Lucy Cohu and Imelda Staunton are to join Penelope Wilton in Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance at the Almeida theatre this spring.
Albee’s acerbic drama, which plays at the Islington venue from 5 May, centres on the glamorous, party-going world of urban socialites Agnes and Tobias. But this veneer is gradually peeled away by the arrival of their recently divorced daughter, the presence of Agnes’s alcoholic sister and the late-night arrival of some close friends.
Staunton is one of London theatre’s best-loved actresses who has previously appeared at the Almeida theatre in There Came A Gypsy Riding in 2007. A two-times Laurence Olivier Award-winner, Staunton’s stage credits include Into The Woods, A Chorus Of Disapproval, Guys And Dolls, Life X 3, Uncle Vanya and, most recently, Entertaining Mr Sloane at Trafalgar Studios in 2009. She is also well-known for her screen work, which includes BBC costume drama Cranford and films Sense And Sensibility, Shakespeare In Love, the Harry Potter series and Vera Drake, for which she won a BAFTA.
Cohu has screen credits including TV dramas Forgiven, The Queen’s Sister and Torchwood. She returned to the stage after a break of eight years in Speaking In Tongues at the Duke of York’s theatre in 2009, before going to on appear in Broken Glass at the Tricycle theatre last year.
James Macdonald’s production of A Delicate Balance opens to the press on 12 May and runs to 2 July. It is preceded at the Almeida theatre by Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw (13 January to 5 March) and David Eldridge’s The Knot Of The Heart (10 March to 30 April).
CB