Tom Edden will play Pompey in Joe Hill-Gibbins’s dark reimagining of Measure for Measure at The Young Vic with rehearsals starting this summer. Scott Karim has opened at The Bush in the world premier of Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s new play The Invisible written in response to the government cuts to legal-aid. Meanwhile Geoff Leesley joins The Rose Theatre Kingston’s adaptation of The Wars of The Roses directed by Trevor Nunn and opening late summer. On tour Emma Handy and Richard Teverson join the cast of Moira Buffini’s Olivier Nominated ‘Handbagged’ directed by Indhu Rubasingham. New RADA grad Bill Parfitt joins the ensemble of Future Conditional Matthew Warchus’s first play in his role of Artistic Director at The Old Vic. Out of London and following press acclaim for its premier at The Sherman Cardiff, Sophie Melville will perform Gary Owens harrowing one woman show Iphigenia in Splott at The Pleasance during this years Edinburgh Festival. Also at The Festival, watch out for Spencer Jones as The Herbert in his acclaimed comedy show Proper Job, performances throughout August.
Author: Eamonn
Summer Screen
Terence Beesley joins the cast of Peter Moffat’s new six-part BBC drama Undercover a complex transatlantic drama which centres on the relationship of an undercover police officer in the years following the 1996 death of a black civil rights leader. Also for the BBC Pooky Quesnel joins the cast of its supernatural period drama The Living and The Dead directed by Alice Troughton. For FOX 21 Lisa Palfrey shoots the much anticipated Bastard Executioner a new drama from the creators of Sons of Anarchy set during the Welsh Rebellion. Rocky Marshall plays the regular role of Palace Security Agent James Hill in E!’s cult drama The Royals created by Mark Schwahn. Richard Teverson has just wrapped on The Untitled Donald Crowhurst Project directed by ‘The Theory of Everything’s’ BAFTA winning director James Marsh. Hayley Carmichael meanwhile plays Doreen, in Retort’s 6 part comedy drama Chewing Gum adapted from Michaela Coel’s award winning play Chewing Gum Dreams which premiered at the National Theatre last year. Carla Harrison Hodge plays Collette in Brighton based police drama CUFFS from Tiger Aspect whilst the ever popular Silent Witness returns with Thomas Coombes, Jude Monk McGowan and Jay Simpson all shooting guest roles.
Film & TV updates
Hayley Carmichael will be in Cannes this month for the premiere of Tale of Tales, Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone’s dark fairy tale which is in competition for the 2015 Palme d’Or. Weaving together three different stories, Hayley features as Dora in The Two Old Women segment with Vincent Cassel.
Filming starts, meanwhile, on Beowulf, ITV’s epic new 13 part warrior drama in which Joe Sims has been cast in the role of Greff. Set in the dark ages of Britain’s mythical past and based on the enduring literary poem of the same name, shooting will take place in the north east with Stephen Woolfenden directing. As the excellent Atlantis comes to the end of its on screen run, Ken Bones goes onto film season II of Tyrant, the Fox drama set in the Middle East. Terence Beesley finishes shooting on the BBC’s new adaptation of War and Peace and moves onto Series III of The Musketeers where he will film the role of General Lantier whilst Natasha Gordon joins Series III of Line of Duty which Lisa Palfrey is already filming.
New series coming up include Cuffs, Tiger Aspects fast paced new cop show for the BBC in which Thomas Coombes has landed the guest role and Jericho, a new prime time series for ITV about the building of the railways during the nineteenth century’s industrial revolution in which Kent Riley teams up once more with ‘Cilla’ director Paul Whittinton.
Theatre News
On stage we are pleased to confirm that Tafline Steen will reprise her role as Jess in The Broadway transfer of the Olivier Award winning Charles III which will run at The Music Box Theatre this autumn. Jodie McNee, meanwhile, returns to The National Theatre where she will play Liz Morden in Nadia Fall’s revival of Our Country’s Good. Lisa Palfrey has started rehearsals for The Seagull at Regents Park which Matthew Dunster is directing in a new version by Torben Betts and Ferdy Roberts will transfer with Lampedusa, Anders Lustgarten’s new political elegy, which will be at Soho Theatre from the end of June. Chris Harper will play Benedick in The Globe’s Much Ado About Nothing with Max Webster directing, Robert Hands opens in Sunspots at Hampstead Theatre with Charlotte Gwimmer directing, Gavin Spokes returns to the West End in Headlong’s revival of 1984 and Richard Dempsey opens as Reggie in Rob Ashford’s Chichester staging of A Damsel in Distress.
