Former CBBC presenter Andrew Hayden-Smith is to appear in Antic Disposition’s new production of Romeo And Juliet at Jermyn Street theatre from 21 April to 17 May (press night 24 April).
Hayden-Smith and Ami Sayers play the young star-crossed lovers in Shakespeare’s tragic tale, with Susan Penhaligon as Juliet’s nurse.
Actor and presenter Hayden-Smith first came into the public eye when he was cast as heartthrob Ben in the teen drama serial Byker Grove. He went on to combine his acting with presenting for CBBC. In 2006 he was seen playing the role of Jake Simmonds in the BBC’s Doctor Who.
Sayers is a regular with Antic Disposition, having played Juliet in the company’s 2006 production of the play and Viola in Twelfth Night last year, both at the Cochrane.
Penhaligon is an experienced stage and television actress who is best known for the sitcom A Fine Romance, in which she starred alongside Judi Dench, and the role of Jean Hope in the soap Emmerdale. Her recent London stage credits include The Hollow and The Constant Wife at Richmond theatre and a 2005 stage adaptation of Stephen King’s thriller Misery at the King’s Head, in which she also played a nurse, though a slightly more psychopathic one – Annie Wilkes.
Romeo And Juliet is directed by Ben Horslen and John Risebero, the founders of Antic Disposition. The company’s previous productions include Richard III, A Christmas Carol and The Importance Of Being Earnest, which played at Jermyn Street last year.
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