Paul McGann will star alongside Olivia Hallinan and Holliday Grainger in Anya Reiss’ new adaptation of Three Sisters when it opens at Southwark Playhouse next month.
The production of Chekhov’s classic, which has been reworked for the 21st century by the award-winning playwright, will run from 3 April to 3 May at the venue.
McGann, who plays Vershinin in the production, was last seen on the London stage in Butley at the Duchess Theatre. While the actor has also appeared on stage in productions including Helen at Shakespeare’s Globe and Mourning Becomes Electra at the National Theatre, he is best known for his screen work in television series including Luther, Hornblower and Ripper Street as well as films including Withnail And I.
Hallinan and Grainger are also well-known for their screen credits, which for Hallinan include Lark Rise To Candleford and Sugar Rush, and for Grainger include Renaissance drama The Borgias and the film adaptation of Great Expectations. Grainger, who plays youngest sister Irina, returns to the London stage for the first time since her 2009 performance in Dimetos at the Donmar Warehouse. Playing her oldest sister Olga, Hallinan has previously appeared in productions including Precious Little Talent at the Trafalgar Studios and Herding Cats at the Hampstead Theatre.
The trio are joined in the cast by Emily Taaffe as the third and final sister Masha. Taaffe’s previous stage credits include The Tempest, Twelfth Night and The Comedy Of Errors for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and The King James Bible and The Veil at the National Theatre.
Completing the cast are David Carlyle (Carpe Diem, National Theatre), Emily Dobbs (The Seagull, Southwark Playhouse), Michael Garner (The Merry Wives Of Windsor, Shakespeare’s Globe), Dudley Rogers (Titanic, Southwark Playhouse), Broadchurch’s Joe Sims, Tom Ross-Williams, Jane Thorne, and Thom Tuck.
The production will open at Southwark Playhouse following the current run of The A To Z Of Mrs P starring Frances Ruffelle, which closes on 29 March.