On Screen, on Film, on Stage
On Screen
Max Fowler plays regular Krispin Stockley in POWERS. The series based on the award winning comic books is a combination of noir police story and real world superheros from the producers of ‘Breaking Bad’ and premiers this month for Sony. Also premiering this month, Richard Teverson features as Lib Dem politician David Laws in Channel 4’s new political drama Coalition which details the days after the 2010 general election and the formation of the current government. Joe Sims is in BBC 3’s second series of Uncle and Geraldine Alexander is in ITV’s period drama Arthur and George. Over on Sky catch Cosima Shaw real time medical drama Critical and Joseph May in new comedy I Live With Models for Comedy Central. Meanwhile Robert Hands can be seen playing Henry in the BBC’s 7-part fantasy drama Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Also for The BBC Thomas Coombes plays Stefan in the final series of Wallander opposite Kenneth Branagh whilst in the US Ken Bones plays regular Annas in the 12 part Biblical drama AD from Lightworkers Media, premiering Easter Sunday. In UK cinemas Tom Edden plays The Lizard Footman in Branagh’s live action Cinderella released on the 27th of March and Jodie Mcnee plays Rosencrantz in The Manchester Royal Exchange’s Hamlet with Maxine Peake, in cinemas now.
On Film
Lisa Palfrey will join the regular cast of BBC2’s police corruption thriller Line of Duty which returns for a much anticipated third series. Also for BBC2 Jay Simpson plays Ernie in new 8 part comedy drama From The Cradle To The Grave written by Jeff Pope and based on the memoirs of Danny Baker. Natasha Gordon will play Pearl, Danny’s older sister in Danny and The Human Zoo a 90 minute semi autobiographical drama written by Lenny Henry for RED productions. Thomas Coombes will play Kieran Benson in CUFFS an 8-part police drama written and created by Julie Gearey for Tiger Aspect/BBC1. Meanwhile Richard Teverson reprises his role as Dr Ryder in series 6 of Downton Abbey and Joe Sims will feature in the third series of Endeavour directed by Sandra Goldbacher for ITV/Mammoth Screen.
On Stage
Richard Dempsey will play Reggie Byng in Damsel in Distress at Chichester Festival Theatre this summer. The musical with songs from George and Ira Gershwin is based on the novel by P.G Woodhouse and is well-known from the popular 1937 comedy film. Daniel Rabin joins the cast of the rarely staged King John directed by James Dacre for The Globes ‘Season of Plenty ‘and Scott Karim will play Morocco in The Merchant of Venice directed by Jonathan Munby also for The Globe. Ferdy Roberts plays Stefano in Anders Lustgarten‘s political two hander Lampedusa at The Soho Theatre directed by Steven Atkinson.
What the papers say
Jodie McNee has opened GAME at The Almeida Theatre with terrific reviews
****4 Stars from The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish who calls it a ’dark, riveting drama packed with ideas, and it makes guilty peeping-toms of us all’
Thomas Coombes has opened to great reviews at The Trafalgar Studios in Laurie Slade’s version of Strindberg’s The Father
****4 Stars from The Times’ Kate Maltby The Father, has been triumphantly revived at Trafalgar Studios. Abbey Wright’s crisp, clear production is the tale of a crumbling marriage and a father desperately fighting for control of his child.
Graham Turner has opened in Mark Rosenblatt’s Uncle Vanya at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Colm Gormley starts his run as Ted Narracott in the National Theatre’s West End production of Warhorse this month.
Ongoing
Scott Karim (Dara at National Theatre), Daniel Coonan (Treasure Island National Theatre) Richard Dempsey (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory Theatre Royal Drury Lane) Tom Edden (Les Misérables Queens Theatre). On tour Matt Rawle plays Billy Crocker in Sheffield Theatre’s Anything Goes and Geraldine Alexander plays Siobhan in The National Theatre’s The Curious Incident Of The Dog in The Night Time.
2015 brings….Screen
Thomas Coombes plays Edward Hyde in Jekyll and Hyde a new 10-parter adapted by Charlie Higson also for ITV. For Working Title/NBC/ Sky 1 Sara Powell and Natasha Gordon film Apocalypse Slough a new 10 part series that follows an eclectic mix of ordinary Berkshire residents who gather underground to watch the end of the world on TV.
Joseph May continues to play model agent Luke in the first series of Comedy Central’s I Live With Models whilst Kriss Dosanjh returns to This is England reprising his role as Mr Sandu. Meanwhile Terence Beesley joins an impressive line up in the BBC’s new adaptation of War and Peace, Tom Edden features in 18th century marital drama The Woman in Red for BBC2 and Derek Hutchinson shoots Versailles an English-language historical drama about King Louis XIV and his building of the great palace for Canal + .
