Simon Russell Beale will return to the title role of Titus Andronicus when the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)’s production transfers from Stratford-upon-Avon to Hampstead Theatre this autumn.
Directed by Max Webster (The Importance of Being Earnest), Shakespeare’s bloodiest play is examined through the lens of 21st century aggression.
When victorious general Titus Andronicus executes his enemy’s son in a merciless show of vengeance, he has no idea of the evil his actions will incite. As the two sides trade violent acts of retribution, one man revels in the bloodbath.
Also returning to the production alongside Beale are Emma Fielding as Marcia Andronicus and Wendy Kweh as Tamora. They are joined by Danny Collins (Martius/Messenger), Thomas Josling (Bassianus/Publius), Joel MacCormack (Lucius), Jerone Marsh-Reid (Alarbus/Leader of the Goths) and Sharita Oomeer (Nurse/Goth). Further casting is to be announced.
The creative team also includes set & costume designer Joanna Scotcher, lighting designer Lee Curan, composer Matthew Herbert, sound designer Tingying Dong, movement director Jade Hackett, fight and intimacy directors Rachel Bown-Williams and Ruth Cooper-Brown, and casting director Matthew Dewsbury. The revival director is Kwame Owusu.
Titus Andronicus opens at Hampstead Theatre on Friday, September 5 and runs until Saturday, October 11. Public booking opens on Friday, July 4 here.
Titus Andronicus will be followed by five new productions including the European premiere of The Assembled Parties by Richard Greenberg, the world premieres of The Billionaire Inside Your Head by Will Lord, Fatherland by Nancy Farino and A Ghost in Your Ear by Jamie Armitage and a major revival of Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink starring Felicity Kendal.
Top image: Joel MacCormack as Lucius, Simon Russell Beale as Titus Andronicus and Emma Fielding as Marcia Andronicus. Credit Marc Brenner (image supplied)