Ken Stott, Reece Shearsmith and Griff Rhys Jones will lead revivals of The Dresser and The Miser in a hugely exciting star-studded West End double bill from director Sean Foley.
Foley, who most recently directed The Painkiller as part of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company season, will open The Dresser from 5 October at the Duke of York’s Theatre, with The Miser following in spring 2017 at the Garrick Theatre.
Olivier Award winner Stott will return to the stage following recent high profile screen credits in Fortitude and film trilogy The Hobbit to star opposite The League Of Gentlemen’s Shearsmith in Ronald Harwood’s heart-breaking story of an ageing actor-manager and his long suffering dresser.
Well known for its screen adaptations, including the 1983 hit film and recent television adaptation starring Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkins, the much-loved piece tells the pair’s emotive story against the backdrop of a down-at-heel regional theatre in wartime.
The production will mark the much anticipated return of both actors to the London stage with the well-known screen performers boasting equally impressive theatrical careers.
Alongside Stott’s Olivier Award win for Broken Glass, the actor has been nominated for an Olivier Award a further three times and his work has seen him lead West End productions of shows including Art, A View From The Bridge and God Of Carnage. Shearsmith too boasts West End appearances in Ghost Stories, The Producers and Betty Blues Eyes, for which he earned an Olivier Award nomination.
Following The Dresser’s conclusion on 14 January, two-time Olivier Award winner Rhys Jones will prepare for his first stage appearance in half a decade to lead an ensemble cast in a new adaptation of the Molière’s classic play The Miser by Foley and Phil Porter from 1 March.
Arguably best known for his long-running comedy partnership with Mel Smith, Rhys Jones has dabbled with the stage during his hugely successful career including Oliver!, Charley’s Aunt and Feydeau’s An Absolute Turkey in the West End.
Both productions will embark on UK tours prior to their West End openings.