2015 brings….Theatre
Scott Karim returns to the National in Shahid Nadeem’s ‘Dara’ directed by Nadia Fall. Jodie McNee starts rehearsals for Mike Bartlett’s provocative new play GAME directed by Sacha Wares in an imaginative restaging by designer Miriam Buether at The Almeida. Ferdy Roberts will headline the Vaults festival in Filter Theatre’s interpretation of Macbeth in which he plays the title role.
Thomas Coombes will play Nojd in Strindberg’s The Father directed by Abby Wright at The Trafalgar Studios whilst Colm Gormley joins the West End production of The National Theatre’s War Horse playing Ted Narracott. Angela Terence meanwhile is at The Gate in The Chronicles of Kalki directed by JMK winner Alex Brown.
Out of London Geraldine Alexander continues touring with The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time and Gavin Spokes plays Francis Henshall in One Man Two Guvnors both for the National Theatre. At The West Yorkshire Playhouse Graham Turner plays Telegin Waffles in Mark Rosenblatt’s Uncle Vanya.
What to see? Our New Year’s tips
Kickstarting January is the second series of Broadchurch in which Joe Sims reprises his role as Nigel Carter in the gripping crime drama. Also on ITV this January Hermione Gulliford plays regular Elizabeth Addis in Foyles War which returns with three new 2 hour films. On BBC2 Wolf Hall premiers featuring Max Fowler in the Peter Kosminsky screen adaptation of Hillary Mantel’s books. Mr Selfridge returns for a third series introducing Rocky Marshall as new regular DI Purkiss whilst Pooky Quesnel gains a promotion in the tenth and final series of Waterloo Road, on screens from January.
On film, catch Ridley Scott’s epic Exodus ‘Gods and Kings’ featuring Ken Bones opening in cinemas on Boxing Day. Kenneth Branagh’s much talked about live action Cinderella is scheduled for release early 2015 with Tom Edden as the Lizard Footman whilst The Royal Exchanges’ recently filmed Hamlet, featuring Jodie McNee also gains a cinema release early next year. Expect The Pride with Lisa Palfrey and Mr Turner also with Tom Edden to feature brightly during awards season.
On stage, recent openings playing during the holidays include Daniel Coonan as the menacing Black Dog in Polly Findley’s Treasure Island for The National Theatre. Also for the National, Jodie McNee and Hermione Gulliford continue their run in Three Winters. Matt Rawle plays stowaway Billy Crocker in Anything Goes at The Sheffield Cruicible and Vincenzo Nicoli is the Mafioso Duke of Venice in Ruper Goold’s inspired staging of Merchant of Venice at The Almeida.
Completing their West End runs in January are Ferdy Roberts (Shakespeare in Love), Tafline Steen (King Charles III) and Scott Karim (Great Britain) whilst Tom Edden (Les Misérables) and Richard Dempsey (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) will continue into the new year.
Geraldine Alexander, meanwhile, opens at The Lowry, Manchester as Siobhan in The National’s Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night Time which is now touring whilst Gavin Spokes continues his hugely successful run as Francis Henshell in the One Man 2 Guvnors also touring with The National Theatre.
Autumn Shoots
Robert Hands joins the cast of Partners in Crime playing Mr Minton. The BBC drama starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine as Tommy and Tuppence is directed by Ed Hall and forms part of the celebrations for Agatha Christie’s 125th anniversary year. For Channel 4, Richard Teverson plays Liberal Democrat David Laws in the one off political drama Coalition. Written by James Graham and directed by Alex Holmes the story charts the meteoric rise to government and power of Nick Clegg. Stefan Kalipha will begin shooting new six part drama River. The crime series starring Stellan Skarsgård as Detective Inspector John River is written by Abi Morgan and is being produced by Kudos for BBC1. For Lightworkers Media Ken Bones is playing the biblical character Annas in AD a 12 part series charting the birth of Christianity currently filming in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. Kriss Dosanjh reprises his role as shop keeper Mr Sandu in Warp’s BAFTA award winning drama This is England 90 following its characters a decade on. Meanwhile Thomas Coombes plays opposite Kenneth Branagh in the BBC crime series Wallander, Joe Sims joins the cast of Uncle the hit BBC3 show as it returns for a second series and Geraldine Alexander films ITV’s 3 part drama Arthur and George. In film, Pooky Quesnel shoots the screen adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s bestselling parody novel Pride Prejudice and Zombies. Lisa Palfrey has just wrapped on the Welsh language film adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood directed by Kevin Allen and Stefan Kalipha plays Frances De La Tour’s elusive boyfriend The Maharajah in Disney’s Through the Looking Glass a sequel to Tim Burton’s 2010 film Alice in Wonderland.