Naomi Frederick, Anthony Howell and Gabrielle Lloyd will star in John Dove’s production of The Heresy Of Love at Shakespeare’s Globe this summer.
Exploring questions of faith, fundamentalism and freedom, Helen Edmundson’s ambitious drama will play at the venue from 31 July.
Frederick will take on the lead role, bringing to life the 17th century Mexican nun, Sor Juana, who wrote the surprisingly worldly romantic comedy The House Of Desires from a cloistered convent. Last seen on the London stage in West End musical Made In Dagenham, Frederick returns to the Globe following her performance as Beatrice in 2011’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Last seen on the iconic Bankside stage in last year’s Julius Caesar, Mr Selfridge’s Howell will play the zealous Bishop Santa Cruz, with Lloyd, returning to the London stage following her role in the Martin Freeman-led Richard III, as Madre Marguerita.
The trio is joined by a cast who have already had the pleasure of performing alongside many of their fellow cast members. They include Patrick Driver, Sophia Nomvete, Gary Shelford, Philip Whitchurch, Gwyneth Keyworth, William Mannering and Ellie Piercy, all of whom can currently be seen on the Globe’s stage in As You Like It, and Rhiannon Olivier, who returns to the venue following her role in last year’s Doctor Scroggy’s War, in which Mannering also starred. The cast is completed by Susan Porrett (The Good Soul Of Szechuan, Young Vic).
First staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2012, The Heresy Of Love follows the story of Sor Juana as she joins holy orders in pursuit of a life of intellectual liberation. But when illicit desires clash with religious purity, a zealous new archbishop (Howell) is appointed and the Inquisition looms, the walls begin to close in.
Dove’s production plays as part of the Globe’s Justice And Mercy season, which alongside current productions of As You Like It and King John, will also welcome offerings including Measure For Measure, Richard II, Much Ado About Nothing, The Oresteia and Nell Gwynn.