John Simm will lead the cast of Patrick Marber’s version of Three Days In The Country when the comic and moving tale arrives at the National Theatre this summer.
The Code Of A Killer and Prey star will take to the National’s Lyttelton Theatre from 21 July (press night 28 July) to 21 October, alongside former EastEnders actress Amanda Drew (Curious Incident, Apollo Theatre), Gawn Grainger (The Recruiting Officer, Donmar Warehouse) and Cherrelle Skeete (The Amen Corner, NT).
The Russia-set mid-19th century tale, which follows a handsome tutor as he brings reckless romantic desire to an eccentric household, marks Simm’s return to the London stage following recent performances in Trafalgar Transformed’s The Hothouse and Elling at the Bush Theatre.
Prior to Simm’s appearance in Three Days In The Country, Olivier Award winner Sharon D Clarke will join Chiwetel Ejiofor in 15th century myth Everyman, while a cast including Samuel Barnett, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Susannah Fielding and Geoffrey Streatfeild will appear in The Beaux’ Stratagem.
Carol Ann Duffy’s adaptation of Everyman, which begins its run in the Olivier Theatre next month with Ejiofor in the title role, sees the Academy Award nominated actor and Clarke (The Amen Corner, NT) joined by Ejiofor’s A Season In The Congo co-star Ira Mandela Siobhan, Clemmie Sveaas and Amy Griffiths (both Medea, NT), Kate Duchêne (Hansel And Gretel, NT) and Joshua Lacey (Richard III, Trafalgar Studios).
The cast of the production is completed by Stephen Aintree, Philip Martin Brown, Paul Bullion, Adam Burton, Michelle Butterly, Dermot Crowley, Kate Duchêne, Nick Holder, Nicholas Karimi, Penny Layden, Coral Messam, Jeshaiah Murray, Amanda Minihan, Itxaso Moreno, Tumo Reetsang, Kiruna Stamell and Joshua Tikare.
Barnett, Bennett-Warner, Fielding and Streatfeild star in Simon Godwin’s production of George Farquhar’s Restoration comedy The Beaux’ Stratagem from 19 May in the Olivier Theatre.
Barnett is best known for his Olivier Award nominated performance in the NT’s smash-hit comedy The History Boys, Bennett-Warner’s credits at the venue include Caroline Or Change, My Night With Reg’s Streatfeild appeared in 2013’s Children Of The Sun and, while more recently seen in The Merchant Of Venice at the Almeida Theatre, Fielding’s NT appearances include 2008’s Much Ado About Nothing.
They are joined in the cast by Amy Morgan (The Broken Heart, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), Jamie Beamish (The Merchant Of Venice, Almeida Theatre), Pearce Quigley (The Changeling, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse), Chook Sibtain (Dara, NT), Esh Alladi, Jane Booker, Cornelius Clarke, Molly Gromadzki, John Hastings, Richard Henders, Lloyd Hutchinson, Chris Kelham, Nicholas Khan, Barbara Kirby, Ana-Maria Maskell, Ana-Maria Maskell, Mark Rose and Timothy Watson.
Further casting has also been announced for Lyndsey Turner’s production of Light Shining In Buckinghamshire, which begins on 23 April in the Lyttelton Theatre.
Joining previously announced cast members including Trystan Gravelle and Leo Bill are Daniel Flynn (3 Winters, NT), Jonathan Dryden Taylor, (King Lear, NT), Sargon Yelda (Dara, NT), Nicholas Gleaves (Chair, Lyric Hammersmith) and Ash Hunter (Pitcairn, Globe).
The final instalment of the South Bank venue’s bumper casting news comes in the form of Desperate Housewives’ Ricardo Chavira, who joins the cast of The Motherf**ker With The Hat alongside Nathalie Armin, Lisa Caruccio Came, Alec Newman, Flor De Liz Perez and Yul Vazquez.
Away from casting, dates have been announced for many of the National’s productions opening in the autumn.
In the Olivier Theatre, Nadia Fall’s production of Our Country’s Good plays from 19 August to 17 October, with Damon Albarn’s much-anticipated musical take on Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, wonder.land playing from 27 November.
Duncan Macmillan’s People, Places And Things runs in the Dorfman Theatre from 25 August to 10 October, Orange Tree Theatre transfer Pomona takes to the stage of the Temporary Theatre from 10 September to 10 October and Sally Cookson’s interpretation of Victorian classic Jane Eyre plays from 8 September to 25 October in the Lyttelton Theatre.
Theatre fans unable to make it to the South Bank to see the shows on stage will be pleased to hear there will be NT Live screenings of Everyman (16 July) and The Beaux’ Stratagem (3 September) alongside productions starring two very popular leading men: the Benedict Cumberbatch-led Hamlet (15 October) and Tom Hiddleston’s Coriolanus (24 September in the UK, 12 November internationally).