RSC Christmas season roundup
THE ROYAL Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced a star-studded Christmas season in Stratford-upon-Avon and London, including a screening of David Tennant in Hamlet and Richard Wilson in Twelfth Night
The RSC’s first ever family show will come to The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, this Christmas. Arabian Nights (5 Dec-30 Jan 2010) tells the story of Queen Shahrazad on her wedding night in the palace of King Shahrayar. In the morning she is to be put to death like a thousand young brides before her, so to save herself she uses her gift of storytelling and paints a dazzling array of stories and characters; among them Ali Baba and Es-Sindibad, summoned forth from strange and magical worlds populated by giant beasts, singing trees, devilish ghouls and crafty thieves.
Told through a heady mixture of song, dance, puppetry and illusion, the production stars Ayesha Dharker (Coronation Street, Star Wars Episode III) making her RSC debut as Shahrazad. Dominic Cooke, former Associate Director at the RSC and current Artistic Director at London’s Royal Court Theatre, returns to the RSC to direct and worked on the original tales held in 18 volumes at the British Library to come up with this adaptation.
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| Richard Wilson as Malvolio |
Another star of the screen, Richard Wilson (One Foot in the Grave, Merlin) will be making his RSC and Shakespearian debut in Twelfth Night. This new production of Shakespeare’s comedy, currently showing at The Courtyard Theatre (until 21 Nov) will transfer to the Duke of York’s Theatre on St Martin’s Lane, London (19 Dec-27 Feb 2010). The production will unite James Fleet and Richard McCabe as the irrepressible duo, Sir Andrew Aguecheek
and Sir Toby Belch, and Richard Wilson as Malvolio, a part, according to director Gregory Doran, he “was born to play”.
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| David Tennant as Hamlet |
For those who missed Doran’s highly-acclaimed 2008 production of Hamlet, starring David Tennant (Dr Who, Casanova) and Patrick Stewart (Star Trek, X-Men), you’ll be pleased to hear that it was filmed and is set to be broadcast on BBC2 later this year. The DVD, available to buy (£14.99) from 14 Jan 2010, can now be pre-ordered from the RSC shop.
For further details on the RSC and to book tickets tel: 0844 800 1110 or visit: www.rsc.org.uk.
