatre from 25 July (previews from 13 July) to 3 September 2011, Hester Collyer (Root) has fallen obsessively in love with attractive but callow Freddie Page, a younger man incapable of returning the love she feels for him. She has left the security of a marriage to a distinguished judge who still desperately wants her back.

Jonathan Hyde plays Diaghilev in Rattigan’s Nijinsky. His theatre credits include RSC productions of King Lear and The Seagull and Jumpers, The Duchess of Malfi and The Cherry Orchard for the National. His West End credits include Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Antigone. His extensive film and television credits include BBC drama Spooks and feature film The Queen.

Hyde appears alongside Malcolm Sinclair who plays Rattigan himself. His credits include The Habit of Art and The History Boys for the National and Richard II and Uncle Vanya for the RSC. In the West End he has appeared in Journey’s End and My Fair Lady. His screen credits include The Young Victoria and Casino Royale.

Rattigan’s Nijinsky, which is written by Nicholas Wright, is based on a 1974 television script Rattigan wrote for the BBC, centring on Ballet Russes impresario Diaghilev and renowned dancer Nijinsky. The script was later mysteriously withdrawn and never produced or published. Wright imagines why the piece disappeared, making the dying Rattigan a character who meets Nijinksy’s widow to fight over his play. The play runs from 14 September to 8 October 2011 (previews from 2 September).

Lastly, full casting has been announced for CFT’s world premiere of The Syndicate starring Ian McKellen and Michael Pennington. Mike Poulton‘s adaptation of Il Sindaco Del Rione Sanita is directed by Sean Mathias and will run in Chichester’s Minerva Theatre from 2 August (previews from 21 July) to 20 August 2011.

Joining the previously announced Oliver Cotton, Cherie Lunghi and Jane Bertish is a supporting cast including Margaret Clunie, Philip Correia, Mark Edel-Hunt, Gavin Fowler, David Foxxe, Annie Hemingway, Brendan O’Hea, David Shaw-Parker, Janet Spencer-Turner, Michael Stevenson and Michael Thomson.

The Syndicate is adapted from Eduardo De Filippo‘s 1960 dark comedy about the Italian underworld. Mike Poulton’s adaptations include the current production of Luise Miller at the Donmar Warehouse and The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya and Fortune’s Fool at Chichester.

The Syndicate has set design by Angela Davies, lighting by Tim Mitchell, sound by Fergus OHare and music by Jason Carr.